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6 Dec 2007 : Column 1448W—continued
Departmental Accountancy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what departmental budget items have been reclassified, according to the classifications in HM Treasury's Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, as a result of the decisions taken in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review; what the (a) former and (b) new (i) classification and (ii) sum budgeted is in each case; and what activity is supported by each item. [164492]
Mr. Lammy: There has only been one departmental budget item that has been reclassified, as a result of the decisions taken in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. The former classification was programme expenditure; the new classification is administration expenditure, the sum budgeted is £5.2 million and the activity supported is consultancy.
Departmental Assets
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what departmental assets are planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; what the (a) description and (b) book value is of each such asset; and what the expected revenue is from each such sale. [164519]
Mr. Lammy: The following departmental assets are planned to be sold.
Subject to parliamentary approval of the Sale of Student Loans Bill, a programme of sale of income-contingent student loans will start in 2008-09. The pre-Budget report, published on 9 October 2007, set out anticipated proceeds from the sales as follows:
| Anticipated proceeds (£ billion) | |
The profile of actual sale proceeds will be dependent on market conditions.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on how many occasions in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies confidential data have been downloaded on to compact discs (i) without and (ii) with encryption in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; how many of those discs have been posted without using recorded or registered delivery; what procedures his Department has in place for the (A) transport, (B) exchange and (C) delivery of confidential or sensitive data; what records are kept of information held by his Department being sent outside the Department; what changes have been made to his Department’s rules and procedures on data protection in the last two years; on how many occasions his Department's procedures and rules on data protection have been breached in the last five years; what those breaches were; what procedures his Department has in place on downloading confidential data on to computer discs before its transfer; what technical protections there are in his Department’s computer systems to prevent access to information held on those systems which is not in accordance with departmental procedures; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each of his Department’s rules and procedures on the protection of confidential data on individuals, businesses and other organisations; [168257]
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department has taken to protect the personal data on members of the public which it holds. [171427]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Members to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments’ procedures will be made on completion of the review.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007, Official Report, column 282W, on departmental manpower, what percentage of the staff of the former Department for Education and Skills was represented by the 536 staff who are working in his Department. [170568]
Mr. Lammy: The percentage of the total number of staff from the former Department for Education and Skills represented by the 536 staff transferring to my Department is 16 per cent.
Departmental Official Hospitality
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what entertainment or hospitality members of the Department's management board have received in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement. [164735]
Mr. Lammy: Paragraph 4.3.5 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality. The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of hospitality received by members of departmental boards. The first list for 2007 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current calendar year.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills in which financial years his Department’s outturn for its capital budget at the end of the year was less than planned at the beginning of the year since 2001-02; and what the (a) value and (b) reason for the underspend was in each case. [164518]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is a new Department, therefore the Department has not had any capital underspends.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on what dates his Department breached its (a) resource, (b) near-cash, (c) administration and (d) capital budgets since 2001; what the total value of each breach was; and what the reason was for each breach. [164520]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is a new Department, therefore the Department has never breached its (a) resource, (b) near-cash, (c) administration, (d) capital budgets.
Education: Prisoners
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which level (a) 2, (b) 3 and (c) 4 courses were completed by prisoners in each institution in each year since 1997. [171968]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 24 October 2007, Official Report, column 363W.
Education: Prisons
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the budget was for education in prisons in each year since 1997. [171971]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (and its predecessors) took responsibility for offender learning from the start of the 2001-02 financial year.
The budget for education in prisons since then has been:
| Financial year | Budget (£ million) |
These totals include prison libraries, Heads of Learning and Skills, capital and funds passed to the Youth Justice Board for education in young offender institutions.
Higher Education
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what plans he has for provision of funding for students studying for an MSc in clinical oncology who have already gained a first degree; [170855]
(2) what plans he has for provision of funding for post-graduate students who wish to train for a Masters qualification in health care; [170856]
(3) what plans he has for provision of funding for post-graduate students with a Post Graduate Certificate of Education who wish to gain specialist qualifications to teach children with special educational needs and autism. [170857]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 3 December 2007]: We have asked HEFCE to redistribute institutional funding of about £100 million a year by 2010 away from students doing a second qualification at an equivalent or lower level to the one they already hold in order that we can give more of all ages more of an opportunity to participate in higher education for the first time. However, we have asked HEFCE to consult about the best way of implementing these changes, including whether any exceptions should be made for students in particular circumstances. The consultation ends on 7 December after which decisions will be taken about the detailed implementation of the policy.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which universities admitted (a) more than 90 per cent. of their students from state schools and (b) more than 20 per cent. of students from low participation backgrounds in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006; and if he will make a statement. [170434]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information has been placed in the House Library.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proposals he has to increase the number of students from state-funded schools entering Russell Group universities. [170444]
Bill Rammell: The Government are firmly committed to ensuring that every young person with the ability and potential to benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so. Recently published higher education indicators show that in England we are making progress in widening participation for students from state schools, including among some of the most selective institutions such as the Russell Group—overall the proportion of state school entrants has risen by a percentage point between 2004/05 and 2005/06. It is important that individuals are able to access a course and institution that best suits their needs, including stretching and challenging the most talented.
We will continue to treat this as a priority through, among other things: continuing our support for the national Aimhigher Programme, which seeks to raise young people’s aspirations and recognise higher education as a viable and valuable ambition; the role of the Office for Fair Access, which aims to promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for under-represented groups; and the new Gifted and Talented (G and T) Excellence Hubs, which seek to provide additional activities for G and T young people across the country, with particular emphasis on those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Even the most talented students must be sufficiently well prepared to study and succeed in higher education and that is why we are encouraging universities to extend and strengthen their existing links with schools so that they can help schools raise standards and attainment levels while identifying and nurturing the young students of the future.
Higher Education: Vocational Guidance
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of careers guidance at each university. [170436]
Bill Rammell: It is for Universities to decide what Careers Service provision they choose to offer in light of their individual circumstances, and the needs of their student body. However, the ‘Delivering Quality’ report by the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling (June 2005), found that careers education, information and guidance in higher education showed continued improvement. The majority of Higher Education Careers Advisory Services (HECASs) were accredited against the matrix standard which is a respected quality standard for information, advice and guidance services.
Islam: Higher Education
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which universities in the UK have departments dedicated to Islamic studies. [169697]
Bill Rammell: We do not collect information on whether universities have departments dedicated to Islamic studies. Courses in Islamic studies are predominantly provided in departments of theology and middle eastern studies but may also be included in a broad range of humanities and social science disciplines. In his report ‘Islam at Universities in England’ published earlier this year Dr. Siddiqui listed 19 departments/centres offering teaching and research related to Islam.
Medical Research Council: Human Embryo Experiments
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the Medical Research Council (MRC) has spent on research using (a) human embryos, (b) adult stem cells and (c) umbilical cord blood in each year since the coming into force of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and how much the MRC plans to spend in each category of research in each of the next three years. [169468]
Ian Pearson: The MRC’s spend on stem cell research since 2002/03 was as follows:
Prior to 2002/03, comparable figures are not available. Umbilical cord research is included in the figures for adult stem cell research as separate figures are not available.
The MRC’s estimated expenditure on stem cell research for 2007/08 is anticipated to be broadly similar to current levels. Figures are not available for the next three years but the MRC is developing strategies to increase its spend on stem cell research in line with its recently increased budgetary allocation.
National Textile Conservation Centre
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has for the future of the National Textile Conservation Centre, with particular reference to services formally provided from its Winchester centre. [171464]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 4 December 2007]: The future of the centre is a matter for the university of Southampton.
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