House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 17 May 2006 (pt 0007)

17 May 2006 : Column 976W—continued

Medicine Courses

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have been admitted to university to read medicine on courses which lead to registration as doctors with (a) less than three Bs at A-level and (b) less than three Cs at A-level in each of the last seven years. [63642]

Bill Rammell: Admission of students to medical, and other, courses is a matter for individual institutions. The main scheme for widening participation is Aimhigher, which aims to raise the attainment levels of young people and their aspirations towards university, and to improve progression. Most activities are not subject-specific, although some local and regional activities are designed to raise awareness of and encourage progression to specific subjects such as medicine. Aimhigher does not include the delivery of degree or other higher education programmes. Information on the pre-entry qualifications of students entering first degree courses in medicine is, however, provided in the following tables.

English domiciled entrants to first degree courses in medicine, by qualifications on entry^{( 1)}
Year of entry	Entrants with A levels as highest qualification on entry	of which, those with scores equivalent to:
		Less than 3 Bs2/300 tariff points	Less than 3 Cs/less than 240 tariff points
Based upon A level points score from the student's best three A levels, 1998/9 to 2001/2.
1998/99	2,920	75	30
1999/00	2,835	135	40
2000/01	3,155	160	30
2001/02	3,420	235	60

Based upon UCAS tariff score from A levels from student reporting A level as their highest qualification on entry, 2002/3 to 2004/5.
2002/03^(3,4,5)	3,760	170	75
2003/04	4,177	200	65
2004/05	4,270	130	55
⁽¹⁾ Figures for 1998/99 to 2001/02 are points-based upon the students’ best three A levels. In 2002/03 the UCAS tariff replaced A level scores. The tariff covers a wider range of qualifications though it is possible to identify those students with the tariff equivalent of 3 grade Bs (300 points) or 3 grade Cs (240 points). However, tariff score contains an unlimited number of eligible qualifications, not just the students’ best three A levels. ⁽²⁾ Including students with less than 3 Cs/240 tariff points. ⁽³⁾ In 2002/03 a new method of coding subject of study was introduced on the student record, though the impact to entrants in medicine is likely to be small. ⁽⁴⁾ Figures given for 2002/03 in a previous answer on 14 November 2004 were based upon all students with A level points recorded. This included some students who had a higher qualification on entry (for example a first degree). ⁽⁵⁾ Figures for 2002/3 to 2004/5 are based upon students’ tariff score from A levels where A levels are their highest qualification on entry. Note: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

17 May 2006 : Column 977W

Primary Initiatives

Dr. Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education initiatives there have been in primary education since 1997. [71080]

Jim Knight: The Government’s reform agenda for primary schools has been set out in successive White papers, key policy documents and Acts of Parliament, as follows:

Key policy documents	Acts of Parliament
Excellence in Schools 1997	Education Act 1997
Schools Achieving Success 2001	Education Schools Act 1997
Every Child Matters 2003	School Standards and Framework Act 1998
Excellence and Enjoyment: a strategy for primary schools 2003	Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998
Every Child Matters 2004	Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001
The Five Year Strategy for children and learners 2004	Education Act 2002
Higher Standards Better Schools for all 2005	Education Act 2005
The Rose Review of the Teaching of Early Reading: Final report 2006
Building Primary Schools at the heart of the community

All these documents are available from the House of Commons Library and to the public from the National Stationery Office.

Prison Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to recommendation 29 of the Education and Skills Select Committee Report, HC114-1, on Prison Education, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary about the role of Heads of Learning and Skills in prisons. [65565]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.

The former Home Secretary (Charles Clarke) had several meetings with the former Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Ruth Kelly) over the past year, at which a number of issues relating to the offender learning and skills agenda were discussed.

The prime function of Heads of Learning and Skills (HoLS), is to support the delivery of all aspects of education provision in prison, and its integration with education provision in the community. This is set out in the Green Paper “Reducing Re-Offending through Skills and Employment”, published at the end of last year. HoLS also ensure that this work is linked into the wider establishment resettlement agenda, including vocational training, and improving links with employers.

The role of individual HoLS is defined by local Prison Service operational priorities.

17 May 2006 : Column 978W

School Food

Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress is being made in introducing healthier eating for children in schools. [71384]

Jim Knight: Later this month, we intend to announce, in response to recommendations from the School Meals Review Panel and the School Food Trust, a full suite of new standards for food in schools. The School Food Trust plans to publish good practice guidance to assist with the implementation of the standards.

School Statistics

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools are located in villages producing deep mined coal. [69794]

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills does not differentiate between types of coal mines, but can provide data relating to the number of secondary schools in coalfield and former coalfield areas as a whole.

	Number of secondary^{( 1)} schools located within coalfield wards in England
Maintained schools	269
⁽¹⁾ Includes secondary and middle deemed secondary schools Source: EduBase 11/5/06/ODPM Updating Coalfield Areas May 2003

Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Government grant in aid to Arts Council England since 2001-02. [71200]

Mr. Lammy: My Department is currently involved in the Government's comprehensive spending review. This exercise, which is led by HM Treasury, includes a retrospective assessment of how Arts Council England has spent the grant in aid it has received since the last comprehensive spending review. The organisation was also recently the subject of a peer review, the results of which were published in December 2005.

