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11 Dec 2007 : Column 450Wcontinued
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) who the (a) sponsors and (b) co-sponsors are of academies approved since June 2007; and if he will make a statement; [168194]
(2) if he will list for each academy approved since 1st June 2007 the (a) lead sponsor and (b) co-sponsors; and if he will make a statement. [169838]
Jim Knight: The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has approved Funding Agreements for 29 academies between 1 June 2007 and 28 November 2007. The names of the sponsors and co-sponsors for these academies are shown in the following table:
Academy | Sponsor | Co-sponsor |
CTC Trust, Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and the Phillip and Pauline Harris Charitable Trust | ||
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what safeguards he plans to put in place to prevent unauthorised access to data held on ContactPoint. [170433]
Kevin Brennan: Security is, and always has been, of paramount importance to the ContactPoint project and we are mindful that the Data Protection Act 1988 requires that the level of technical and organisational security must be appropriate.
In relation to practitioner access to ContactPoint, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 3 December 2007, Official Report, columns 926-27W.
In relation to the storage and use of data, on Tuesday 20 November my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, asked the Departments Permanent Secretary to conduct an immediate assessment of how personal data are stored and protected in the Department. The Permanent Secretary reported back within 24 hours to confirm the Department is confident that we have very robust procedures in place. In light of the security breach at the HMRC, we are continuing to check our procedures to ensure standards are as high as they can be. On Wednesday 21 November, the Prime Minister confirmed this approach when he asked all Departments to check their procedures for the storage and use of data. Given the obvious importance of ensuring that ContactPoint has extremely robust security measures in place, on Tuesday 20 November, the Secretary of State also asked for an independent assessment of ContactPoint's security procedures. This will be conducted by Deloitte.
In line with best practice, ContactPoint will be routinely backed up. This will be done only by specifically identified system operators within Capgemini, with whom we have contracted for the build and initial host of ContactPoint. Two Capgemini staff will have to be present when back-ups take place. This dual control is considered best practice. The backup tapes will be encrypted, protected with a strong (complex) password and stored in a fire-proof safe in a secure room. The limited number of Capgemini staff who do have access to these data must have enhanced CRB clearance.
There is no facility that would allow users to copy personal identifiable information to a file, other than when files need to be backed up as indicated. The vast majority of users will only be able to view child data on the screen they will not be able to extract files in a personally identifiable form. A very limited number of people will be able to extract identifiable data, one record at a time, from ContactPoint in order to meet legal requirements as set out in The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007, including responding to Subject Access Requests. There is a clear right under the Data Protection Act 1998 for children and young people (or their parents or carers when acting appropriately on their behalf) to have access to their information on ContactPoint and for it to be corrected if it is found to be inaccurate.
A very limited number of people in local authorities and the national ContactPoint team will be able to run reports to, for example, produce aggregated data or support data quality checks. These reports will be in an anonymised form and will not contain personally identifiable data. The only exception to this is a report produced to support local authorities in their duty to identify children who are missing education. The information provided in this report is restricted by regulations and can only contain child name, address, date of birth, unique identifying number, parent/carer contact details and the details of start and end dates for educational institutions attended by the child or young person.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services. [170161]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families use the following postal companies to handle mail dispatched from its head office buildings: Royal Mail; Parcel Force; Copley Couriers; Central Dispatch Couriers.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 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 their 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. [168249]
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Departments information technology and data management systems are BS7799 compliant. [168753]
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on how many occasions the Information Commissioner was contacted by his Department to report breaches of data protection security in each of the last five years. [168820]
Kevin Brennan: 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.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what land surplus to his Department's requirements it is (a) selling, (b) leasing and (c) planning to (i) sell and (ii) lease; and what the size and name of each relevant site is. [168849]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has no land falling in these categories.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish his Department's autumn performance report. [164879]
Kevin Brennan: The Department published its autumn performance report on Friday 7 December 2007.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the education maintenance allowance to cover all provision approved by local authorities; [169183]
(2) how many young persons are on courses approved by local authorities which are not eligible for funding under the education maintenance allowance. [169165]
Jim Knight: Since 5 November 2007 the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) have been trialling a new definition of valid provision for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Local authority funded learning programmes that meet the criteria being trialled will become eligible for EMA during the trial period which will be up to 18 months.
The LSC estimate that around 2,000 extra learners could become eligible for EMA during the trial period at a cost of about £2 million a year. We do not know how many of those extra learners will be undertaking local authority approved courses. The LSC will be closely monitoring take up during the trial period and will undertake an evaluation of impact and cost to inform future policy decisions.
During the trials a young person will be able to apply for EMA provided:
the programme of study is not less than twelve guided learning hours a week for a minimum of 10 weeks
the provision is inspected by a public body that assures quality,
(i) funded or co-financed by the Learning and Skills Council in England;
(ii) leads to a qualification that is accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority pursuant to section 24 of the Education Act 1997 (b);
leads to a qualification that is approved by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 98 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (c).
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will estimate the additional cost of allowing all children detained in young offenders institutions the full rate of education maintenance allowance. [166584]
Jim Knight: Young people in custody are not eligible to receive education maintenance allowance. However, they can apply while they are in custody and their applications will be assessed in the same manner as those from children in local authority care, or foster care. This ensures that custodial staff can help young offenders apply as part of the resettlement process. EMA is only payable after the young person has been released from custody and begins a valid course with an approved provider.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of persistent truants gained (a) fewer than five A* to C grades, (b) fewer than five A* to G grades and (c) no GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available; [169146]
(2) how many and what proportion of pupils who were given a fixed period exclusion gained (a) fewer than five A* to C grades, (b) fewer than five A* to G grades and (c) no GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available; [169147]
(3) how many and what proportion of pupils permanently excluded gained (a) fewer than five A* to G grades, (b) fewer than five A* to C grades and (c) no GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available. [169148]
Kevin Brennan: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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