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28 Nov 2005 : Column 178W—continued
Further Education
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will reform career development loans to make them more accessible to further education students; and if she will make a statement. [31821]
Bill Rammell: Career development loans (CDLs) already provide support to students in further education (FE). We are aiming to test changes to CDLs to ensure that they are better able to support the aims of the 2003 Skills Strategy 21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential", and in particular to make them more accessible to FE learners. We will be testing these new arrangements in 2006/07 and 2007/08 and evaluation of the outcomes will contribute to reform of the programme for the future.
Graduate Teachers Programme
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she plans to reform the Graduate Teachers Programme; and if she will make a statement. [31877]
Jacqui Smith: No. The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) scheme has been a highly successful initial teacher training programme that continues to attract and recruit large numbers of new high quality trainees, many of whom train in secondary priority subjects and who are employed in schools in areas that find the recruitment of new teachers more difficult. During 2004/05 more than 5,400 new trainees were recruited on to the GTP scheme.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the actual expenditure was of the Learning and Skills Council in each year since its inception, broken down into (a) the categories in the grant letter of the relevant year and (b) the categories set out in the grant letter of November 2005. [30813]
Bill Rammell: The following tables set out the information requested.
28 Nov 2005 : Column 180W
(100)The categories used in the various grant letters have changed from year to year, mainly because the line for Young People and Adults were merged into Learner Participation and new lines for Capital, School Sixth forms and Local Intervention and Development were introduced.
Source:
The LSC expenditure totals up to 2003–04 are consistent with LSC published Annual Accounts. For 2004–05 the expenditure is as signed off by the NAO and contained on the Annual Report and Accounts which are due to be laid before Parliament on 28 November and issued more widely a few days later.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the money saved by changes to the structure of the Learning and Skills Council will (a) remain in the further education budget and (b) be allocated to further education colleges; and if she will make a statement. [31819]
Bill Rammell: The LSC has announced its funding plans for the academic years 2006/07 and 2007/08 through its document Priorities for Success'. The plans include a significant transfer of funds out of centrally-held budgets in both the DfES and LSC for consolidation into core sector funding and they reflect an assessment of efficiency savings. They will deliver an estimated 3 per cent. cash increase on allocations to colleges, schools and providers in each of 2006/07 and 2007/08. There will be variations around this average and the LSC will be working with individual colleges, schools and providers over the coming months on the implications for their own budgets.
The LSC is embarking upon a major transformation programme that will make it a smaller, more dynamic and more customer-focused organisation. It is currently in the process of consulting on the programme and will be developing its detailed plans once the consultation period has concluded.
28 Nov 2005 : Column 181W
Literacy
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on progress with the review of the National Literacy Strategy. [32046]
Jacqui Smith: The National Literacy Strategy—now part of the Primary National Strategy—was introduced in 1998. Parts of the Primary National Strategy will be affected by the Rose review of best practice in the early teaching of reading and the renewal of the non-statutory frameworks for teaching literacy and maths. The Rose review will report in early 2006. The new frameworks will be available for schools in September 2006. The framework for teaching literacy will reflect the conclusions of the Rose review.
Looked-after Children (Safeguards)
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the evidential basis was for the statement in her Department's guidelines Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Induced or Fabricated by Carers with Parenting Responsibilities, on the likelihood of it being the correct explanation for a child's symptoms is the involvement of carers and that the case should be referred to social services. [30688]
Maria Eagle: The Government's guidance, Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced" (2002), focuses on children when there is a concern that the child is or is likely to suffer harm as a result of their carer inducing or fabricating illness. The key issue is the impact of fabricated or induced illness on the child's health and development, and consideration of how best to safeguard the child's welfare. The guidance emphasises the importance of carefully evaluating the child's signs and symptoms of illness in order to understand the reasons for them and that professionals should be open to all possible explanations. The question refers to the consultation version of this guidance, the final version of which has an amended title and content. The sentence in question sets out the process that should be followed when there is a concern that illness in a child might be being induced or fabricated. It relates to the previous section on the medical evaluation of a child's signs and symptoms.
Marshall Aid/Scholarships
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the operation of (a) the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 and (b) the Marshall Scholarships Act 1959. [29842]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 and the Marshall Scholarships Act 1959 form the basis of theoperation of the Marshall Scholarships Scheme. The scheme is functioning well and in full compliance with both Acts.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent on Marshall scholarships in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [29843]
Ian Pearson:
I have been asked to reply.
28 Nov 2005 : Column 182W
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has allocated the following funding, as Grant in Aid, to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, in order to provide and manage the Marshall Scholarships scheme:
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 2005–06 | 2,178,000 |
| 2004–05 | 2,083,784 |
| 2003–04 | 1,962,000 |
| 2002–03 | 1,960,915 |
| 2001–02 | 1,833,743 |
| 2000–01 | 1,694,610 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,661,097 |
| 1998–99 | 1,518,000 |
| 1997–98 | 1,486,000 |
| 1996–96 | 1,401,000 |
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) males and (b) females were refused scholarships under the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 in 2004–05; and what the reason for the refusal was in each case. [29845]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
Of the 828 unsuccessful candidates for the 2004–05 competition, 396 were men and 432 were women.
A total of 871 applications for scholarships were received and 43 scholarships were awarded, of which 23 were awarded to men and 20 were awarded to women.
We cannot offer the reason for refusal in each case because to do so would require us to provide personal details of applicants and would incur disproportionate costs.
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