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Key Skills Training

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department have allocated for key skills training in secondary schools in (a) Lancashire and (b) West Lancashire in each year since the beginning of the scheme. [53316]

Jacqui Smith: Training for key skills teachers is provided through the Key Skills Support Programme (KSSP) which focuses on post-16 learners in schools, colleges and work-based training. The amounts allocated nationally for schools and colleges since the start of the KSSP are set out in the following table.

Financial year	Allocation (£)
1999–2000	4,000,000
2000–01	4,000,000
2001–02	4,000,000
2002–03	4,000,000
2003–04	4,000,000
2004–05	3,115,000
2005–06	3,525,000

The KSSP is a national programme and the above figures represent the total allocations across England for both secondary schools and colleges. More detailed breakdowns, whether by region or by type of institution, are not available.

Key Stage 3

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the review by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority of the Key Stage 3 curriculum. [53512]

Jacqui Smith: Key Stage 3 needs to be the springboard into a reformed 14–19 phase. The purpose of the Key Stage 3 Review is to define clearly the essential elements of National Curriculum subjects to which all young people are entitled and, in so doing, create space in the school timetable. This will give schools flexibility to offer catch up provision for those who are struggling particularly in English and mathematics and to provide stretching opportunities for all children, including those who have particular gifts and talents.

List 99

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many individuals whose names have been removed from (a) List 99 and (b) the Protection of Children Act List in each of the last four years have subsequently been employed in the provision of childcare in any regulated setting from birth to entry to school. [47224]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 31 January 2006]: Employment decisions are a matter for individual employers. Departmental guidance 'Child Protection: Preventing Unsuitable People from working with Children and Young Persons in the Education Service' gives comprehensive advice on the full range of pre-employment checks that need to be undertaken before employing an individual including obtaining CRB checks. Employers must make a judgment on the
 
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suitability of the applicant in hand. CRB checks are mandatory for all those working in regulated child care settings and for all newly appointed teachers.

Any individual who appears on list 99 or the POCA List (other than provisionally) on the grounds of unsuitability to work with children is barred from working in a regulated position" within the meaning of section 36 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 which includes a position where normal duties include caring for, training, supervising or being in charge of children.

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received about individuals whose name appears (a) on the Sex Offenders Register, (b) List 99 and (c) the Protection of Children Act List working in unregulated child care settings. [47225]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 31 January 2006]: My Department does not keep a central record of any such representations.

Music

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding her Department has made available for school music facilities in (a) West Lancashire and (b) Lancashire in each academic year since 1997. [53319]

Jacqui Smith: Capital allocations to local authorities and schools are higher than ever before. In 2005–06 they are £5.5 billion and they are planned to rise to £6.3 billion in 2007–08, an increase from £683 million in 1996–97.

Allocations are made on a financial year basis, not the academic year. The Department does not hold information on funding for music facilities at constituency level. However, West Lancashire comes under Lancashire county council and allocations for this authority since 1997–98 are set out in the following table:

	£ million
1997	13.3
1998	19.5
1999	36.8
2000	42.2
2001	36.0
2002	55.5
2003	62.6
2004	44.2
2005	38.1

We expect local authorities and schools to take decisions on allocating funds between their various priorities, including music facilities, in accordance with local asset management plans.

New Schools

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many competitions in relation to opening new schools by local education authorities took place under the Education Act (a) 2002 and (b) 2005 in each year since commencement of the
 
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relevant provisions; what the results of these were; and how many such competitions were forecast to be likely to take place under each Act prior to their coming into force. [55109]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 2 March 2006]: There have been no competitions in relation to opening new schools under the Education Acts 2002 and 2005. The provisions of the 2002 Act apply to additional secondary schools only and do not affect proposals by proposers other than the local authority. It is therefore open to authorities to support proposals by other proposers rather than hold a competition.

The provisions of the 2005 Act have yet to be commenced, and we are currently consulting on regulations and guidance to be made under them. These provisions will require competitions for all new secondary schools, including replacement schools as a result of reorganisation, and allow the publication of proposals outside a competition only with the consent of the Secretary of State.

It was estimated that the circumstances under which a competition could potentially arise under the 2002 Act might number seven or eight a year, and that there might be up to 20 competitions a year under the wider provisions of the 2005 Act.

Parent Choice

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department have undertaken into the effects that extending parent choice in secondary schools would have on pupil distribution. [52437]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 16 February 2006]: None.

Playing Fields

Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school playing fields in Manchester have been sold since 1997. [52712]

Jacqui Smith: Since 1997, seven applications involving the sale of school playing field capable of forming at least a small sports pitch have been approved at schools in Manchester. Of these, five were at closed schools.

Post-16 Education

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 1721W, on sixth forms, if she will make a statement on the outcome of the consultation with stakeholder representative groups and bodies on the guidance for the operation of the 16–19 capital fund. [55247]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 2 March 2006]: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) consulted stakeholder representative groups on its guidance for the operation of the 16–19 capital fund in October 2005. 155 organisations responded, including 21 local authorities, 41 schools, 36 sixth form colleges and 44
 
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general Further Education colleges. The LSC published its guidance on the 16–19 capital fund in December 2005.

Religious Education

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she plans to review the law requiring a daily act of collective worship of a broadly Christian nature in all community schools. [55474]

Jacqui Smith: The current policy regarding collective worship is set out in the Department for Education and Skills Circular 1/94. All registered pupils attending a maintained school, primary or secondary, should take part in a daily act of collective worship. There are no current plans to review this requirement.

Collective worship is to be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. However, if a head teacher considers that the requirement for Christian collective worship is inappropriate for their school, he or she can apply to the local Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education to have it lifted or modified.

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