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Social Segregation Report
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) when she plans to allow the authors of the study commissioned from the Institute of Education in London to publish their findings regarding social segregation in schools; [47852]
(2) when she plans (a) to publish the study commissioned from the Institute of Education in London in relation to social segregation in schools and (b) to respond to its findings. [47853]
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Jacqui Smith: The Department has commissioned research from the Centre of Economics of Education (CEE) on this topic. The CEE is a consortium which includes the IoE, where this work has been conducted.
Research work from the CEE on social segregation in schools will be published when it is complete.
St. James Independent School
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will meet the Parents and Pupils Inquiry Action Group from St. James' independent schools. [57140]
Jacqui Smith: The Department was made aware of an inquiry carried out at the request of governors of St. James by James Townend QC, following claims of excessive use of corporal punishment, physical and mental abuse against pupils and criminal assault by teachers in the period 1975 to 1985. The police have subsequently confirmed that they, social services, the NSPCC and Education Welfare have examined historic allegations relating events at the school during this period, and that the case is now closed.
I commend the Governing Body for commissioning the inquiry, and their willingness to address these very difficult issues in such an open and transparent manner. However, the findings of the police and of the inquiry do not have any bearing on the conduct of the school at present, and I do not believe that a meeting with the Parents and Pupils Inquiry Action Group from St. James' independent schools would help me discharge my current regulatory obligations.
Trust School Status
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what features of the proposed trust schools status will help raise standards at Wolstanton High School in Newcastle-under-Lyme; [56586]
(2) what features of the proposed new trust schools will help raise standards at Sir Thomas Boughey High School in Newcastle-under-Lyme. [56669]
Jacqui Smith: Trusts will help create a long term, stable and sustainable relationship bringing in partners to support the school's governance and strategic direction with clear aims and outcomes agreed at the outset. A school can decide whether it wants to acquire a trust and whom they might want to work with. It will be easier to use the Power to Innovate, with the potential for flexibilities to be agreed centrally and made available to all schools supported by the trust.
Specialist schools, such as Wolstanton High School and Sir Thomas Boughey High School, could join a network of schools working collaboratively to help raise standards and share best practice in a specialist subject. Schools will benefit from the different perspectives, experience and skills of different partners to provide opportunities for greater efficiency or workforce development. For example, they may like to work with a university or training provider as part of a trust to gain access to additional educational expertise or create links between staff and students that raise aspirations and motivate schools students.
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TRANSPORT
A12
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on whose authority road signs showing the turn offs to Writtle and Danbury on the A12 in the Chelmsford local authority area were removed; what the reasons were for the removal; and if he will make a statement. [56622]
Dr. Ladyman: Writtle has never been a destination signed from the A12 trunk road.
The Highways Agency made the decision to remove Danbury local direction signs on the northbound A12, acting for the highway authority, the Secretary of State for Transport.
A signing strategy for the A12 was discussed and agreed with Essex county council in 2003.
A scheme to reduce accidents in the vicinity of the A12/A414 off slip, funded in this financial year, has provided the opportunity to review signing at this location and the Danbury sign was removed in line with the agreed strategy.
Advice on signing of destinations is provided in Local Transport Note 1/94 Design and Use of Direction Informatory Signs". The Highways Agency provides enough information on signs to aid drivers, but not so much as might prove distracting to them. In addition, current standards require most street furniture and signposts to be protected by safety fencing to prevent strikes by errant vehicles. Safety fencing is expensive and there may be insufficient space in the highway verge to provide it, therefore the Highways Agency seeks to minimise the presence of street furniture for road safety and economy reasons.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used to make the decision (a) to keep a road sign on the A12 in the Chelmsford local authority area showing the turn off to the Antiques Centre at Battlesbridge and (b) to remove road signs showing the turn offs to Writtle and Danbury; and if he will make a statement. [56623]
Dr. Ladyman: The sign for the Antique Centre at Battlesbridge will remain in place until such time as an improvement scheme is undertaken in the vicinity. At that time it will be reviewed under Departmental Standard TD 52/04 Traffic Signs to Tourist Attractions and Facilities in England" or its successors, at which point it may be concluded that the sign be removed.
Writtle has never been a destination signed from the A12 trunk road.
Advice on direction signing is provided to the Highways Agency in Local Transport Note 1/94 Design and Use of Direction Informatory Signs". The Highways Agency provides enough information on signs to aid drivers, but not so much as might prove distracting to them. A signing strategy for the A12 was discussed and agreed with Essex county council in 2003, which excluded signing for Danbury.
