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4 Dec 2006 : Column 109W—continued
Constitutional Affairs
Court Buildings (Gloucestershire)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to provide new court buildings in Gloucestershire; and if she will make a statement. [106332]
Ms Harman: My Department is currently working with HM Treasury, as part of its bid for the Comprehensive Spending Review, to establish the court building programme for the next spending round. I will be in a position to announce the priority court building projects for the next spending round in due course.
Criminal Justice Regionalisation
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible effect on local criminal justice teams of the regionalisation of some services. [106331]
Ms Harman:
The decision to proceed with the restructuring of Her Majesty’s Courts Service administrative areas was taken on the basis that it
would not directly impact on the judiciary or criminal justice partners in the criminal justice system. The new area directors are committed to attending local criminal justice boards and aim to provide the same level of service. Where an area director is unable to attend an HMCS representative will act as a replacement, with authority to commit resources on behalf of the area director.
Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions she has had with colleagues on progress towards implementing the provisions of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 on restraining orders and injunctions. [106312]
Ms Harman: I have had many discussions with ministerial colleagues on both the funding and implementation of section 12 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004.
Magistrates Courts
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plansshe has to reorganise the magistrates courts systemin South Wales; and if she will make a statement. [106271]
Ms Harman: HMCS is currently looking at all its courts across England and Wales to see how we can ensure that we are getting the most from our court estate. In South Wales, various alternatives have been suggested, but none have been put to me as final proposals. Should any proposal come forward that requires change in the current estate, full public consultation would be undertaken.
Public Appointments
Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which public appointments have been given by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997. [105759]
Vera Baird: No such appointments have been made in the period in question.
Education and Skills
A-levels
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in England gained (a) three, (b) four, (c) five, (d) six, (e) seven, (f) eight and (g) nine A-levels in each year since 1997. [103655]
Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of 16 to 18-year-old pupils in England who obtained the following numbers of GCE A level passes at gradesA to E:
| GCE A-level | |||||||
| Number of passes | |||||||
| 3 or more | 4 or more | 5 or more | 6 or more | 7 or more | 8 or more | 9 or more | |
| Note: Data for 2006 is provisional. Data for all other years is final. | |||||||
Bexley Business Academy
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role (a) Land Investors plc, (b) Rangeview Properties Ltd., (c) Thamesoval Properties Ltd. and (d) Minerva plc have had in the(i) construction and (ii) operation of Bexley Business Academy. [103562]
Jim Knight: Sir David Garrard sponsors the academy in a personal capacity and was until last year the Chairman of Minerva plc, of which Land Investors plc is a subsidiary.
The companies listed have had no role in the construction or operation of the Bexley Business Academy.
Citizenship Education
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will encourage local authorities to monitor the number of citizenship specialist trained teachers. [103732]
Jim Knight: Ofsted considers the availability of suitably trained teachers as part of its inspection of citizenship teaching in schools. In addition, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has a programme of curriculum monitoring and evaluation, which includes reporting on teacher supply.
The Department has regular contact with local authority citizenship co-ordinators to promote initiatives such as the new continuous professional development certificate for citizenship teachers.
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the desired outcomes on pupil development are of the (a) knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens, (b) inquiry and communication and (c) participation and responsible action sections of the citizenship curriculum. [104447]
Jim Knight: Citizenship Education, comprising of three themes; knowledge and understanding, inquiry and communication, and participation and responsible action, is designed to help young people developformal knowledge of how political processes work, understand their rights, duties and social and moral responsibilities, and take an active role in their neighbourhoods and communities.
The Citizenship curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ skills of inquiry, reflection and discussion, and encourages young people to learn to distinguish between facts and values so that they may make informed choices. It aims to give pupils an appreciation of how decisions are made, the value of bringing about change through negotiation and of resolving conflict fairly. It shows young people how they can play their part, make their voices heard and their actions count.
Ms Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many GCSE Citizenship examinations have been taken since its introduction. [101233]
Jim Knight: Three examination boards have offered a GCSE (short course) in Citizenship in each year since 2002. The number of 15-year-old pupils(1) entered for this qualification in each year since 2002 is as follows:
| Number of 15-year-old pupils( 1) attempting GCSE (Short Course) Citizenship | |
| Attempts | |
| (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year ie 31 August. (2) Figures for 2006 are provisional. Figures for all other years are final. | |
The information that is readily available by the Department is for 15-year-olds or pupils at the end of Key Stage 4.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department’s average expenditure was per pupil for each school year group of compulsory schooling in the latest year for which figures are available. [103703]
Jim Knight [holding answer 28 November2006]: The funding for schools that the Department distributes to local authorities is not allocated on a year group basis. The distribution of the Dedicated School Grant for 2006-07 was based on a single guaranteed unit of funding for each per three to 15-year-old pupil funded through the local authority. Prior to 2006-07, local authorities received funding for schools through Education Formula Spending Shares (EFSS) which were part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. Education FSS did separately differentiate funding between primary, including under fives and secondary pupils so a split of funding is available.
The following table details the per pupil funding within 2005-06 EFSS plus all school-related revenue grants in cash terms:
| £ | |
| Note: Figures are rounded to nearest £10, includes pension transfer. | |
Education Funding
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what sources of public funding are available to schools in England; how much (a) was available in financial year 2005-06 and (b) is available in 2006-07 from each source; and for what purposes money from each source may be used. [101920]
Jim Knight: The available information is contained within the following table:
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