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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2432W—continued
Trust Schools
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what way the financial arrangements for a trust school will differ from those in place for foundation schools. [38062]
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Jacqui Smith: Trust schools will be funded on exactly the same basis as other maintained schools, including foundation schools. They will receive multi-year revenue budgets from their local authority under the new school funding arrangements we are introducing from April 2006. They will receive direct capital funding on the national formula and have access to the substantial funding allocated to their authority and through the Building Schools for the Future programme.
Trust schools will also be subject to the same financial controls, including audit arrangements, as apply currently to maintained schools, through each local authority's statutory Scheme for Financing Schools.
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the legal duties and responsibilities of governors of trust schools will be under the proposals in the Schools White Paper. [37662]
Jacqui Smith: Under the proposals contained in the Higher Standards, Better Schools For All" White Paper, the duties and responsibilities of governing bodies of trust schools will be the same as those of the governing bodies of foundation schools.
The governing body of trust schools will, as do all governing bodies of maintained schools, have a legal duty to conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. Their responsibilities include setting the strategic direction, objectives, targets and policies for the school, approving the school budget and reviewing progress against the budget, plans and targets, acting as a critical friend to the head teacher by providing support and challenge and appointing the head teacher. Governing bodies in trust schools will also employ their staff and be their own admissions authority, this is the same as in voluntary aided and foundation schools.
University Entrants
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils from (a) the Forest of Dean constituency and (b) Gloucestershire went on to university in each of the last five years. [36246]
Bill Rammell: The latest available figures on participation by constituency and region were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in January in Young Participation in England", which is available from their website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/. This shows participation rates for constituencies and region for the years 1997 to 2000, and these are shown in the table.
| Year cohort aged 18 in: | Forest of Dean | Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 33 | 36 |
| 1998 | 32 | 34 |
| 1999 | 28 | 33 |
| 2000 | 33 | 35 |
Source:
Higher Education Funding Council for England.
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The Department uses the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18–30 in higher education towards 50 per cent.: the latest provisional figure for 2003/04 is 43 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at constituency level.
Volunteering
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to promote the involvement of young people in volunteering. [38144]
Maria Eagle: The Youth Green Paper Youth Matters" sets out a number of broad areas of activity designed to encourage young people to volunteer and contribute to their community. It aims to test out more varied approaches to volunteering, in line with the Russell Commission's recommendations.
This includes, for example, expanding peer mentoring. The Chancellor has recently announced in his pre-Budget report a new investment aimed at introducing and evaluating more structured and formalised approaches to peer mentoring in schools. We will also be promoting more active citizenship approaches in schools, further and higher education and more volunteering in public services. We are building on the experience of Millennium Volunteers and the Young Volunteer Challenge to develop more flexible approaches to volunteering and to expand longer term volunteering opportunities.
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Weir: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by his Office in each year since May 1997. [39098]
Mr. Hoon: The information is as follows:
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons employed one consultant on IT issues during August 2005 at a cost of £3,760.
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has not employed any external advisers since May 1997.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent on advertising by his Office in each year since May 1997. [39100]
Mr. Hoon: None. The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons does not spend any money on advertising.
PR Companies
Mr. Weir: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list the public relations companies that have had contracts with his Office since May 1997. [39099]
Mr. Hoon:
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has not had any contracts with public relations companies.
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SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Barristers
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will list the 10 barristers instructed to advise and represent in court his and other Departments through the Department who received the highest sums in the last financial year; how much each received in each case; and if he will make a statement. [23497]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General is responsible for appointment and operation of the civil panel of Junior Counsel and First Treasury Junior Counsel. Government Departments instruct barristers on the Panel Departments may instruct Panel Counsel to provide advice outside the sphere of litigation. There is no central record of this and disproportionate cost would be incurred in collating this information from all Departments.
The 10 barristers instructed by the Inland Revenue, the then HMC&E DEFRA, DWP/DH and Treasury Solicitor who were paid the highest sums in the financial year ending 31 March 2005 to conduct civil litigation on behalf of the Crown and the amounts paid are:
A number of qualifications need to be added to these figures:
The amount paid to barristers in one financial year is not necessarily reflective of the work carried out during that year. Payment may take place during or sometime after the work and different Departments have different payment practices.
The figures must be interpreted carefully and do not represent the personal earnings of the barristers listed—figures are inclusive of VAT and disbursements incurred. After VAT has been deducted, banisters will typically pay 25–30 per cent. of fees in professional expenses. Additionally, barristers face the same expenses as any other self-employed person, including income tax and national insurance contributions.
The Crown pays barristers at a fixed hourly rate for work payable, for example, only when hearings take place, and does not use a brief fee system.
Not all payments could be verified with the individuals concerned. Cases in dispute, where records of payments held by the Departments differ to those held by the practitioners, have been included. Where possible, amounts have been verified by practitioners and adjusted where necessary.
The Crown, under the Panel Counsel system, has access to some of the very best advocates, who are appointed on merit following fair and open competition and represent excellent value for money.
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