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9 July 2007 : Column 1213W—continued
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the Government expect the average debt to be of university students graduating in each of the next five years. [147522]
Bill Rammell: The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2004-05, published on 30 March 2006, is a comprehensive study on students' income, expenditure, borrowing and debt. It showed that English domiciled full-time students graduating in the academic year 2004-05 anticipated, on average, a total debt of £7,918. For those commencing courses after the introduction of variable fees in the 2008-07 academic year we expect average student debt of around £15,000.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many university students received student loans in (a) England, (b) the South West and (c) Cornwall in each year since 1997. [147541]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 4 July 2007]: The available data are given in the table.
| Numbers of students in receipt of an income-contingent student loan( 1) —Students domiciled in England, the South West Government office region, and Cornwall local authority, academic years 1999/2000 to 2005/06 | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Academic year | England | South West Government office region | Cornwall local authority |
| (1) Figures include all students in receipt of an income-contingent maintenance loan in thousands and are rounded to the nearest 1,000 students. (2) Data are not available prior to 1999/2000. (3 )Provisional. Source: Student Loans Company. | |||
Train to Gain Programme
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what plans he has to expand the number of businesses making the Skills Pledge in relation to Train to Gain; whether there is a minimum standard of training for such businesses; and if he will make a statement; [147789]
(2) what proportion of businesses making the Skills Pledge employ fewer than (a) 20 and (b) 500 people; [147790]
(3) what web-based tools are provided by the Government to employers making the Skills Pledge. [147792]
Bill Rammell: On 14 June the Government launched the Skills Pledge with commitments from 157 employers with more than 1.7 million employees. Since the launch, businesses have continued to register their interest in the Skills Pledge through the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Train to Gain website and helpline. The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for the operational aspects of the Skills Pledge, including the size and location of every employer making a skills pledge. I have asked Mark Haysom to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Every employer that makes a skills pledge is given access to a skills broker who will work with them to ensure that they better understand the skills needs of their business and to help them source the highest quality provider to meet those needs. As part of our ongoing drive on quality the Government launched, in June, a new standard for employer responsiveness and vocational excellence in providers. The new standard will be an improvement tool for providers and will offer employers a single employer-verified badge to look for when sourcing workforce development provision. This will help employers to get best value for money from their investment in training by both reducing the time taken to source the highest quality provision and improving the quality of provision overall.
The Government continue to develop new and innovative web based tools to support employers in all their business aspects. There is already a web based registration process for employers to register their details and the LSG are currently reviewing a range of
diagnostic tools with a view to posting or referencing these on the Skills Pledge website. Skills Brokers, as part of their business analysis, will help employers find e-tools that will enable them to help themselves, including Investors in People interactive— a web based tool provided through our support for Investors in People which will be available from November 2007 and the Business Performance Diagnostic which is available through Business Link. In line with the Government's e-strategy we shall continue to develop further tools where employers tell us there is a real demand.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training and qualifications skills brokers in the Train to Gain scheme must have. [147791]
Bill Rammell: Train to Gain is a new service that reached national coverage in August 2006 and is a critical part of the drive to make this country's skills world class. Skills brokers are contracted for and performance managed by the Learning and Skills Council. It is a contractual requirement that, within 12 months of their appointment, every skills broker meets the new independently assessed City and Guilds accredited skills broker standard as part of the Business Support Profession.
Children, Schools and Families
City Academies
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his targets for academies are on (a) the total number of (i) institutions and (ii) pupil places and (b) geographical distribution. [147742]
Jim Knight: The Government are firmly committed to establishing 400 academies, There are no pre-determined targets relating to pupil places or their geographical distribution. The academies programme targets areas of inadequate educational attainment. Some academies are brand new schools in areas which need the extra places but most academies replace weak or under-performing schools. Academies will be established in areas where the need is greatest and we expect that this will produce a wide geographical distribution.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies he expects to be opened in each of the next five years. [147743]
Jim Knight: There are now 47 open academies. By September 2007 we expect there to be 82 open academies, and a further 50 are projected to open in September 2008. The number of academies that open in subsequent years will depend on the final allocation of the Department's comprehensive spending review settlement.
Departments: Buildings
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which buildings his Department occupies; and which buildings were occupied by the Department for Education and Skills on 26 June 2007. [147809]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families occupies the following five buildings:
Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith street, London;
Caxton House, Tothill street, London;
Moorfoot, Sheffield;
Castle View House, Runcorn;
Mowden Hall, Darlington.
