| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Dec 2005 : Column 1687W—continued
Terrorism
Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer of 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 298, to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard), and his answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1039W, on terrorism, if he will estimate the number of police officers required to analyse 750 gigabytes of data within a 90-day period. [37255]
The Prime Minister: As I set out in my answer to the hon. Member on 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1038W, the decision on the number of police officers deployed to focus on a particular area of an investigation, such as analysing data, is the responsibility of the chief constable of the force concerned.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Olympic Games
Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to enhance the skills base to enable people to participate in sustainable construction for the 2012 Olympic Games. [35835]
Phil Hope:
ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council responsible for recruiting and training the UK's construction work force, has announced a special team—Constructing London 2012—to deliver locally available construction skills to build the Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure operating as part of the Strategic Forum Olympic Task Group. Constructing London 2012 will work with partners to recruit and train local people ensuring that building the Olympic
12 Dec 2005 : Column 1688W
infrastructure provides sustainable skills and job opportunities for people resident in East London through a range of newly targeted initiatives.
In addition, the recently announced Construction National Skills Academy will have a significant impact on developing construction skills for the Olympic infrastructure and other London-based construction projects. One of its first on-site centres is expected to be launched in the Thames Gateway area during the last quarter of 2006.
A significant proportion of ConstructionSkills' 2006 Inspire Scholarships" will be targeted on Olympic projects. These provide around £9,000 to support undergraduates on construction-related degree courses through university.
Academies
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new providers have expressed an interest in funding new academies; how much each such provider has indicated it may make available; which authorities each is interested in operating in; and if she will make a statement. [34708]
Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills has spoken to in excess of 230 organisations and individuals about sponsorship of academies. In general, academy sponsors are required to provide 10 per cent. of the capital costs of establishing an academy, up to a cap of £2 million. This can be from a single organisation or individual or a group of sponsors. It is not possible to state how much each potential sponsor has indicated it may make available. Discussions with potential sponsors may focus on the programme as a whole or on specific academies. As such it is not possible to state which authorities each is interested in operating in.
Adult Education
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State forEducation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1613W, on adult education, what percentage of colleges charged fees to adults for a first full level 2 course, in each year since 2001–02. [35825]
Bill Rammell: Reliable Information about the prior qualifications of learners, that would enable us to identify those who have paid tuition fees for a first full level 2 qualification, is not available at a college level for the years since 2001/02. Information is available about those studying for a full level two qualification and paying tuition fees but not whether such qualifications are a first level 2 qualification for the individual.
In a recent survey of learners 1 in FE a third of learners on a first full level 2 course said they paid fees.
Agency Staff
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the costs of (a) temporary and agency staff and (b) consultants fall within (i) gross administration costs and (ii) staff costs as referred to on page 12 of the Resource Accounts 2004–05. [35613]
12 Dec 2005 : Column 1689W
Maria Eagle: The treatment of such costs in the Department's Resource Accounts follows standard Government accounting conventions. The cost of temporary and agency staff fall within both gross administration costs and staff costs. The costs of consultants may be charged to either gross administration costs or programmes depending on the nature of the work on which they are engaged. Where consultants are charged to administration costs, they are treated outside staff costs.
Basic Skills Agency
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 475W, on the Basic Skills Agency, if she will list the local authorities which are not members of a Quality Mark partnership. [36023]
Phil Hope: The local authorities which are not members of a Quality Mark partnership are:
Behaviour and Attendance
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will list the schools included in the Primary National Strategy's Behaviour and Attendance Pilot; and how they were selected; [34024]
(2) if she will make a statement on the progress and findings of the Primary National Strategy's Behaviour and Attendance Pilot; [34026]
(3) what guidance her Department has produced for schools on Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning; and if she will make a statement. [34019]
Jacqui Smith: 25 local authorities were selected to take part in the Primary National Strategy Behaviour and Attendance pilot on the basis of social deprivation and geographic spread. Steering groups within each authority selected the schools to be involved. Participation was voluntary.
The pilot had four strands: curriculum materials to develop children's social, emotional and behavioural skills; different models of local authority support for schools where behaviour or attendance was a key issue; small group interventions for children needing extra help with social, emotional and behavioural skills;
12 Dec 2005 : Column 1690W
and behaviour and attendance audit and staff training materials. Different schools piloted different combinations of these strands.
Within the pilot 253 primary schools took part in the piloting of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum resource for at least a year. A list of these schools has been placed in the Library.
About 100 primary schools tested different models of local authority support. A similar number piloted small group interventions. All primary schools in the pilot authorities were encouraged to trial the audit and training materials.
The Primary Behaviour and Attendance pilot has been evaluated by London University's Institute of Education. Their report found evidence of positive impacts on behaviour and learning. We therefore decided to make enhanced versions of the SEAL and audit and training materials available to all primary schools.
The SEAL materials became available in June 2005. They provide a structured, whole-curriculum resource together with clear guidance for staff on how to use it. Using the SEAL resource is entirely voluntary, but there has been a high level of demand from schools. Over half of all primary schools have now ordered it.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |