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30 Jan 2007 : Column 201W—continued
Wheel Clamping
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2006, Official Report, column 1690W, on wheel clamping, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the licensable Vehicle Immobilising (VI) population in possession of a VI licence; what assessment he has made of the methodology used by the Security Industry Authority in estimating the total licensable VI population; and if he will make a statement. [114346]
Mr. Coaker: The Security Industry Authority's operational experience suggests that within the vehicle immobilising industry there is a high level of compliance with the licensing requirements of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.
It was estimated that there were approximately 1,200 wheel clampers working on private land in England and Wales prior to the introduction of regulation in May 2005. However, this sector of the private security industry is believed to be subject to a rate of turnover and other staffing changes of between 20 and 25 per cent. per year. The licensable sector has also been increased by the introduction of a licensing requirement for those involved in related activities such as towing away or blocking in vehicles and collecting payment. On 24 January, there were 1,508 valid VI licences. The SIA publishes full statistical details of licensable sectors on its website at:
http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/licensing/stats_2.htm
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations his Department has received on the activities of private sector wheel clampers; and if he will make a statement. [110905]
Mr. Coaker: During the second half of 2006 the Home Office received about 50 items of ministerial correspondence and three written parliamentary questions about the regulation of vehicle immobilisers. These included correspondence accepted on behalf of the Department for Transport and the Department of Trade and Industry. Most correspondence related to business practices, such as signage and fees, that are not governed by the Private Security Industry Act 2001 or the Road and Traffic Acts.
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the efficacy of the law on theft and extortion in relation to private sector wheel clampers who remove vehicles from private land. [110907]
Mr. Coaker: There are currently no plans to review the law on theft and extortion in relation to vehicle immobilisers operating on private land in England and Wales.
Yarl's Wood
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children aged (a) under five years, (b) five to 12 years and (c) 13 to 16 years passed through Yarl’s Wood detention centre in the last 12 months; what accommodation is provided for children detained at Yarl’s Wood; and what opportunities are offered for (i) play, (ii) physical activity, (iii) education and (iv) counselling. [115613]
Mr. Byrne: I am advised that the number of children under 16 years of age who passed through Yarl’s Wood removal centre in the last 12 months was 1,271. The age groups are broken down as follows: under four years, 618, 5 to 11 years, 442 and 12 to 16 years, 211.
Dedicated family rooms are provided to ensure that family members are not separated and, as far as practicable within the constraints of detention, are able to maintain family life. A crèche is available for under fives and is open seven days per week. Schooling is provided for children aged five to 16 years Monday to Friday. Activity classes are laid on in the sports hall each day and there is also an outside playground and sports courts. There is a youth worker and a youth club which opens seven days per week. A counsellor and a social worker are on site Monday to Friday as well as a full-time Children's Service Manager.
Young Offender Institutions
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders were assessed on reception into custody as having literacy and numeracy skills below level one at each young offender institution; and if he will make a statement. [115788]
Phil Hope [holding answer 15 January 2007]: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the most recent Home Office statistics show that 39 per cent. of prisoners in young offender establishments had reading skills below level 1, 46 per cent. had numeracy skills below level 1, 48 per cent. had spelling skills below level 1 and 60 per cent. of prisoners in young offender establishments had punctuation skills below level 1. (Prison Statistics for England and Wales 2002).
Wales
Committees: Ministerial Attendance
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what occasions (a) he and (b) departmental Ministers have been requested to appear before committees of (i) devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament since 2004; on what topic in each case; how many and what proportion of such requests were accepted; and if he will make a statement. [111573]
Mr. Hain: I have not been requested to appear before a committee of the National Assembly for Wales, Scottish Parliament or the European Parliament. I do, however, address the Plenary of the National Assembly for Wales, on the Queen’s Speech at the beginning of a new parliamentary Session.
My Under-Secretary will be appearing before the Education and Lifelong Learning and Skills Committee of the National Assembly for Wales on 1 February 2007 to give evidence on the Further Education and Training Bill. He was also invited to appear before the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee in the Assembly on 25 March 2006 to discuss legislation, but unfortunately was unable to do so, due to diary commitments.
Deputy Prime Minister
Executive Agencies
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which executive agencies are the responsibility of his Department; what the function is of each agency; and what the budget was of each agency in the most recent year for which figures are available. [116745]
The Deputy Prime Minister: None.
External Consultants
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which external consultants were used by (a) his Office and (b) each of its agencies in relation to private finance initiatives in 2005-06; and what the nature and cost of the work was in each case. [115198]
The Deputy Prime Minister: For information relating to financial year 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government on 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 1318W.
Government Auctions
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister where his Office publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in (a) Blackpool, (b) Lancashire and (c) the north west; and when the next such auction will take place in each area. [117424]
The Deputy Prime Minister: My Office does not arrange any Government auctions.
Education and Skills
Adult Education
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many people enrolled in adult and community learning programmes in Shropshire in each year since 1997; [109984]
(2) how many adults participated in further education in Shropshire in each year since 1997. [109985]
Phil Hope: Figures for those participating in both adult and community learning (ACL) and further education (FE) can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The ACL ILR was collated for the first time in 2003-04 but reliable and consistent figures are only available from 2004-05. The FE ILR was collated for the first time in 2002-03 and figures are presented from that time. The following table shows the total number of learners in Shropshire local learning and skills council (LSC) area for both ACL and FE based on the home postcode of the learner. For FE, the figures show all learners, irrespective of whether the course is subsidised by the LSC (the substantial majority), but also learners on full-cost recovery courses and those who draw funding from other bodies, such as the European social fund or local authorities. ACL providers are not required to submit ILR data on non-LSC funded learners, so the figures shown may exclude some who either pay fees themselves or are funded by other means.
| Total number of learners Shropshire local LSC area | ||
| FE | ACL | |
| Note: Figures rounded to nearest 10. | ||
Apprenticeships
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the total training costs of an advanced apprenticeship or similar level 3 vocational qualification will be publicly funded for (a) 16 to 18, (b) 18 to 25 and (c) over 25-year-olds as part of the Government’s planned extension of learning entitlements to level 3 vocational qualifications. [111380]
Phil Hope: The entitlement to free tuition for a first full level 3 qualification for young adults aged between 19 and under 25 when they start their learning will be introduced from the start of the 2007/08 academic year. The introduction of the new entitlement will still mean that apprentices of any age are not asked to make a contribution to the costs of their training. The funding to learning providers for the delivery of advanced apprenticeships to 16 to 18-year-old learners will continue to be met fully from public funds. However, the rates payable to learning providers for apprenticeships for those aged 19 or above are reduced by up to 50 per cent. of the 16 to 18 rate to reflect the lower costs of training for older learners and an assumed contribution by employers.
For individuals undertaking learning at level 3 outside the apprenticeship programme, the funding to further education learning providers for 16 to 18-year-old learners will continue to be met fully from public funds. This will also be the case for adults aged 19 and under 25 who are eligible for the level 3 entitlement. Adults aged over 19 and under 25 who are not eligible for the level 3 entitlement or any of the other fee remission categories will be expected to make a contribution to their learning of 37.5 per cent. in 2007/08. Adults aged 25 and over who are not eligible
for any fee remission category will also be expected to make a contribution to their learning of 37.5 per cent. in 2007/08. By 2010, the learner contribution will rise to around 50 per cent., this is in line with the principle that individuals and employers should contribute to costs in line with their ability to pay and the benefits they receive.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of apprenticeship and advanced apprenticeship places provided an employer-based mentor for the apprentice in each year since 1997. [111383]
Phil Hope: The Learning and Skills Council does not require employees or training providers to return data about mentors. To do so would increase the administrative burden surrounding apprenticeships.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2007, Official Report, column 556W, on apprenticeships, if he will break down the figures by (a) region, (b) industrial sector, (c) sex and (d) whether or not the apprenticeships were at advanced level in each case. [116777]
Phil Hope: The following table A reproduces the success rates for apprenticeship courses for 2001/02 to 2004/05 as per that shown in the answer of 9 January 2007:
| Table A—national apprenticeship success rates | |
| England | |
| Percentage | |
The following two tables break down these figures by region and also into apprenticeships at level 2 (table B) and advanced apprenticeships (table C):
| Table B—success rates for apprenticeships at level 2 broken down by region | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| Region | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 |
| Table C—success rates for advanced apprenticeships broken down by region | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| Region | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 |
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