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been allocated to Arts Council England in each year since 1997; and how much this represents per head of population in England. [71048]

Mr. Lammy: Grant in Aid allocations to Arts Council England, population figures for England⁽¹⁾and per capita spend for 1997-2004 are in the following table. Grant in aid^{( )}allocation for 2005-06 was £412m but accurate population data are not yet available. These figures do not include the £1,525m funding for the arts from the National Lottery Distribution Fund from 1997-98 to 2004-05.

17 May 2006 : Column 979W

£
Year	Grant in Aid (s)	Population	Spend per head
1997-98	186,600,000	48,664,800	3.83
1998-99	189,950,000	48,820,600	3.89
1999-00	228,250,000	49,032,900	4.66
2000-01	237,155,000	49,233,300	4.82
2001-02	251,455,000	49,387,700	5.11
2002-03	289,405,000	49,561,800	5.84
2003-04	324,955,000	49,855,700	6.52
2004-05	368,859,000	50,093,100	7.36
Source:⁽¹⁾Office of National Statistics Mid-Year Population Estimates

BBC Broadcasts

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken to ensure that all BBC licence payers in the North West continue to receive BBC broadcasts when analogue is switched of in 2009. [71322]

Mr. Woodward: Digital switchover will enable digital terrestrial coverage to match the current 98.5 per cent. analogue level. Switchover for the Granada region and the Yorkshire region will happen in the second half of 2009 and the first half of 2011 respectively.

The Government have confirmed the regional timetable for the switchover to digital television and announced details of a support scheme to help the most vulnerable households to make the switch.

Digital UK, an independent, not-for-profit company, will co-ordinate the implementation of digital switchover and ensure that consumers have timely and accurate information about the switch.

Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was (a) in total and (b) of each consultation. [70481]

17 May 2006 : Column 980W

Mr. Lammy: Over 2005, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport undertook 15 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Equal Pay

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are undertaken within her Department to ensure that women are obtaining equal pay to men doing work of equal value. [65852]

Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport was one of the first Departments to conduct an equal pay audit and to publish an equal pay action plan. Since then we have taken steps to reduce pay differentials between men and women by shortening pay bands and by increasing the number of women in the more senior grades. The results of these activities are shown in the data contained in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Ms Clark) on 8 May 2006, Official Report, columns 45-47. The Department is now conducting a further equal pay review with trade unions and expects to report later this year.

Heritage Lottery Fund

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2006, Official Report, column 1233W, on Heritage Lottery Fund, how much was awarded to organisations and projects in each (a) constituency and (b) council district in Northern Ireland in each year since 2002. [70488]

Mr. Lammy: Details of grants awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to organisations and projects in Northern Ireland in each year since 2002 are set out in the following table. This information is derived from the Department's Lottery award database, searchable at: www.lottery.culture.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

17 May 2006 : Column 981W

17 May 2006 : Column 982W

£
District council/ local authority	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Antrim	176,500	5,000	—	5,000	9,835
Ards	538,100	34,300	45,600	122,400	2,975,000
Armagh	962,036	27,033	119,098	321,851	199,257
Ballymena	3,311	95,800	1,233,390	—	—
Ballymoney	—	—	—	293,100	—
Banbridge	4,961	12,459	4,900	4,350	—
Belfast	2,316,321	1,443,680	1,170,315	6,108,715	528,863
Castlereagh	3,481	2,638	1,614,100	—	—
Coleraine	3,795	1,111,500	—	178,500	38,300
Cookstown	4,340	212,900	195,703	148,349	—
Craigavon	738,250	54,256	34,400	4;970	13,900
Derry City	64,100	360,400	4,075	1,123,276	553,000
Down	1,246,500	484,455	24,900	86,600	—
Dungannon	177,118	—	105,300	28222
Fermanagh	54,650	57,900	5,240	330,580	35,200
Larne	509,251	237,000	192,787	—	—
Limavady	4,400	—	—	—	—
Lisburn	2,829,288	1,433,988	1,004,675	69,680	—
Magherafelt	5,000	67,200	4,047	4,300	—
Moyle	610,235	303,330	100,600	73,900	—
Newry and Mourne	14,544	1,553,235	313,107	118,482	150,500
Newtownabbey	5,000	—	2,250	—	348,500
North Down	301,800	79,000	—	13,200	455,000
Omagh	—	—	—	48,100	—
Strabane	7,500	253,400	236,700	—	—

£
UK Constituency	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Belfast East	905,981	7,218	4,500	49,495	—
Belfast North	97,156	328,000	112,300	1,048,820	353,463
Belfast South	1,272,165	160,100	1,989,770	865,200	499,700
Belfast West	44,500	951,000	692,645	145,200	24,200
East Antrim	509,251	237,000	192,787	—	—
East Londonderry	8,195	1,111,500	—	178,500	38,300
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	231,768	57,900	10,240	332,047	35,200
Foyle	64,100	360,400	4,075	1,123,276	553,000
Lagan Valley	2,829,288	1,433,988	989,875	69,680	—
Mid Ulster	9,340	280,100	300,050	179,404	—
Newry and Armagh	967,036	1,575,633	428,014	436,951	224,757
North Antrim	613,546	399,130	1,333,990	367,000	—
North Down	301,800	79,000	—	13,200	455,000
South Antrim	181,500	5,000	2,250	5,000	9,835
South Down	1,256,044	418,090	33,991	94,332	125,000
Strangford	538,100	105,300	45,600	122,400	2,975,000
Upper Bann	743,211	66,715	34,400	4,970	13,900
West Tyrone	7,500	253,400	236,700	48,100	—

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