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Education Maintenance Allowance

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students aged 16 to 18 years are in receipt of education maintenance allowance in each institution in Hillingdon Local Education Authority. [46355]

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate education maintenance allowances for the DfES and hold the information
 
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about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 14 February 2006:

I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked how many students 16–18 years of age are in receipt of educational maintenance allowance in each institution in Hillingdon Local Education Authority?"

Education Maintenance Allowance is available to 16–19 years olds in Full-Time Further Education. The number of young people in receipt of Education Maintenance Allowance in each institution in Hillingdon Local Education Authority Areas at 30 January is displayed in the attached table.

I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Chris Bradley at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4512 or [e-mail]

Education Productivity

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what methodology she uses to calculate education productivity. [52400]

Jacqui Smith: My Department has not calculated education productivity, but has—as part of the Atkinson Review—worked with the Office for National Statistics to improve measures of inputs and outputs, which ONS has used to calculate their own estimates of productivity in the compulsory education system. These estimates are, in broad terms, calculated by dividing outputs (measured by pupil numbers adjusted for school absence and the quality of education output) by inputs (measured by deflated education spending). Since there are various ways of measuring quality, ONS has published several estimates of education productivity—and the underlying methodology—in Public Service Productivity: Education", in October 2005.

The link between education inputs and outputs is complex, especially because there are time lags between changes in inputs being fully reflected in outputs. ONS argue that a single number for productivity cannot capture all the costs and benefits of the Government's investment in the education sector. Any estimates—however calculated—therefore need to be interpreted alongside other forms of corroborative evidence on inputs and outputs.

Education White Paper

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish all the research undertaken to support the structural changes proposed in the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All". [45911]

Jacqui Smith: A wide range of research has informed the White Paper and the policies contained within it.

All the research commissioned by the Department is published on the Department's website.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when her Department will publish the study conducted by the Institute of Education into the Government White Paper on Education. [46140]

 
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Jacqui Smith: The Department has not commissioned the Institute of Education to conduct a study on the White Paper.

Efficiency Savings

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much is expected to be saved as a result of meeting the civil service work force reductions targets for her Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review; and whether these savings count towards the agreed efficiency target for her Department set out in the review. [52791]

Bill Rammell: The Department expects to save around 15 per cent. in real terms against its administration budget at the time of the efficiency review as a result of meeting its civil service work force reduction targets. These savings will count against the efficiency review target.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much of the agreed efficiency target for her Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review is to be cashable; and under what budget headings these cashable efficiency savings will be re-spent. [52836]

Bill Rammell: As reported in our Autumn Performance Report, £3.2 billion of our £4.3 billion target is recyclable. This means that resources are freed up from one activity and can be redeployed to other activities; it does not necessarily mean a transfer of resources from one organisation to another. Schools, colleges and other frontline institutions are benefiting from greater investment; and no money will be clawed back from them as part of our efficiency plans. Rather, they will be able to redeploy efficiencies within their own range of activities and to do more with the resources they have.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what total efficiency savings were achieved by her Department in 2004–05; and whether these count towards the agreed efficiency target for her Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review. [52855]

Bill Rammell: The Department has achieved and measured efficiency gains of some £248 million in 2004–05. These gains will count towards our efficiency target for 2007–08 providing the changes are embedded so that efficiencies are maintained or exceeded for the duration of the spending review period.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what baseline figures she is using for assessing progress on her Department's targets to reduce the total number of (a) civil service posts by 1,460 in her Department and (b) posts in the Office for Standards in Education by 300; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets. [52934]

Bill Rammell: The baseline figure that my Department is using to assess progress on its target to reduce civil service posts by 1,460 is 4,660. To date, staffing has reduced by 876 against this baseline.
 
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The Office for Standards in Education has committed to reducing by 500 posts. The baseline figure to assess progress on this target is 2,814. This figure differs from that given in our Efficiency Technical Note (ETN) as a result of more detailed work carried out since publication. The figure in the ETN will be altered to reflect this in the imminent update. To date staffing has reduced by 534 against the baseline.

The Department is reporting progress towards its overall efficiency target through existing departmental reporting processes. We reported progress towards our target in the Department's autumn performance report and will report further progress in the departmental annual report, which we expect to publish in April.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what interim targets she has set for achieving (a) the agreed efficiency target for her Department and (b) the civil service workforce reductions targets for (i) gross reductions in posts, (ii) net reductions in posts and (iii) relocations for her Department, as set out in the 2004 Spending Review; what the baseline figures are against which these interim targets are assessed; on what dates they will take effect; and by what dates these interim targets are intended to be met. [52942]

Bill Rammell: The Department's efficiency target is £4.3 billion by 2007–08. It has not set interim targets but aims to progress in three equal steps: we have set milestones of £1.4 billion in 2005–06, £2.9 billion in 2006–07 and £4.3 billion in 2007–08.

The Department's civil service workforce target is to reduce by 1,460 staff by 31 March 2008 from its October 2003 baseline; there is a departmental interim target to reduce by 850 staff from the baseline by 31 March 2006, which has recently been achieved. There is no net reduction target.

Following the Spending Review 2004, my Department and sponsored organisations are committed to implementing the Lyons Review recommendation to relocate around 800 posts from the Department and its non-department public bodies out of London and the south east by 2010. By April 2006 around 406 posts will have been relocated. There are no further interim targets confirmed; DfES and its NDPBs are working up plans for further relocations up to 2010.

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