| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
13 Dec 2005 : Column 1894W—continued
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expenditure by her Department was on centrally financed local initiatives in (a) Essex, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) Southend West constituency in each of the last six years for which figures are available. [34229]
Bill Rammell: The following table shows the expenditure incurred by the Department in Essex and Hertfordshire. The Department cannot give figures for Southend West constituency because it does not hold information on funding at constituency level; instead we have provided information for Southend-on-Sea.
In addition to centrally financed local initiatives, local authorities also receive formula funding from ODPM for schools and children's services. These figures are not included in the following table. In the schools sector there have been regular transfers between the grants paid by the Department and formula funding paid by ODPM.
(30) Centrally financed local initiatives are taken to be specific programmes funded directly by the Department and exclude funding for schools and children's social services paid through ODPM.
(31) Excludes payments made by NDPBs which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Educational Attainment (Houghton and Washington, East)
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of working age people in (a) Houghton and Washington, East constituency and (b) England hold a qualification at degree level or equivalent or above. [36886]
Bill Rammell:
From the 2004/05 Annual Local Labour Force Survey, the percentage of the working age population in (a) Houghton and Washington, East constituency and (b) England that hold a qualification at degree level or equivalent or above are (a) 14.2 per cent. (8,000 people) and (b) 26.1 per cent. (7,948,000 people).
13 Dec 2005 : Column 1895W
Foundation Stage Profiles
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the foundation stage profile results were for (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004, broken down by (i) local education authority and (ii) socio-economic group. [34118]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 2 December]: My Department has no plans to publish foundation stage profile (FSP) results prior to 2005 by local authority or by socio-economic group. National summary FSP data was first published in 2003 as 'Experimental Statistics' and since 2004 as 'National Statistics'
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000476/index.shtml
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000566/index.shtml
Data for 2003 and 2004 at local authority level are not reliable enough. There is evidence that ongoing improvements to the assessment process were less advanced for some local authorities and as a result the data may not properly reflect the precise outcomes of all children in these authorities.
Figures for socio-economic groups can only be derived using the 10 percent. pupil level sample dataset supplied by local authorities (LAs). However, the sample was not designed for compiling estimates at these levels. In February 2006, the final data for 2005 will be published in a statistical first release.
This will include a limited local authority version of the table recently published in the 2005 provisional SFR in October
13 Dec 2005 : Column 1896W
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000608/index.shtml.
The final 2005 dataset represents the most reliable set of information on the outcomes of children on the foundation stage profile for local authorities and reflects the fact that ongoing improvements to the assessment process are at their most advanced and have been applied more widely.
This SFR will also include broad figures on the proportion of children who are achieving a good level of development in England for some of the most disadvantaged areas in England. The figures will be derived from the pupil level sample and will form the baseline for the SR 2004 public service agreement 1 which aims to improve children's communication, personal, social and emotional development.
Learners (Accidents)
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many accidents have been recorded to learners within the (a) Millennium Volunteers, (b) Children's Fund, (c) Positive Activities for Young Persons, (d) Neighbourhood Support Fund, (e) Sure Start and (f) Local Network Fund programme since each was established, broken down by (i) fatal, (ii) major and (iii) those requiring over three days' absence. [28900]
Beverley Hughes: Each programme has its own arrangements for reporting accidents. However, days absent are not recorded because the programmes are not compulsory and attendance is flexible and often irregular. For example a participant in PAYP might only attend one session during a holiday period.
The following table gives details of accidents reported to DfES since the programmes began.
n/a = Not available.
Meetings (Refreshments)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is issued by her Department to officials on ordering refreshments for meetings at which (a) officials only will be present and (b) non-civil servants will be in attendance; and if she will make a statement. [36190]
Bill Rammell: The following guidance is issued by my Department to staff when ordering refreshments for meetings.
There is a general principle that refreshments should not be provided at public expense when only civil servants are present.
Mid-morning and mid-afternoon refreshments (coffee or tea and biscuits) may be provided at public expense either with or without the presence of non-civil servants
for meetings to which some of those attending have travelled and when it is more efficient to continue the business of the meeting without a break; or
at training courses where it is more efficient to keep the delegates together and continue the course without a break.
Outreach Services
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what outreach services are available to young people in the (a) Normanton and Sharlston and (b) Ossett wards of Normanton constituency (i) within and (ii) outside the sure start plus scheme. [35415]
Beverley Hughes:
The local sure start plus programme—branded locally as 'young families'—works across all wards in Wakefield MDC. Young families provides one-to-one support to young parents and pregnant teenagers and is developing a new teenage parents' support group in partnership with local health visitors. This group is based at Chesney's and is open to young parents from Featherstone and its surrounding districts, including Normanton and Sharlston.
13 Dec 2005 : Column 1897W
Over and above the services provided by young families, the local authority 'young people's service' has outreach provision targeting hard-to-reach young people in Normanton and Sharlston, including:
A new outreach project is about to start in Normanton, run jointly by the young people's service and the local teenage pregnancy team.
The young people's service also delivers outreach services in Horbury and Ossett, again targeting hard-to-reach young people, including:
Finally, the West Yorkshire Youth Association provides the following outreach services targeting hard-to-reach young people:
An outreach van working at the Freeston Business and Enterprise college one afternoon a week, which has been there since August and will remain until Christmas. If the college is closed, the van operates from Normanton park.
An outreach van that moves to different venues across the district on a rota basis. The van did operate in Sharlston earlier in the year, but it was moved to another part of the district as the service was not well accessed by young people.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |