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8 Jun 2006 : Column 761W—continued
Road Accidents
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents in England and Wales were a direct result of (a) speeding and (b) driving under the influence of (i) drink and (ii) drugs in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [75382]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not available.
Road Traffic Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will produce an annual report on the operation of section (a) 14 and (b) 15 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; and if he will make a statement. [75521]
Dr. Ladyman: There are no plans to produce such an annual report. TRL Ltd. already publishes an annual report on observed seat belt wearing rates on behalf of the Department and the Home Office publishes annual figures for prosecutions including seat belt wearing offences.
Education and Skills
Alcohol/Drugs
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to encourage a no-drug policy in schools. [74855]
Jim Knight: “Drugs: Guidance for Schools” issued to all schools by the Department in March 2004 makes it clear that drugs have no place in schools. The guidance outlines a range of strategies, including drug testing of pupils, which schools can adopt to ensure a drug-free school. We also expect that all schools should have a drug policy available to all pupils and parents. We have made clear that where pupils are permanently excluded for supplying an illegal drug, the Secretary of State would not normally expect the governing body or the independent appeal panel to reinstate the pupil. We will also be conducting an evaluation study of drug testing in maintained schools.
The standards in the DfES guidance are supported by the Government-funded certification programme for teachers of Personal Social and Health Education and by the National Healthy School Programme.
Biological Diversity
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Minister in his Department is responsible for monitoring his Department’s compliance with its duty under section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity in carrying out its functions; and if he will make a statement. [73945]
Jim Knight: Under Section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Ministers and Government Departments have a duty to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity. This has been replaced by a similar provision under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, which comes into effect on 1 October 2006. The Department for Education and Skills has taken a number of steps to benefit biodiversity including:
the ongoing consultation on a Sustainable Schools Strategy in which the natural environment plays a major part: www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations
the requirement for all major new build and refurbishment projects in schools to achieve a minimum “BREEAM Schools” rating of very good;
promoting the preservation and enhancement of the biodiversity of schools through a range of criteria in the Land Use and Ecology section of the methodology: www.breeam.org/schools
launching a Sustainable Schools web portal for teachers on 9 June 2006: www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools
Class Sizes
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average secondary school class size was in (a) Cornwall and (b) England in 2005-06. [72782]
Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the table.
| Maintained secondary schools( 1) : Average class size( 2,3) —January 2006 (provisional) | |
| Average class size | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. (3) Classes taught by one teacher. Source: Schools’ Census | |
Education and Inspections Bill
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received regarding the mergers provisions of the Education and Inspections Bill. [73911]
Jim Knight: We have received two representations regarding the amalgamation of schools and how the process by which two or more schools are closed and a single new school is opened using the predecessor schools’ sites is affected under the school competition provisions of the Education and Inspections Bill.
GCSEs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of GCSE students in (a) the London borough of Havering and (b) other London boroughs achieved five or more C grades or higher in 2004-05. [75452]
Jim Knight: 61.2 per cent. of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalents(1) at grades A* to C in 2005 in the London borough of Havering. The following table shows the proportion in other London boroughs.
| Government office region( 2) —local authority | Number of end of Key Stage 4 pupils | Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades |
| (1) Includes all equivalences approved for use pre 16. (2) Local authority and Government office region level figures only cover maintained schools. | ||
Teachers
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on teacher retention in the London borough of Havering. [75570]
Jim Knight:
There were 2,050 full-time equivalent teachers in maintained schools in Havering in January 2005, compared to 1,870 full-time equivalent teachers
in 1997. In January 2005, there were 13 full-time vacancies in Havering, or 1.4 per cent. of full-time teachers in post in the maintained sector. In January 1997, there were nine full-time teacher posts vacant, or 0.5 per cent. of full-time teachers in post.
Significant increases in London teachers’ pay, including doubling the threshold payment in 2003 for good experienced teachers in London, have provided a clear incentive for teachers to stay in the capital. Since 2004, school teachers in London have been able to use interest free loans of up to £100,000 through the key worker living initiative to help them afford the cost of homes. 1,800 teachers were helped to buy homes between April 2004 and March 2006 under the scheme which continues until 2008.
International Development
Africa
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with African (a) leaders and (b) parliamentarians regarding corruption in Africa; and if he will make a statement. [73581]
Hilary Benn: Corruption is a serious problem in much of Africa. DFID is supporting a wide range of activities to help countries detect and take action against corruption. Some of the recent discussions I have had with African leaders and parliamentarians about corruption are outlined below.
When I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in October 2005, the main focus was to urge the Congolese Government to tackle corruption—particularly within the army pay system.
I had frank discussions with President Kibaki of Kenya about corruption when I visited in January 2006. Since then some steps, including the removal of three senior Ministers, has taken place in response to public pressure following the release of the Githongo dossier and Goldenberg report. This is an encouraging start but Kenyans are calling for more to be done. When I met President Kibaki again recently, I stressed the importance of continued progress in the corruption investigations. I have also met several Kenyan Members of Parliament (MPs) to discuss progress on corruption and specifically the Public Accounts Committee report on the so-called Anglo-Leasing affair.
I met President Kagame and Ministers in Rwanda in November 2005. Discussions focused on the Rwanda-UK Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which covers corruption among other issues.
When visiting Tanzania in May 2006, President Kikwete and I focused discussions on corruption and growth. Following progress made by his predecessor Benjamin Mpaka, President Kikwete is determined to improve governance and tackle high-level corruption.
I met President Museveni when I visited Uganda in May 2006. I discussed the President's commitment to tackle corruption made in his election manifesto and subsequent public statements.
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