The same five buildings were also occupied by the Department for Education and Skills on the 26 of June 2007.
Departments: Marketing
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost was of creating signs displaying his Department's name for ministerial offices. [147808]
Kevin Brennan: There are no signs displaying the Department's name on ministerial offices, and therefore no costs were incurred.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date a new sign for his building was commissioned. [147874]
Kevin Brennan: We commissioned a new sign for the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 28 June 2007.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on external consultancy fees involved in the (a) relocation and (b) re-branding of his Department, broken down by (i) company involved and (ii) services provided since 26 June. [147875]
Kevin Brennan: There was no spend on consultancy relating to relocation or re-branding.
Departments: Missing Persons
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether (a) he and (b) Ministers or officials from his Department attended the meeting of the National Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group on 27 June; what steps his Department is taking following the meeting; whether he expects to attend the next meeting; and if he will make a statement. [148110]
Kevin Brennan: The Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group is chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers and is primarily supported by Government through the Home Office. DCSF officials attend by invitation, and one of my officials attended the last meeting on 27 June. Officials will continue to attend future meetings, reporting back to me through the usual management channels.
At the June meeting, provisional recommendations from our joint work with The Children's Society on
young runaways were discussed. We expect to be discussing these further with The Children's Society over the weeks to come, along with any other options for further action that the report presents.
Education: Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which responsibilities of the former Department for Education and Skills his Department holds; whether responsibilities have been transferred to his Department from any other department; and what (i) agencies and (ii) other bodies his Department is responsible for. [147748]
Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member for Havant to:
the Prime Minister's written ministerial statement of 28 June 2007, Machinery of Government—Departmental Organisation; and
the document, ‘Machinery of Government: Departmental Organisation’, available on the Cabinet Office website at:
Schools: Buildings
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Portacabin classrooms are in use in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each local education authority area in England. [147815]
Jim Knight: Temporary buildings data supplied to my Department by local authorities do not show the names of manufacturers.
Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable.
Modern, high quality mobile or demountable buildings provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is short-term need. They might, for instance, be needed to cope with a short-term increase in pupil numbers, or where extensive remodelling or rebuilding of permanent accommodation means providing temporary accommodation on the school site, rather than transporting children elsewhere.
Schools: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to set a target for clearing repairs to school buildings identified as required but unfunded in the Asset Management Planning data collected from local education authorities in 2005. [148139]
Jim Knight: Together with any backlog maintenance, the asset management planning condition data supplied to the Department by local education authorities show future requirements over a five-year period. The backlog component is not specifically identified, but it is estimated that future requirements account for the majority of the costs shown in the data. All buildings suffer dilapidation and maintenance is regularly needed to counter this. It is not viable to eliminate future maintenance requirements, but the backlog is being tackled and the cost of urgent work has reduced by approximately 30 per cent. against the data received in 2001.
Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. The bulk of schools capital is allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including maintenance. While reducing maintenance requirements is a long-term aim, the primary objectives for funding are to raise educational standards and tackle local deprivation. A substantial proportion of capital funding is targeted at transformational programmes, such as Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programmes. Over time, these programmes will significantly reduce future maintenance requirements.
Secondary Education: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with Essex local education authority on secondary education provision in Colchester constituency; and if he will make a statement. [147863]
Jim Knight [holding answer 5 July 2007]: Senior officials from the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) including the Schools Commissioner, have met officers from Essex county council to discuss, among other issues, secondary school provision in Colchester. There is continuing concern about standards at Alderman Blaxill School, Sir Charles Lucas Arts College and The Thomas Lord Audley School and Language College, all of which are currently in special measures.
DCSF officials and council officers are therefore urgently considering plans for improvement at all these schools. The Department will also work with the local authority on its future strategy for secondary provision in the area, including objectives of securing greater diversity of provision associated with school rebuilding under the Building Schools for the Future programme
Treasury
Agriculture: Taxation
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the financial value was to the agricultural industry of the agricultural building tax relief in the years between 2000 and 2006. [147989]
Angela Eagle: The corporation tax benefit of agricultural buildings allowances is estimated to have been £5 million in 2002, £6 million in 2003, £7 million in 2004 and £6 million in 2005. Figures for other years are not available.
The corresponding figures for unincorporated businesses cannot be reliably estimated separately from industrial buildings allowances.
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