| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
30 Nov 2006 : Column 882W—continued
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of Learning and Skills Council funding was spent on remedial training for (a) level one and (b) level two qualifications in each year between 2001 and 2006. [103660]
Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the planning and funding of post-16 education and training up to, but not including higher education. It has seen a real terms increase in funding between 2001-02 and 2006-07 of over 34 per cent.
The proportion of LSC expenditure by level one and level two qualification by the categories requested is given in the following table. Information before 2003-04 is not available.
| Percentage | |||
| 2003/04 | 2004/5 | 2005/06 | |
Ministerial Travel
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the occasions since he has held his present office when he has used (a) rail services, (b) the London Underground, (c) tram or light railway services and (d) buses in connection with his ministerial duties. [101983]
Mr. Dhanda: According to our records, the following journeys have been made by the types of transport listed above, in connection with ministerial duties:
| Date | Destination | Mode of Transport |
Ministers use public transport wherever possible and practical to complete their journey taking account of security considerations. All ministerial travel on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in “Travel by Ministers”.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has a traffic light system in place for processing parliamentary questions, where questions are categorised using a colour code. [103152]
Mr. Dhanda: No. This Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day, and endeavours to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled.
Prisoner Education
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has (a) conducted and (b) evaluated regarding the effect of prisoner education on reoffending rates; and if he will make a statement. [105838]
Phil Hope [holding answer 28 November 2006]: The Department for Education and Skills has not conducted or evaluated any research regarding the effect of prisoner education on reoffending rates, although the Home Office has an extensive programme of research that will consider how a range of treatments, interventions and support make a difference during and after custody.
Runaway Children
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish the evaluation report on the six developmental projects providing emergency accommodation for young runaways; and if he will make a statement. [106034]
Mr. Dhanda: The contract to independently review and summarise the findings from the six community based refuge pilots has just been awarded to Barnardo's, and we aim to publish their report in spring 2007. We will disseminate the lessons learned to all local authorities and make it available to all interested stakeholders via the DfES website.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received on provision of support for young people who have run away from home; and if he will make a statement. [106725]
Mr. Dhanda: I have received six written parliamentary questions on runaways since recess. I have received no other formal representations.
My Department takes the issue of young runaways very seriously. We are working across Government, with key national voluntary agencies such as the Children's Society, with regional organisations such as London councils and Government offices, and with all local authorities in England, to learn the lessons from the runaways refuge pilots and to incorporate best practice in runaways prevention and support into mainstream local children's services.
School Meals
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ban the use of hydrogenated oils and fats in foods served and sold in school canteens. [104423]
Mr. Dhanda: There are no plans to ban the use of hydrogenated oils and fats in goods served and sold in school canteens. However, new standards for school food, which began to be introduced from September 2006, will reduce their provision, as part of wider measures to reduce the provision of goods with a high fat content. The current food-based standards for lunch and, from September 2007, for food provided outside lunch, will reduce the provision of many foods which typically contain higher levels of hydrogenated fats and oils. And nutrient-based standards, from September 2008 in primary schools and September 2009 in secondary schools, will specify an upper limit for the proportion of energy to be derived from fat and saturated fat in an average school lunch.
Special Needs
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2006, Official Report, column 109W, on special needs, what training on dyslexia the nationally accredited training regulations will contain. [105872]
Mr. Dhanda: It is too early to say. Development work linked to the proposed introduction of nationally accredited training for newly appointed SEN co-ordinators has only just begun. In addition, we will need to consult on the associated regulations.
Student Finance/Loans
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what circumstances a woman with a family on low income is eligible for a maintenance grant to study for a degree; and if he will make a statement. [104238]
Bill Rammell: Students entering under the new support arrangements introduced in September 2006 are eligible for a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to £2,700 which is dependent on household income. Students with a household income of £17,500 or less are eligible for the full maintenance grant. Students with a household income above £17,500 up to £37,425 are eligible for a partial grant.
There is a range of statutory and discretionary financial support available to undergraduate students with families. Students with dependent children can also apply for a childcare grant, a parents’ learning allowance and, where applicable, child tax credits from HM Revenue and Customs. Students who have an adult dependant may be entitled to an adult dependants grant. Support may also be available from the discretionary Access to Learning Fund.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which student loans are made available to those on low incomes. [104294]
Bill Rammell: All students who meet the personal eligibility criteria are able to apply for both a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan. The maximum amount of maintenance loan depends on household income and where the student is studying.
Students from low income households, entering under the new support arrangements introduced in September 2006, are also eligible for a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to £2,700. Students with a household income of £17,500 or less are eligible for the full maintenance grant. Students with a household income above £17,500 up to £37,425 are eligible for a partial grant.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and (b) the London Borough of Bexley are repaying student loans. [102448]
Bill Rammell: The number of borrowers known to be currently repaying publicly-owned mortgage style or income contingent student loans from (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, and (b) the London borough of Bexley is 810 and 2,210 respectively.
Figures are based on a borrower's home address at the time of their application for student support.
The Olympics
Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role he plans for the further education sector in delivering his Olympic strategy; and if he will make a statement. [105831]
Bill Rammell: The further education system has a vital contribution to make to the delivery of our strategy for a successful 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games, and the enduring legacy that we will create. The sector will actively support all aspects of the Olympic strategy, from working with employers to meet their skill needs in the preparation of the sites and the running of the games, to boosting interest and participation in sport across all groups, and supporting elite sport competitors to fulfil their sporting and educational potential, to encouraging and supporting learners to make healthy living choices more generally.
The FE sector will also contribute to several cross-cutting aims including: supporting the promotion of the Olympic ideals of doing one's personal best, fair play and cultural understanding; celebrating diversity, supporting inclusion and encouraging positive views of disability.
The detailed plan which sets out the full range of actions and activities will be published next year.
University Departments
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what change there has been in the number of (a) physics, (b) chemistry and (c) engineering departments at English universities in the past 12 months. [102981]
Bill Rammell:
There has been no change to the number of university departments in these subjects over the last 12 months although, on 21 November, the Council of the University of Reading decided to close its physics department from 2010. The Higher
Education Funding Council for England recently announced that an additional £75 million would be made available over three years from 2007-08 to support very high cost and vulnerable science subjects, including physics and chemistry. Figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that entrants to physics and chemistry courses in 2005-06 were up by 10 per cent., and that overall entrants to engineering also rose. Provisional figures for 2006-07 show that despite the small decrease in total entrants, those studying chemistry have increased and those studying physics have held steady.
University Students
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university students there were in England on (a) 2 May 1997 and (b) the most recent date for which figures are available. [106384]
Bill Rammell: The figures are shown in the following table. The latest available information is for 2004-05; comparable figures for 2005-06 will be available in January 2007.
| Number of enrolments to all English Institutions, split by level of study, for the academic years 1996-97 and 2004-05 | ||||
| Academic year | Change between 1996-97 and 2004-05 | |||
| Level of study | 1996-97 | 2004-05 | Number | Percentage |
| Notes: 1. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five, therefore parts may not sum to totals. 2. Figures cover all students from the UK and Overseas on full-time and part-time courses. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | ||||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |