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19 Feb 2007 : Column 407W—continued
Patient Power Review
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 July 2006, Official Report, column 43WS, on the Patient Power Review, when her Department expects the Patient Power Review Group to publish its final report on the communications services offered to hospital patients; for what reasons the report's publication has been delayed from December 2006; and if she will make a statement. [118247]
Andy Burnham: The review of the charges of the bedside communications services has raised some complex issues. These have resulted in additional deliberation between the Department and the private providers in their attempts to effect a potential solution. This has caused the delay of the report since the due publication date of December 2006.
The report is due to be published in the near future.
Serco
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the performance of Serco's out-of-hours health care provision (a) in Cornwall and (b) across England. [118720]
Andy Burnham: Information is not collected centrally on the performance of out-of-hours health care provision.
Primary care trusts (PCTs) have a responsibility to ensure that they provide, or secure, provision of a high quality, sustainable general practitioner out-of-hours service to meet the needs of their local population.
Our aim is to ensure that all patients can be assured of high quality, responsive and consistent out-of-hours services wherever they live. National quality requirements have been published which set standards for the delivery of out-of-hours care.
Where an out-of-hours provider is failing to meet the quality requirements, PCTs as commissioners of the service, and strategic health authorities, must act to support out-of-hours providers to improve their performance.
South West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding she allocated to the external commercial turnaround team sent to the South West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust; from what budget this funding will be drawn; what the remit of the team is; and by what criteria she will judge its success. [120013]
Andy Burnham: Commercial turnaround at West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust is funded locally and the Department does not routinely collect information on these costs. The remit and success criteria are also locally set and managed.
Written Questions: Administrative Delays
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to answer question 111637, on Clostridium difficile in the Eastern Region, tabled by the hon. Member for Peterborough on 23 January. [121592]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: A reply has been given today.
Education and Skills
Adoption Agencies: Catholic Church
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much from public funds was paid to Catholic adoption agencies in each year since 1997. [117946]
Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 1 February 2007]: Information on the amount of funding paid by local authorities to voluntary adoption agencies is not collected centrally.
Government grants amounting to £120,000 and £127,551 have been paid to the St. Francis’ Children’s Society and the Catholic Children’s Society (Nottingham) respectively, during the period since 1997. In both cases, the grant periods ended before 2006-07. In addition, small sums will have been paid to representatives of voluntary adoption agencies, in the form of travel and subsistence expenses, for their involvement in Government working parties.
A-level: Hendon
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the A and AS-level results were in Hendon in (a) 1997 and (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement. [118492]
Jim Knight: The average point score per candidate and per examination entry for 16 to 18-year-old A-level (or equivalent) candidates in maintained mainstream schools and academies in Hendon is given as follows:
| Average point score | ||
| Per candidate | Per examination entry | |
This information is consistent with that published in the school and college achievement and attainment tables (formerly performance tables) in 1997 and in 2006. The points tariff used for each of these years is different and the range of qualifications that contribute to the average point score indicators is also different.
The points awarded for A-level grades in 1997 and 2006 are given as follows:
| Grade | 1997 | 2006 |
In 1997, only GCE A-levels and AS examinations contributed to the average point scores published in the school and college achievement and attainment tables. In 2006, many more level 3 qualifications have been included, details of which are available at:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/16to18_06/d3.shtml
Apprenticeships
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of apprenticeships in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each sector have no formal employer involvement. [118741]
Jim Knight: A significant period of employment must be a feature of the training in any successful apprenticeship. Apprenticeship delivery is flexible and some apprentices may work towards qualifications in college before moving to an employer place; however, all apprenticeships have formal employer involvement at some stage.
Building Schools for the Future
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how much funding from the Building Schools for the Future programme has been allocated to (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in the last two years; [112268]
(2) what funding has been allocated to the Buildings Schools for the Future programme since it was established; [112269]
(3) how many schools have received funding from the Building Schools for the Future programme, broken down by county. [112331]
Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future is designed to bring about transformational change across the secondary schools’ estate over time and will be rolled out over 15 waves, subject to future spending decisions. When local authorities join the programme they, in conjunction with their schools and other local partners, are required to develop a “Strategy for Change” to ensure their plans support the drive for educational improvement. The first three waves of the programme involve 372 schools and is being supported by £6.5 billion of capital resources from the current spending review period of 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. The following table shows the number of schools currently in the programme, broken down by local authority area.
| Local authority | Number of schools |
You will be aware that the Government committed to provide a new secondary school in each local authority in the country by 2011. This will be through Building Schools for the Future, the Academy programme or the BSF One School Pathfinder programme. Over £1 billion has been allocated to the 38 authorities within the one school pathfinder element of the BSF programme. The following authorities have been allocated funding to rebuild one of its schools with the highest level of building need: Barnet, Bath and North East Somerset, Bexley, Bracknell Forest, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Harrow, Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, Kingston upon Thames, Leicestershire, North Somerset, North Yorkshire, Plymouth, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Rutland, Sefton, Shropshire, South Gloucestershire, Southend on Sea, Sutton, Torbay, Trafford, Warrington, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Wigan, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wirral, Wokingham, York.
Primary schools are not covered by Building Schools for the Future. However we are taking a similarly transformational approach to capital investment for the primary sector. Funding for the pathfinder phase of the Primary Capital programme will commence in 2008-09 with £150 million of additional funding being shared among 23 regional pathfinders. The programme will be rolled out nationally from 2009-10 underpinned by £500 million of additional investment. Subject to future government spending decisions, we anticipate that the additional investment will continue at that level for at least 15 years.
In addition to our strategic programmes, all local authorities and schools receive formulaic capital support for their local priorities, which currently totals more than £2 billion a year.
Care Services
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of privately run residential care homes in each local authority area for children in care meet 90 per cent. or more of the national minimum standards. [113415]
Mr. Dhanda: This question is a matter for CSCI and their Chief Inspector Paul Snell has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested. A copy of the response has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Paul Snell, dated 22 January 2007:
The Secretary of State for Education and Skills has asked me as the Chief Inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection to respond to your Parliamentary question as set out below:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of privately run residential care homes in each local authority area for children in care meet 90% or more of the national minimum standards. (113415)
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