| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Dec 2007 : Column 742W—continued
| Recruitment to initial teacher training, employment-based routes( 1) , academic year 1997/98 to 2006/07, England | ||||||||||
| Secondary subject( 3) | 1997/98 | 1998/99 | 1999/2000 | 2000/01 | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | Autumn term 2006/07( 2) |
| (1) Recruitment numbers shown are rounded to the nearest 10. ‘*’represents less than 10. (2) Recruitment in 2006/07 is for the autumn term only and is provisional. Figures from 2003/04 onwards are subject to future revision. (3) Design and technology includes textiles. Note: Figures prior to 2002/03 are taken from TDA records as at the end of the academic year. Figures for 2002/03 onwards are taken from the TDA EBR database as at January 2007 and are not directly comparable with previous years. 2003/04 was the first year of the Teach First programme. Teach First data for 2003/04 and 2004/05 are at November of the academic year. Teach First data for 2005/06 and autumn term 2006/07 are at January 2007. Sources: TDA Employment Based Routes Database. Teach First Organisation. | ||||||||||
Updated tables, incorporating final 2006/07 and provisional 2007/08 recruitment data, are scheduled to be published in January 2008.
Truancy
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the rate of unauthorised absence was of 15 to 16-year-olds in the latest period for which figures are available. [172057]
Kevin Brennan:
The readily available information relates to absence rates by national curriculum year group. In 2005/06 the unauthorised absence rate of
pupils in national curriculum year group 11 (typically aged 15 at the start of the school year) was 2.43 per cent.(1).
Information on absence is collected centrally for those pupils who are of compulsory school age. Absence rates for pupils who are aged 16 (at the start of the school year) are not collected centrally.
(1) Across maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies.
Young People: Lancashire
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many 16 to 18-year-olds in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire were not in education, employment or training in the most recent period for which figures are available. [173419]
Beverley Hughes: The Department publishes annual estimates of the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England. These estimates cannot be disaggregated to local authority or constituency level.
However, we can use information collected by the Connexions Service to estimate the number and proportion of young people NEET at local authority level. The 2006 estimate for Lancashire is that 2,820 (7.5 per cent.) of 16 to 18-year-olds were NEET. Figures are not available separately for Ribble Valley constituency.
Young People: Unemployment
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people aged 18 in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England have not been in education, employment or training in each year since 1997. [169970]
Beverley Hughes: The Department publishes annual estimates of the number of 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET), and figures for 1997 to 2006 are shown in the table.
| 18-year-olds NEET | Percentage | |
The 18-year-old population has risen from 602,000 to 680,000 during this period.
These estimates cannot be disaggregated to regional, local authority or constituency level. However, we can use information collected by the Connexions Service to estimate of the number of 18-year-olds NEET at local authority level since 2005, and regionally since 2003. These are shown in the table as follows.
| As at December | South Tyneside | Percentage | North East | Percentage | England | Percentage |
| Note: Figures are not available for Jarrow constituency. | ||||||
The DCSF and Connexions estimates are collected very differently. They use different definitions of age and NEET. As a result, Connexions estimates are lower, although the two sets of figures generally show a similar trend across a period of time.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
National Institute for Medical Research: Industrial Health and Safety
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the potential biosecurity risk to central London from the planned relocation of the National Institute for Medical Research. [171950]
Ian Pearson: Biosecurity will be a major consideration for the consortium developing the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI). The consortium will be working closely with the relevant agencies, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and as plans develop they will ensure that the facilities meet regulatory requirements.
Adult Education: Concessions
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many local authorities offered concessionary fees for adult education courses for people over the age of 65 years in the 12-month period (a) before and (b) after the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. [169495]
Bill Rammell: We recognise the importance of adult learning in meeting a range of personal, social and community needs and we know how much people, particularly older learners, value and enjoy their courses. The Government remain fully committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all learners and that learning serves the needs of the whole community, including older people both within and outside the work force.
Fee concessions for further education (FE) provision are offered at the discretion of FE providers, including local authorities (LA). As a result information on those learners who receive these concessions is not held by my Department.
We do not want older people to be priced out of learning. Therefore, in line with our fee remission policies, older learners on limited incomes should not have to contribute to the tuition costs of their learning. We define limited incomes as receiving a means-tested benefit like housing benefit, income support or the pension (guarantee) credit.
Many older people will also be able to take advantage of free access to literacy and numeracy courses, as well as free tuition to undertake first full level 2 vocational qualifications.
However, I would like to make clear that the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 do not bar providers from offering fee discounts for learners aged 65 and over. They allow for such positive action provided that it can be objectively justified. I refer the hon. Member to my written statement on 16 May 2007, Official Report, column 35WS.
Animal Experiments: Finance
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much of the budget held by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research is used for the replacement of the use of animals in research. [170606]
Ian Pearson: Since it was launched in 2004, the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research has committed £5.3 million to support 31 research projects. 18 of these projects, at a total cost of £3.4 million, are aimed at replacing the use of animals in scientific research and testing.
Anti-Semitism
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many officials from his Department attended the cross-government working group on anti-Semitism on 11 October, broken down by grade; and if he will make a statement; [172411]
(2) which Ministers from his Department attended the cross-government working group on anti-Semitism on 11 October; and if he will make a statement. [172412]
Bill Rammell: The meeting was attended by one official from my Department, who had the correct policy knowledge for the area. The official's grade was Higher Executive Officer. No Ministers attended the meeting from any Government Department, as the working group has delegated responsibility to take forward the 35 recommendations published in the Government's response.
I can assure you that my Department deplores any acts of racial or religious intolerance in higher education. We are committed to tackling any form of anti-Semitism and racial intolerance in general. Although higher education institutions have primary responsibility for ensuring equal opportunities and for abiding by legislation in this area, and taking forward the recommendations in the inquiry's report which were addressed to the sector, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is committed to encouraging the higher education sector to ensure that discrimination has no place in any of its policies or practices.
Apprentices
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of (a) the 800 level 2 adult training places, (b) the 500,000 level 3 adult training places and (c) the 400,000 apprenticeship places announced by his Department on 16 November 2007 will be filled in 2010-11. [173418]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 11 December 2007]: We intend for all the publicly funded places made available in 2010/11 to be filled. World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England sets out how we will reform provision and create the demand to do that.
Apprentices: Cleethorpes
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprenticeships there were in Cleethorpes constituency in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07. [172518]
Mr. Lammy: Figures for those participating in apprenticeships can be derived from the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts from August to July in each year in Humberside local LSC area. (These figures are not readily available at parliamentary constituency level.)
| Thousands | ||
| Advanced apprenticeships | Apprenticeships | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |