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9 Mar 2007 : Column 2256W—continued


Teenage Pregnancy: East Sussex

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of teenage pregnancy in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex was in each year since 1997. [125489]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 March 2007:


9 Mar 2007 : Column 2257W
Teenage conceptions: numbers( 1) and rates( 2) for Eastbourne CD and East Sussex County, 1997-2005
East Sussex county Eastbourne CD
Number Rate Number Rate

1997

316

37

63

49

1998

336

40

56

44

1999

323

39

68

53

2000

324

39

75

54

2001

262

31

51

35

2002

315

36

77

47

2003

323

36

78

46

2004

347

38

80

48

2005(3)

358

38

68

41

(1) Figures for 2005 are provisional
(2) Rate per 1,000 women aged 15-17
(3) Provisional

Terrorism: Finance

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to the public purse was of producing the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist finance strategy announced on 28 February. [125758]

Ed Balls: 569 copies of the Government’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing strategy were printed, including copies for both Houses of Parliament. The cost of printing was £1,563.

Valuation Office Agency

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated administrative yearly cost to the Valuation Office Agency is of introducing and administering Planning Gain Supplement. [114824]

John Healey: The Government will incur costs in providing the systems and resource for HMRC and the VOA to administer a Planning-gain Supplement (PGS). PGS is being designed to be simple and cost effective to administer and the cost estimates will be developed as the details of PGS are refined.

Further details can be found in the Explanatory Notes to the Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Bill, which was introduced in the House on 12 December 2006.

Venture Capital

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for a regulatory code governing the activities of private equity companies. [121827]


9 Mar 2007 : Column 2258W

Ed Balls: Private equity companies in the UK are subject to regulation by the Financial Services Authority. This includes a close and continuous supervisory relationship with 14 of the biggest private equity and venture capital managers; risk mitigation programmes; frequent dialogue with market participants on private equity sector issues; and including private equity firms in thematic reviews on market issues.

In addition the Government welcome the announcement last week that Sir David Walker will chair an independent working party to develop a voluntary comply-or-explain code to improve the private equity industry's transparency and level of disclosures for large companies in these areas. This initiative has received wide support across the industry, demonstrating a commitment to make this happen, and also a desire to meet the legitimate concerns of interested parties.

By increasing the quality and timeliness of disclosures, the code has the potential both to improve the engagement of the private equity industry with stakeholders, and improve its performance. The Government will watch developments very closely.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the transparency of the financial reporting procedures of private equity groups. [121828]

Ed Balls: To the extent that private equity groups are UK companies, they must meet the financial reporting obligations required under EU and UK company law. Financial reporting requirements were consulted on extensively in the formulation of the provisions in the Companies Act 2006. Listed groups, and those companies that opt to do so, must report using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), while all other companies utilise UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

All companies incorporated in the UK, other than small companies, are required by the Companies Act to produce a business review (as required by the EU Accounts Modernisation Directive). The Companies Act 2006 will introduce an expanded business review and require quoted companies, to the extent necessary for an understanding of the business, to report on environmental matters, the company's employees, and social and community issues.

In addition the Government welcome the announcement last week that Sir David Walker will chair an independent working party to develop a voluntary comply-or-explain code to improve the private equity industry's transparency and level of disclosures for large companies in these areas. This initiative has received wide support across the industry, demonstrating a commitment to make this happen, and also a desire to meet the legitimate concerns of interested parties.

By increasing the quality and timeliness of disclosures, the code has the potential both to improve the engagement of the private equity industry with stakeholders, and improve its performance. The Government will watch developments very closely.


9 Mar 2007 : Column 2259W

Youth Volunteering

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he attended in an official capacity the launch party for the charity on youth volunteering ‘v’ on 8 May. [109226]

John Healey: The Chancellor spoke at a meeting in support of ‘v’ on 8 May. He did not attend a party.

Education and Skills

English Language: Adult Education

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of expenditure on further education, adult learning and skills and lifelong learning was spent on English for speakers of other languages in each of the last five years. [125278]

Bill Rammell [holding answer 7 March 2007]: Since 2001, the funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) has been provided through the Skills for Life strategy in response to regional and local demand. The proportion of expenditure(1) on further education, adult learning and skills and lifelong learning spent on ESOL is as follows (note: the figures for the financial year 2005-06 are not yet available):

ESOL Total age 19+ participation ESOL (percentage)

2001-02

130

2,096

6.2

2002-03

202

2,242

9.0

2003-04

246

2,423

10.2

2004-05

271

2,504

10.8

Totals

849

9,265

9.2

(1) To nearest £ million

English Language: Immigrants

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on English for Speakers of Other Languages lessons for (a) immigrants and (b) asylum seekers in each year between 1997 and 2006. [122380]

Bill Rammell: Since 2001, the funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) has been provided through the Skills for Life strategy in response to regional and local demand has almost tripled.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) calculates the total amounts spent on ESOL as £103 million in 2000/01, £185 million in 2001/02, £235 million in
9 Mar 2007 : Column 2260W
2002/03, £267 million in 2003/04 and £279 million in 2004/05. The 2005/06 final spend has yet to be confirmed by the LSC; figures prior to 2000/01 are not available as ESOL only became part of the Skills for Life strategy in 2001.

The LSC has not routinely reported spend for asylum seekers. The Department for Education and Skills did a separate analysis of the LSC’s data for 2004/05 and this shows that the total funding for asylum seekers was £23.5 million of which £3.3 million was for those aged 16-18 and £20.2 million was for those aged 19 and over.

The information on immigrants is not collected by the LSC as they form too broad a category.

Gershon Review

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent by his Department and its associated public bodies on achieving Gershon efficiency savings; whether these costs are accounted for in the reports of headline efficiency savings; and if he will make a statement. [108367]

Bill Rammell: The Department does not hold information centrally on the total cost of achieving their Gershon efficiency gains going back to the start of the programme and cannot obtain this information without incurring disproportionate cost (£700).

Sir Peter Gershon’s independent report into public sector efficiency did not require that efficiencies be recorded net of upfront investment costs. My Department has followed this advice.

Graduates: Lancashire

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of university graduates from Lancashire were employed full-time within two years of leaving university in the last year for which figures are available. [125243]

Bill Rammell: The available information is taken from the destination of leavers from higher education (DLHE) survey collected annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The DLHE survey collects information on the first destination, six months after qualifying, which enables a breakdown by local authority level. The latest figures for Lancashire local authority, and comparable figures for the UK, are shown in the table. Figures for 2005/06 academic year will be available in summer 2007.


9 Mar 2007 : Column 2261W

9 Mar 2007 : Column 2262W
Destination of first degree graduates from the UK( 1) and Lancashire local Authority( 1) six months after graduation—UK higher education institutions academic year 2004/05
UK Lancashire local authority
Destination Numbers Percentage Numbers Percentage

Full-time paid work only (including self-employed)

111,830

55.2

2,205

56.8

Part-time paid work only

16,510

8.1

340

8.8

Voluntary/unpaid work only

1,790

0.9

25

0.6

Work and further study

18,250

9.0

345

8.9

Further study only

28,855

14.2

520

13.4

Assumed to be unemployed

12,795

6.3

220

5.7

Not available for employment

10,225

5.0

180

4.6

Other

2,400

1.2

45

1.2

Total known(2)

202,655

100.0

3,880

100.0

(1 )Students have been identified by reference to their home postcode, postcode data is missing for a very small number of students from the UK (approximately less than 1 per cent.)
(2) Based upon students of known destination six months after graduating does not include non-respondents or explicit refusals. The response rate was 81 per cent.
Note:
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

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