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16 July 2007 : Column 92W—continued
These allocations may change as the project scopes are finalised. Full information on how much local authorities’ contributions will be are not held by the Department.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many schools are in the process of being (a) built and (b) refurbished under the Building Schools for the Future programme; and how many in each category are being built or refurbished under the private finance initiative; [148853]
(2) how many schools have been (a) built and (b) refurbished under the (i) Academies and (ii) Building Schools for the Future programme; and how many in each category were built or refurbished under the private finance initiative. [148854]
Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a core part of the Department's capital strategy, providing a new approach to capital investment in secondary schools. BSF aims to create world-class, 21st-century schools—environments which will inspire learning for decades to come and provide exceptional assets for the whole community. Subject to future public spending decisions, the intention is to achieve this aim for every secondary school pupil within 15 waves from 2005-06 onwards.
To date, four BSF schools have been completed. Of these, three are newly built and one refurbished. None was procured under PFI arrangements.
There are currently 51 BSF schools in construction. Of these, 30 are new build projects and 21 are refurbishment projects. Of the 30 new build schools, 23 are being procured as part of PFI schemes.
There are 27 academies open where construction work has been completed. Of these, 22 are predominantly new build projects and five are predominantly refurbishment projects. None was procured under PFI arrangements.
Children: Poverty
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department will assume lead responsibility for policy on reducing child poverty; and if he will make a statement. [149135]
Kevin Brennan: The Department will have a key role, alongside the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, in delivering the Government's strategy for ending child poverty by 2020. It will lead on ensuring that there is a strong focus on services and support that will help break intergenerational cycles of poverty as well as actions that help raise this generation of families out of poverty levels of income. Budgets and activities held elsewhere in Government that support these services—for example, those for improving the quality of housing for families and for homelessness held by the Department for Communities and Local Government—will be identified and jointly managed through the programme arrangements for the child poverty target.
Children: Protection
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many individuals registered on List 99 have home addresses in Wales. [146285]
Kevin Brennan [ holding answer 29 June 2007]: The addresses held by the Department of individuals on List 99 were recorded at the time these people were placed on the list. Identifying the number of individuals who had home addresses in Wales at the time of listing would require individual case records to be checked and this would incur disproportionate cost.
Once an individual is on List 99, a standard or enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure will reveal the barred status of that individual to an employer together with details of any criminal convictions. Information on an individual's address at the time of listing is not necessary in order to check whether that person is barred.
City Academies: Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools are being (a) built and (b) refurbished under the Academies programme; and how many in each category are being built or refurbished under the private finance initiative. [148901]
Jim Knight:
There are no Academies being built or refurbished under PFI arrangements. The level of new build and refurbishment required by an Academy is determined during the feasibility study. 48 projects have completed this feasibility study but have not yet
completed construction, of these 36 are predominantly new build projects and 12 are predominantly refurbishment projects.
City Academies: Sponsorship
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance documents his Department has issued to local authorities on co-sponsorship of schools under the academies programme. [148919]
Jim Knight: The Department welcomes and values the input and influence of local authorities in academy projects as partners and/or co-sponsors. Seven local authorities are already co-sponsoring academies, including Sunderland and Kent. Where local authorities express an interest in academy sponsorship, the Academies Prospectus and general guidance on academy sponsorship are also made available.
Departments: Atkins
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the (a) date, (b) value and (c) purpose was of each payment by his Department to Atkins (formerly WS Atkins) since 1997. [148870]
Jim Knight: This information could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
Departments: Flags
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance he has given to schools on the flying of the Union flag on a daily basis; and if he will make a statement. [150119]
Jim Knight: No guidance has been issued to schools on this issue. Schools are free to fly the Union flag on any day they choose, but it is for individual schools to choose whether to do so or not.
Departments: Ministerial Duties
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the departmental responsibilities are of each Minister in his Department; and if he will make a statement; [149137]
(2) if he will make a statement on his Department’s responsibilities. [149138]
Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the list of ministerial responsibilities which can be found on the Department’s website at:
Departments: Public Expenditure
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his estimate is of the real terms increases in his Department's budgets for (a) all spending, (b) spending on schools and (c) spending on schools capital projects for each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [149144]
Jim Knight: The Spending Review settlement provided for a significant increase in DfES funding over the next three years to reach £75.5 billion by 2010-11, approximately £11 billion higher than in 2007-08. DCSF is still agreeing the exact split of budgets with DIUS so it is not possible to give an exact total for my Department's budgets at this moment. We will publish the DCSF's budget in due course.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the education budget is for 2007-08, broken down by main budget heading; what percentage of the budget is allocated to schools; and if he will make a statement. [149406]
Jim Knight: It is not possible to provide the 2007-08 education budget at present as the Department for Children, Schools and Families is still agreeing the exact split of budgets with the Department of Innovation Universities and Skills. However, the estimated plans for 2007-08 for the Department for Education and Skills can be found in Table 8.2 of the 2007 Departmental Annual Report.
Departments: Publications
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list the departmental circulars, guidance notes and other communications sent by his Department and its predecessors to (a) primary school head teachers and governors and (b) secondary school head teachers and governors since 1 April 2004, indicating in each case the (i) purpose and (ii) contents of the communications; and if he will make a statement. [149145]
Jim Knight: The Department sends information automatically to schools in England only in exceptional cases, having stopped regular paper mailings in December 2004.
Discussions with head teachers and detailed research showed that schools wanted to be able to choose the printed publications they needed, when they needed them, and to be able to order multiple copies.
Instead, the Department has successfully introduced an online ordering service where schools are able to either download or order paper based copies of publications including guidance. A regular fortnightly email is sent to schools to inform them of new
publications. In addition, “Spectrum” provides schools, head teachers and chairs of governors with a summary of all the latest resources, publications, guidance and regulations. It is available online and can also be requested in paper copy.
Copies of “Teachers Magazine” are distributed to all schools six times each year. The “Governors Newsletter” is available on subscription only. Both products offer news and information, and point readers to further details available online or in other publications.
I do not intend to make a statement. An annual report is presented to Parliament each year, listing the documents sent from the Department and its agencies to all schools.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list the data releases planned to be made by his Department over the next 12 months; what the expected date is of each; and if he will make a statement. [149346]
Jim Knight: The readily available information relates to the release of National Statistics publications. No record is centrally held of all data releases. The process for setting dates for National Statistics publications runs on a six-monthly cycle with dates being set in March and September for the following six months (firm commitments) and the six months after that (expected publications). In the run-up to each separate month, exact dates are set for publications in that month. The date setting process is managed by the Department's Head of Profession for Statistics and the published Compliance Statement can be found at:
The following table lists the statistical first release (SFRs) and statistical bulletins that will be issued from now through to September 2007. The exact dates for August and September have not been set, other than for the attainment publications which have fixed dates agreed in advance. The list replicates the original pre-announced schedule of publications published in March 2007 which can be found at:
and as such contains publications which have now transferred to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
The following statistical first releases (SFRs), statistical bulletins and statistical volumes are
provisionally scheduled to appear in the following six months from October 2007 to March 2008.
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