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9 Jan 2006 : Column 437W—continued
Sure Start
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are participating in the Sure Start programme in Stroud constituency. [39244]
Beverley Hughes:
There is one mini Sure Start local programme (Dursley and Cam) in Stroud constituency. Numbers of children registered at or seen by mini Sure Start programmes are not held, but each programme was intended to reach around 150 under-fours. This programme is linked to a 50 place neighbourhood nursery (Treetops nursery) in Dursley with additional outreach and family support services being delivered from Rednock community centre in Dursley and from
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the GL11 Community Project in Cam. This provision is being developed into a children's centre to reach around 1,200 children under five and their families in the Dursley, Berkeley, Cam East and Cam West wards by March 2006.
Surplus School Places
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2432W, on surplus school places, who will be charged with determining whether authorities have a sufficiently strong strategic vision for the delivery of secondary education in their area to be prioritised under the Building Schools for the Future programme under the proposals in the Education White Paper; and what role the proposed Schools' Commissioner will have in this process. [40412]
Jacqui Smith:
As Minister of State for Schools and 14–19 Learners, I have responsibility for determining whether authorities have a sufficiently strong strategic vision for the delivery of their local Building Schools for the Future programme. The advice of senior departmental officials is a key consideration in my
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determinations, as will be the advice of the Schools Commissioner, particularly in relation to the issues of delivering diversity, choice and fair access for parents in the provision of secondary education.
Vulnerable Minors
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which 50 areas have the highest proportion of registered vulnerable (a) children and (b) young adults per 10,000 head of population. [39292]
Maria Eagle: The Department does not collect data on the number of registered vulnerable children and young adults. This is not a category of children and young people defined within the legislation covering social services functions. Information showing local authority areas with looked after children aged under 18 years of age per 10,000 head of population can be found in Children looked after by local authorities, year ending 31 March 2004". This is available on the Department's website at:
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vulnerable (a) children and (b) young adults are in placements outside their own local authority area by social services Departments. [39293]
Maria Eagle: The Department does not collect data on the number of vulnerable children and young adults. This is not a category of children and young people defined within the legislation covering social services functions. Information about the number of looked after children aged under 18 years of age and placed out of authority is collected centrally. I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 July 2005, Official Report, column1402W.
Work Experience
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 5 October 2005, Official Report, column 2785W, on work experience, what the figures were for (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–04. [25064]
Jacqui Smith:
There is a majority take up of Work Experience among Key Stage 4 pupils, however, the actual breakdown of numbers per sector participating in WE is the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom, chief executive of the LSC, will be writing to my hon. Friend, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
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Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 22 December 2005:
Further to your question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills requesting the number of Key Stage 3 pupils who under-took work-experience placements between 1995 and 2005.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) collects data for work-experience placements for Key Stage pupils in Years 10 and 11. It does not collect information on Key Stage 3 students as part of the LSC Education Business Link funded activity.
WorldSkills Competition
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of hosting the WorldSkills Competition in the UK on the (a) economy and (b) skills levels of (i) the host regional areas and (ii) the UK. [39309]
Phil Hope: It is difficult to assess the potential impact of an event such as the WorldSkills Competition as it has benefits to the UK, to the host region, and a number of wider, less tangible, legacy effects. These benefits include enhancing the value which, as a nation, we place on skills, changing our attitudes towards vocational and academic qualifications, raising the aspirations of individuals, providers and employers, and improving permanently the supply of and demand for world class skills in the UK.
Prior to submitting our Expression of Interest PricewaterhouseCoopers was commissioned to carry out a study looking at the feasibility of a UK bid to host WorldSkills. Their report considered the wider social and economic benefits of a UK bid. The hosting region would benefit directly from increased visitor expenditure, as well as from visitor travel to and from the event. Other benefits, for both the region and the UK as a whole, would include an enhanced commitment to skills development, increased attainment in skills and participation in training, leading to increased productivity and earnings. In addition, because highly trained people tend to have higher lifetime earnings, this would be expected to lead to additional taxation receipts which would benefit the UK as a whole over time.
The UK bid is adopting a partnership approach as a way of securing direct and indirect legacy effects throughout the UK. At its first meeting on 7 December, the UK wide Steering Group confirmed the value of this approach and stressed the importance of 'diversity' and 'inclusion' to help build a sustainable skills competitions infrastructure in each region of the UK. This has the support of the Government and Ministers in each of the Devolved Administrations and will help to make the UK bid distinctive and, hopefully successful.