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12 Jun 2006 : Column 980W—continued
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance from public funds was provided for the work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Northern Ireland during 2005. [76326]
Mr. Hanson: No support has been provided by the Government to RNLI in Northern Ireland during 2005.
Sexual Offences (Young Persons)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Public Prosecution Service is taking to develop a protocol with (a) child protection agencies, (b) voluntary treatment providers and (c) the police regarding young people in treatment programmes following the commission of sexual offences; and if he will make a statement. [5526]
Mr. Hanson: The PPS has advised that it has commenced a series of meetings with representatives from PSNI, NSPCC, Barnardos and social services to deal with issues regarding young people in treatment programmes following the commission by them of sexual offences. Additionally, at present, it is open to those responsible for treatment programmes for young people who have committed sexual offences and who are undergoing treatment to provide information through the police to the PPS in relation to the treatment being provided and to the young person being treated, which information may be relevant to the PPS in reaching decisions as to prosecution, or no prosecution, as the case may be.
Sinn Fein Fundraising
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has made representations to the US Administration about the current restrictions on fundraising that have been imposed on Sinn Fein politicians visiting the United States; and if he will make a statement. [76747]
Mr. Hain: The issuing of visas and the imposition of any requirements are matters for the US Administration.
Water Service
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed by the Department for Regional Development’s Water Service; how many will be employed by the proposed Gov-Co; what measures are planned to facilitate staff transfers within the civil service for water service employees; and what relocation packages are planned for water service employees wishing to relocate to Belfast to work for the proposed Gov-Co. [75587]
David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Katharine Bryan, dated 8 June 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about the number of people employed by Water Service, how many will be employed by the proposed Gov-Co, what measures are planned to facilitate staff transfers within the Civil Service for Water Service employees, and what relocation packages are planned for Water Service employees wishing to relocate to Belfast to work for the proposed Gov-Co. (75587). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
At 30 April 2006, 920 non-Industrial and 876 industrial whole time equivalent staff were employed by Water Service. Detailed planning for the achievement of efficiencies in 2007 and beyond is proceeding but the level of efficiency required of Northern Ireland Water Ltd has not yet been finalised. It is not therefore possible, at this stage, to give definitive numbers but a further reduction in numbers is planned.
As part of a wider staff migration programme, Water Service is currently working closely with the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) to facilitate the transfer back to the NICS of the optimum number of staff as the business will allow. Since March 2005, Water Service has facilitated a total of 93 transfer requests which have resulted in staff moving back to the wider NICS and there is a commitment to continue the progress made to date.
At this point in time it is not envisaged that a significant number of staff will be required to relocate to Belfast in advance of the creation of GOCO. However, staff who are required to relocate to Belfast, or to any other location across Northern Ireland, will be entitled to the full range of relocation packages, including excess fares allowance or removal expenses, inline with the provisions of the NICS Staff Handbook.
Workplace 2010 Strategy
Mark Durkan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what implications he expects the implementation of the Workplace 2010 Strategy to have for messengers and night security staff employed
by each Department of the Northern Ireland administration. [75425]
Mr. Hanson: The Government are currently considering the Workplace 2010 contract. Final decisions will not be taken until bid proposals from potential partners have been fully evaluated. A key consideration for Government in reaching conclusions on the services to be provided by any private sector partner will be the safeguarding of terms and conditions of employment in the event of any staff transfers.
Education and Skills
Arts Foundation Courses
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students in England are undertaking an arts foundation course; [74815]
(2) which higher education institutions in England offer a degree course in art and design and do not require a successful completion of an art foundation course as a condition of entry. [74816]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information shows that in English higher education institutions in 2004-05, there were 300 students enrolled on foundation courses which led to a degree course in Creative Arts and Design. Comparable information for further education colleges is not held centrally.
Information on the precise entry requirements for specific degree courses is not held centrally. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) provides a list of entry requirements for the art and design courses listed on their website at www.ucas.ac.uk. This includes some degree courses which require a foundation course for entry, although in the main the entry requirements are shown in terms of the UCAS tariff points score rather than specific qualifications.
Autistic Spectrum Disorders
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many under 16-year-olds with autistic spectrum disorders were not in full-time education in each parliamentary constituency in England in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [75852]
(2) what percentage of children with autistic spectrum disorders attending mainstream schools receive full-time support in each parliamentary constituency in England; [75853]
(3) how many children with autistic spectrum disorders attend (a) special and (b) mainstream secondary schools in each parliamentary constituency in England. [75854]
Mr. Dhanda:
Since 2004, the Department for Education and Skills has collected data on pupils by
type of special educational needs (SEN) as part of the annual school census. A table showing pupils with SEN supported at ‘School Action Plus’ or with a statement of SEN where autistic spectrum disorder is recorded as their primary need has been placed in the Library.
There are a range of factors which may affect the data recorded, including:
local interpretation of definitions;
classification of children with multiple needs; and
differences in diagnoses between education and health professionals.
The Department does not collect data on the number of children with particular types of SEN who are not in school full-time. All children of compulsory school age are expected to receive full-time education suitable to (a) their age, ability and aptitude and (b) any special educational needs they may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
Some children may not be receiving full-time education, for example children who are out of school because of illness or children who have been excluded and not yet placed. Children with autistic spectrum disorders, who are attending school, should have additional specialist support provided according to their needs.
City Academies
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the capital cost is (a) of each city academy and (b) expected to be of each academy for which there is a firm financial commitment; how many pupils are (i) at each existing academy and (ii) planned to be at each academy for which there is a firm financial commitment; and what the age range of the pupils is in each case. [75548]
Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following tables. The average cost of post-16 places is higher than for pre-16 ones. The average cost of a completed academy with 1,300 pupils and a sixth form in a high-cost inner-city area has been £25 to £30 million. The average cost of a new secondary school of this size and location has similarly been £25 to £30 million. The average cost per pupil of new build voluntary aided schools which the Department is currently funding is £23,886. The average cost per pupil in an academy is £23,370.
| (a) Open academies | Current agreed capital cash limit (£) | Pupil number capacity | Age range |
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