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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 16 March 2006
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Case Adjournments
25. Rosemary McKenna: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to reduce the number of unnecessary adjournments in the courts. [58775]
The Solicitor-General: The Charging Programme is a key method of reducing unnecessary adjournments. If the police and CPS can get cases prepared properly before the defendant is charged, the unnecessary delays can be avoided later in the process.
Crown Prosecution Service
26. John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent assessment he has made of the value for money provided by the Crown Prosecution Service. [58776]
The Solicitor-General: I have regular discussions with the CPS about expenditure, performance and efficiency. Key projects delivering good value for money include charging, greater in-house advocacy and electronic case management.
A recent National Audit Office (NAO) report has provided useful advice on value for money.
Revenue and Customs
27. Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office is meeting its performance targets. [58777]
The Solicitor-General: The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) came into being on 18 April 2005. Longer-term performance indicators and targets are being developed as part of the strategic aim to establish RCPO as an effective and fully independent prosecutor.
Currently RCPO is achieving a conviction rate of 88.6 per cent. and guilty pleas are running at 75.9 per cent. For 2005–06 to date, £18 million has been collected in payments from confiscation orders.
Electoral Registrations
28. Mr. Hands: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment he has made of the conduct of prosecutions in relation to the non-completion of electoral registration forms since 1997. [58778]
The Solicitor-General:
Prosecutions for election offences are conducted by the Special Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service.
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If electoral form means the form for registration as an elector, Special Crime Division is unaware of cases having been submitted concerning the non-completion of such forms. It therefore follows that no assessment has been made of them.
Terrorism
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Solicitor-General what his policy is in respect of prosecuting (a) citizens of the UK and (b) non-UK nationals resident in the United Kingdom who have (i) taken-up arms against UK or other coalition forces and (ii) trained in terrorist camps before returning to British jurisdiction. [58660]
The Solicitor-General: There is no difference in prosecution policy towards the prosecution of either UK or non-UK citizens. All cases sent to the CPS are reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors whatever the nature of the allegation or the nationality of the suspect. A small number of offences such as murder abroad can only be prosecuted if the perpetrator is a UK citizen.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
School Repairs (Leicester)
16. Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will visit Leicester to discuss school repairs. [58794]
Jacqui Smith: Leicester City is in Wave 1 of Building Schools for the Future, our strategic programme to transform the secondary-school estate over 15 years. I would be happy to visit Leicester when the first new school is finished. Leicester City and its schools will be allocated over £280 million in this and the next two years to improve and repair their buildings.
Trust Schools
17. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers new trust schools will have beyond those already available to foundation schools; and if she will make a statement. [58795]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham.
Three-tier Education
18. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on three-tier education. [58796]
Jacqui Smith:
The Government's aim is to ensure every child receives an excellent education tailored to their needs. It is for local authorities to determine the most appropriate organisation for their schools to achieve this aim—including whether to operate a three or two tier organisation. The Education and Inspections Bill reinforces the position of local authorities as the commissioners of education in their areas, and places new duties on them to promote choice and diversity and respond to parental demand when carrying out their responsibilities.
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Truancy (West Midlands)
19. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy levels in schools in Coventry, South and the west midlands were in the last period for which figures are available. [58797]
Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect data on the levels of truancy. In 2004/05 the level of unauthorised absence in Primary schools in Coventry South was 0.2 per cent. and for Secondary schools 1.1 per cent. The figures for the West Midlands were 0.37 per cent. for Primary schools and 1.08 per cent. for Secondary schools. Truancy forms only one part of the unauthorised absence figures.
Volunteering
20. Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to increase the numbers of young people involved in volunteering activities. [58798]
Beverley Hughes: The Government are working very closely with the Russell Commission to meet the challenge of one million new young people in volunteering and community action over the next five years. We will be building on the success of the Millennium Volunteers programme which has engaged over 240,000 young volunteers since it was launched by this Government in 1999. The recently published Youth Matters: Next Steps" sets out the strategic direction for this work.
Adult Education
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of adults who enrolled for (a) further education courses and (b) adult and community learning courses already had qualifications at (i) level 3 or above, (ii) level 2, (iii) level 1 and (iv) below level 1 in the academic year (A) 2002–03, (B) 2003–04 and (C) 2004–05. [58881]
Phil Hope: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) winter quarter can be used to provide estimates of the prior qualification levels of learners on further education (FE) courses and adult community learning (ACL) courses. The estimates corresponding to academic years 2002–03 to 2004–05 are shown in the following table.
(1) For qualification levels below level 2 the categories provided match those used in the LFS, and differ from those requested.
Note:
Adults are defined as men aged 18–64 and women aged 18–59.
Source:
LFS Winter Quarters 2002–04
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Basic Skills
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards (a) improving the basic skill levels of adults, (b) ensuring that one million adults in the work force achieve NVQ level 2 between 2003 and 2006 and (c) increasing participation in higher education for those aged 18 to 30 years by 50 per cent. by 2010. [58013]
Phil Hope: From April 2001 to July 2005,1,275,000 adults have achieved a qualification in literacy, language or numeracy and have counted towards the Skills for Life" PSA target.
The autumn 2005 Labour Force Survey shows that the number of adults in the work force with a NVQ level 2 or higher qualification has increased by 841,000 since autumn 2002, the baseline for the 2006 milestone of the adult level 2 PSA target.
The Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) measures progress in relation to the target to increase participation in higher education toward 50 per cent. of young people aged 18 to 30. The provisional figure for the HEIPR for 2003/04 was 43 per cent., up from 41 per cent. in 1999/00.
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