| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Departmental Websites
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what websites come under her Department’s responsibility; and what the (a) cost and (b) number of visitors to those sites were in 2005-06. [83099]
Angela E. Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) on 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 958W for the list of websites under the Department’s responsibility and the cost of those sites. Visitor figures are shown as follows for DCLG sites April 2005-March 2006. DCLG websites are hosted on a number of platforms with different methodologies for evaluating usage. I have listed those sites for which visitor figures are available. Where estimated, figures are based on averages or projections of available data where hosting arrangements changed during the year.
| Visitor figures | |
Employment Opportunities (Ethnic Minorities)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to promote opportunities for (a) women and (b) men of ethnic minority origin to gain employment in (i) Coventry, South and (ii) the West Midlands. [83418]
Mr. Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
We are committed to helping all those who may be disadvantaged in the labour market. Specifically, we have a public service agreement target to
‘Increase the employment rate of ethnic minorities and significantly reduce the difference between the overall employment rate and that of ethnic minorities’.
Support for people from ethnic minorities is provided locally through Jobcentre Plus, which offers employment services to all people of working age. For those furthest from the labour market and who are not using Jobcentre Plus services, our Ethnic Minority Outreach programme also offers the opportunity for people to find and keep work. Since its introduction Ethnic Minority Outreach has achieved over 10,000 successful job outcomes.
On 11 July
we announced the launch of a new independent body to help ethnic
minorities find work. The Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, which is made
up of 22 representatives from across the ethnic
community, has been set up as part of the Government’s welfare
reform agenda to boost employment opportunities for ethnic
minorities.
The new advisory group will be a way of getting to the heart of the community and finding out the best ways to close the employment gap. To do this, we will work in partnership, focussing on what will work for local communities.
Housing Act
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she next plans to discuss the operation of section 21 (4a) of the Housing Act 1988 with local authority representatives. [82709]
Angela E. Smith: My Department has never received any requests from local authorities or their representative bodies to discuss with them section 21 (4a) of the Housing Act 1988. This is the section that allows private landlords, by giving two months notice, to regain possession of their property following the end of a contracted fixed term or during a periodic tenancy provided it is six months after the start of the original tenancy.
Swindon Council
Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the meetings held by officials from her Department with Swindon borough council in 2004 and 2005 to improve the performance of the councillors running Swindon borough council. [86001]
Angela E. Smith [holding answer 17 July 2006]: Meetings between officials from the then ODPM and Swindon borough council during 2004 and 2005 were intended to encourage a sustained focus by the Council on overall improvement of its performance. By December 2005, Swindon had improved from a Comprehensive Performance Assessment rating of “poor” to achieve a rating of two stars and “improving well”. In the light of this improved performance, ODPM’s close engagement with Swindon borough council ceased in early 2006 as it was considered to have achieved its objectives. Swindon continues to receive support, where necessary, from the Government Office for the South West.
Education and Skills
Autism
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is given to local authorities to assist them in developing best practice on the disabled children’s module of the National Service Framework 2004 when identifying autistic spectrum disorder; and if he will make a statement. [85008]
Mr.
Dhanda: Standard 8 of the National Service Framework (NSF)
for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, targeted at local
authorities and
others, is for disabled children and young people and those with complex
health needs. It sets a standard. Children and young people receive
co-ordinated, high-quality child and family-centred services that are
based on assessed needs, promote social inclusion and, where possible,
enable them and their families to live ordinary
lives.
The NSF has been supported by a number of exemplars, including one on autism. This sets out an optimal pathway for a boy with autism, beginning at the age of three, from initial concern and contact with primary care, through a developmental and a multi-agency assessment, the drawing up of a family support plan and early educational intervention and on to the transitions between primary and secondary school and secondary school and adult life.
Local authorities have a duty under the Education Act 1996, where necessary, to identify, assess and make suitable provision for children with special educational needs (SEN), including those with autistic spectrum disorders. When doing so, local authorities have to have regard to the SEN Code of Practice. “Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Good Practice Guidance” (2002, Department of Education and Skills and Department of Health) is also available for local authorities. It includes pointers to good practice on identification.
Buddhism
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his Department's list of organisations consulted on religious issues affecting matters concerning his Department, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Network of Buddhist Organisations is representative of that faith's adherents; and if he will make a statement. [86280]
Jim Knight: The DfES has made no such assessment. The Network of Buddhist Organisations is one of the organisations that the Department consults on relevant issues.
Bullying
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the incidence of bullying in schools was in each of the last three years. [86419]
Jim Knight: We are unable to provide this information as we do not collect these data centrally. However, in our anti-bullying guidance, we encourage all schools to record incidents of bullying and there is a requirement to record all racist incidents.
CAFCASS
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many private law cases were completed by CAFCASS in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06; [83252]
(2) what the average yearly work load was for a guardian ad litem in each of the last five years. [83256]
Mr.
Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family
Court Advisory and Support Service, CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas, the chief
executive, has
written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply
has been placed in the House
Library.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 14 July 2006:
Parliamentary Questions Concerning CAFCASS
I am writing to you in response to the two parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
PQ83252—how many private law cases were completed by CAFCASS in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06.
Private law reports completed by CAFCASS were as follows:
| Number | |
PQ83256— what was the average yearly workload for a Guardian ad Litem in each of the last five years.
CAFCASS practitioners cover public and private law cases. Some other work, such as adoption cases, can be the subject of either a public or a private law case.
Based on previous years calculations, the average workload for each individual practitioner at any one time is as follows:
| Number | |
The duration for each care case (from application to final order) will affect the number at any one time. For the purpose of this comparison, a care case is assumed to take 52 weeks. The Public Law Judicial Protocol aims to see all cases completed within 40 weeks, and this target will be supported by the recommendations of the recent review of Care Proceedings, once implemented.
Average workloads in CAFCASS are changing considerably due to changes in working practices underway, such as the rapid rise in the amount of practitioner time going into dispute resolution work in private law cases. Other reforms, such as writing shorter more analytical reports, also aim to increase productivity and the number of cases a practitioner can deal with at any one time within a reasonable caseload.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what staff redundancies in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service are projected during 2006-07; [83057]
(2) what savings the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service will be making during 2006-07; and what assessment has been made of the impact of these savings. [83058]
Mr.
Dhanda [holding answer 6 July 2006]: These are
matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service,
CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas,
the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this
information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House
Library.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 14 July 2006:
I am writing to you in response to the two parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
PQ83057—what staff redundancies in CAFCASS are projected during the current financial year.
CAFCASS has no plans for redundancies in the current financial year. I anticipate that savings targets can be achieved through increased productivity and efficiency savings.
PQ83058—what savings CAFCASS will be making during the current financial year; and whether there has been an assessment of the impact of these savings.
CAFCASS’s budget in the current financial year has the same baseline as last year. Savings of £4.5 million will need to be made to balance the budget. We have received an extra £4.7 million funding from DfES for this financial year only, to help with our change programmes. This will help us to develop our IT systems, to roll out our new case management information system across all our offices, and to reform our working practices where this is needed. The bulk of savings will be made through efficiency measures, such as procurement savings and more efficient working of cases.
The impact of savings targets and measures is being kept under constant review, both at Board and Executive level.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans he has to upgrade IT systems within the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2006-07; [83403]
(2) what plans he has for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service training budget for 2006-07; [83404]
(3) what the average time taken to complete a Section 7 report in private law was in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the latest period for which figures are available; [83405]
(4) how many cases are on the waiting list in public law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, broken down by region; [83521]
(5) what average length of time was taken to complete a Section 7 case with private law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last 12 months. [83522]
Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 10 July 2006]: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 14 July 2006:
Parliamentary Questions Concerning CAFCASS
I am writing to you in response to the five parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
PQ83403—what plans he has to upgrade IT systems within the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2006-07.
During
2006/07 CAFCASS will be upgrading its IT network and moving to a more
up to date Internet Protocol Over Virtual Private Network system which
will improve functionality and allow for further development across a
range of IT-enabled initiatives. This will support the roll out of our
new Case Recording System, document management systems and will support
mobile/flexible working. This is a major development
programme with a detailed implementation plan. Completion of all
programmes is expected by April
2007.
PQ83404—what plans he has to freeze the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service training budget for 2006-07.
An additional £500,000 has been put into the CAFCASS training budget in 2006-07, thereby increasing spend on training to £1.22 million. This does not include staff time, which is an additional support at both the national and regional levels.
PQ83405—what the average time taken to complete a Section 7 report in private law was in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the latest period for which figures are available.
This figure is not kept as a statistic or performance indicator. The notional average for purposes of workload calculation is 25 hours, though with the complexity of cases increasing, this is likely to be an underestimate. A great number of cases that were once the subject of s7 reports are now dealt with earlier and quicker in our dispute resolution programmes. This in turn means the fewer cases subject to s7 reports are those much harder to resolve, and consequently, they take longer. In practice, the variation in cases is large, between 20 hours at the lower end and over 100 hours for the hardest cases.
PQ83521—how many cases are on the waiting list in public law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, broken down by region.
Our latest figure for this, at the end of May 2006, was as follows:
| CAFCASS Public Law Unallocated Cases Snapshot, End May 2006 | |||
| Region | Public Law Unallocated Cases | Total Workload | Percentage of Total Workload |
Our Key Performance Indicator for this is that no more than 3% of public law cases should be unallocated at month end.
PQ83522—what average length of time was taken to complete a Section 7 case with private law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last 12 months.
In respect of cases received and completed during the period 1 January 2006 to 31 May 2006, the average duration of a s7 Report (working days) by regions was as follows:
| Region | Number of Days |
Giving a National Average of 63 days.
We do not keep
statistics of how many weeks or months these days represent. Cases vary
in the length they take for a range of
reasons, such as their complexity, and the requirements of all the other
cases an individual practitioner holds on their caseload at any given
time.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |