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8 Mar 2006 : Column 1531W—continued
Avian Influenza
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 998W, on avian influenza, when she expects to be in a position to issue government guidance on action to be taken in the event of an avian influenza pandemic in schools; [54182]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 998W, on avian influenza, to which of the answers to the hon. Member for Bury, North on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 96W, she was referring to. [54183]
Jacqui Smith: My Department is contributing on schools to further guidance on wider contingency planning for a possible influenza pandemic which the Government will issue later this spring. Pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 998W, that answer should have referred to an earlier reply to the hon. Member for East Devon on 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 445W and not to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North.
GNVQ Courses
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacancies there were on GNVQ courses in (a) West Lancashire and (b) England in each year between 1997 and 2005. [51118]
Phil Hope: The figures requested are not collected centrally.
Influenza Pandemic
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision her Department's UK influenza pandemic contingency plan makes for the operation of schools. [56243]
Jacqui Smith: The Department of Health's contingency plan refers briefly to schools, but officials in the Department and the Department of Health are working together on further guidance. The hon. Member will be aware that I am a Member of the Cabinet Committee on pandemic influenza (MISC 32) that is working to co-ordinate contingency planning for a future pandemic.
National Curriculum (Transport Safety)
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision is made in the national curriculum for teaching children about safety issues in relation to (a) highways and (b) railways. [56598]
Jacqui Smith:
Education about safety is included in the curriculum through the non-statutory framework of Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE). In PSHE lessons pupils are taught about rules for, and ways of, keeping safe, to recognise the risks that apply in different situations and then to decide how to behave responsibly. They should be taught to recognise and manage risk, to be aware when pressure from others threatens their personal safety and to develop assertiveness techniques when dealing with unhelpful pressure.
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DfES issued 'Safety Education: Guidance for Schools' in 2001 and this references both highways and railways as contexts for safety education although it is for schools to decide on the content of their safety education programme.
Pensions Liability
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what is the total pensions liability of her Department. [53103]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 73W.
Selection by Ability
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of lessons in secondary schools inspected by Ofsted were setted by ability in (a) faith schools (i) in total and (ii) broken down by faith and (b) other maintained schools. [52560]
Jacqui Smith: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Maurice Smith, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Maurice Smith, dated 21 February 2006:
Your recent parliamentary question has been referred to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of schools, for reply.
You asked what proportion of lessons in secondary schools inspected by Ofsted were setted by ability in (a) faith schools (i) in total and (ii) broken down by faith and (b) other maintained schools.
The tables below summarise the data from inspections of secondary schools between January 2000 and July 2003. From 2002/03 onwards records do not distinguish between setting and streaming (banded).
A copy of this reply has been sent to Jacqui Smith and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
Special Educational Needs
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in (a) each region of England and (b) each local education authority in the Yorkshire and Humber region are registered as having special educational needs; and what percentage each figure represents of the total school population in the area. [52786]
Maria Eagle:
The information requested has been placed in the House Library.
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Thames Gateway Strategy
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to publish the Skills for Communities plan announced in the Thames Gateway strategy, Creating Sustainable Communities: Delivering the Thames Gateway. [54690]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
The document referred to in Creating Sustainable Communities: Delivering the Thames Gateway is the 'Thames Gateway Action Plan: Skills for Sustainable Communities', which was published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in October 2005. The plan is available on the LSC's website at: www.lsc.gov.uk/thamesgateway
DEFENCE
Abu Ghraib
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) visits, (b) meetings, (c) discussions and (d) other liaison activities that have taken place between UK personnel within his responsibility and (i) the US Administration and (ii) other US agencies in relation to Abu Ghraib prison. [55874]
John Reid: Ministry of Defence officials are in regular contact with the United States authorities on a wide range of issues relating to the coalition operation in Iraq. It is likely that Abu Ghraib will have been discussed in the course of some of these contacts, but we do not possess a record of visits, and meetings for which this was the specific subject of discussion.
Afghanistan
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the extent to which insurgents in southern Afghanistan originate from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Pakistan and (c) stateless international terrorist groups. [52768]
John Reid [holding answer 1 March 2006]: The number of foreign fighters operating inside Afghanistan is low. The insurgency originates primarily in southern Afghanistan and the border areas of Pakistan.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures would be followed by UK forces deployed to Helmand province in the event of the hot pursuit of illegal combatants and other terrorist elements should those elements cross over the border into Pakistan. [55110]
John Reid [holding answer 2 March 2006]: To discuss the procedures in such cases would risk operational security and could endanger the lives of our forces.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) dates and (b) nature of attacks on UK aircraft in Afghanistan were in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [55543]
Mr. Ingram:
An attempt was made to attack a UK C-17 on 3 October 2005 by small Surface to Air Fire. This was not successful and no damage was sustained.
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On 13 October 2005 Kandahar Airfield was attacked by two rockets causing shrapnel damage to two GR7 (Harrier) Aircraft, which were on the ground at the time.
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