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A scheme to reduce accidents in the vicinity of the A12/A414 off slip has provided the opportunity to review the signs on the northbound carriageway and the Danbury sign was removed.
Blue Badge Scheme
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of the Blue Badge scheme and parking in loading bays. [57797]
Ms Buck: The Department for Transport's policy is to prohibit parking where there is a ban on loading or unloading.
British Transport Police
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Transport police officers are responsible for policing (a) Llansamlet railway station and (b) Swansea, East constituency. [55997]
Derek Twigg: The number of British Transport police officers who are responsible for policing Llansamlet railway station and the railways in Swansea, East constituency are 11 police officers in total. The total number includes one inspector, one sergeant, eight constables and one detective constable.
Coastal Protection
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of Lord Donaldson's proposal to designate the coast around the Isles of Scilly as (a) a Marine Environmental High Risk Area and (b) an Area to be Avoided; [57491]
(2) what assessment he has made of the (a) voluntary and (b) statutory measures on the coast and coastal waters of (i) the Isles of Scilly and (ii) Cornwall on their capacity to provide protection for the coast and marine environment from (A) pollution and (B) the foundering and collision of cargo vessels. [57492]
Dr. Ladyman: Lord Donaldson said in his report Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas" that the Scilly Isles were an obvious candidate for MEHRA status. However he made it clear that the actual decision on which areas would be MEHRAs must be founded on criteria, based on both shipping patterns and environmental importance. Lord Donaldson did not prejudge the outcome of this process.
Lord Donaldson also said that there may be a case for an Area to be Avoided (ATBA) or ATBAs, although he appreciated there is a need for the approaches to ports to be left unobstructed. Again, Lord Donaldson did not prejudge the outcome of these deliberations.
Building on Lord Donaldson's report, the Department for Transport and the Department of the Environment (now Defra) worked closely with Devolved Administrations and statutory nature conservation advisors to develop the process for identifying MEHRAs through a robust and objective methodology. This included a parallel assessment of pollution from shipping risk and environmental
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sensitivity. Other environmental protection measures already in place at each location were also taken into consideration.
Lord Donaldson's recommendation that the criteria should be set in such a way that not more than about a tenth of the UK coastline qualifies was also taken into account. Consequently, in accordance with this principle and the methodology, only those areas which scored highly both in terms of environmental sensitivity and in terms of risk from shipping qualified as MEHRAs.
The environmental sensitivity for the Isles of Scilly was not in question in this assessment. This is already acknowledged through existing protective measures that reduce the risks to such an extent that all the qualifying criteria for MEHRA status are not met.
The proposal for an ATBA for the Isles of Scilly was discussed in detail at two UK Safety of Navigation (UKSON) Committee meetings. They decided that there was no evidence that existing routeing measures were ineffective and an ATBA would not necessarily enhance the measures currently in place.
There are three traffic separation schemes, with associated inshore traffic zones, which have been adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in close proximity to the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall. These are:
There is also an IMO-adopted Recommendation on Navigation off the Isles of Scilly which advises laden tankers over 10,000 gross tonnage using the traffic separation scheme between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly to keep at least three miles seaward of Wolf Rock and further advises such vessels not to use the scheme in restricted visibility or other adverse weather.
Additionally, an IMO-adopted voluntary reporting scheme recommends that laden tankers using the Isles of Scilly route to report to Falmouth Coastguard when at least one hour from the Estimated Time of Arrival of entering the route and on final departure.
If, despite the routeing measures which are in place, a maritime incident occurs in the waters around Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, there are a number of safeguards in place.
A dedicated, Government-funded emergency towing vessel is on stand-by 24 hours a day, 365 days a year ready to respond to shipping incidents in the South Western approaches.
The Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP), provides overall command and control of operations during marine emergencies. The powers of direction invested in SOSREP are extensive and, as well as being an international first for the UK, the SOSREP role has proved very successful in a number of shipping incidents.
The UK has a well developed National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations, which would be implemented in the event of a significant maritime incident (and it is worth noting that Cornwall county council has its own coastal counter pollution contingency plan which complements the National Contingency Plan).
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is well prepared to respond to a marine pollution incident. Counter pollution resources are stored on the Isles of Scilly and at Falmouth for response to small incidents. In the event of a larger incident, appropriate equipment from the major UK Counter Pollution stockpiles at Milford Haven, Huddersfield and Perth would be mobilised, and a sizeable stockpile of oil spill dispersants is located at Saltash. All counter pollution resources are maintained by private contractors, and strict contractual stipulations are in place for mobilisation anywhere within the UK within pre-determined timescales.
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