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7 Jan 2008 : Column 205W—continued
Children: Disabled
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the waiting times are for disabled children in receipt of direct payments, who have been reassessed and are waiting for a change in care level, broken down by local authority area; [174529]
(2) what estimate he has made of how many disabled children are (a) eligible for and (b) receiving direct payments in each local authority area; [174562]
(3) what formula is used by the Government in defining levels of need in relation to disabled children’s provision through direct payments; and if he will make a statement. [174561]
Jim Knight: There is no information collected on waiting times or eligibility for direct payments, nor any estimate made of these. However, data are collected on the number of disabled children aged 16-17, and the number of carers of disabled children, receiving direct payments at 31 March each year. The most recent data available are for 31 March 2006, and show that 649 children and 4,170 carers were receiving these payments in England. These data are also available by local authority, and have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
In terms of local government funding, the children’s social care relative needs formula (RNF) is designed specifically to allocate funding for the provision of children’s social care services in local authorities in England. The formula takes account of the resident children population aged 0 to 17, deprivation top-up, foster and area cost adjustments. However, there is no specific element of the formula which takes into account the use of direct payments. This is because direct payments are designed to be cost-neutral, providing equivalent cash payments made in lieu of social service provisions to individuals or families.
Children: Literacy
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the reading ability of school children in England. [174281]
Jim Knight: The recently published Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) shows we have performed well compared to other countries. On average, pupils in England achieved significantly above the international mean.
More generally, improving standards of literacy is one of this Government’s top priorities. We have seen dramatic improvements in the proportion of 11-year-olds achieving the target level 4 and above in reading. In 2007, 84 per cent. of pupils achieved this level—a rise of 17 percentage points compared to 1997. A third of 11-year-olds achieved the higher level 5 in reading, the standard expected of 14-year-olds.
| Proportion of pupils achieving level 4+ in reading | ||
| Level 4 | Level 5 | |
| (1) Amended data. | ||
Although these results are the best ever, we know that we can and must do more. We have a strong platform for securing further improvements. The Children’s Plan, published on 11 December sets out that vision and our goals for achieving world-class standards.
Every primary school is now using the renewed Primary Framework which puts phonics at the heart of the teaching of reading. We are also introducing nationally the Every Child a Reader (ECAR) programme. By 2011 this programme will provide 30,000 six-year-olds who have difficulty reading with intensive one-to-one tuition each year. Results from the first year of the pilot, involving some of the most disadvantaged children, showed they made well over four times the normal rate of progress in reading as a result of the programme.
Corporate Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months. [171319]
Ed Balls: Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the cost of the education maintenance allowance has been in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region since its introduction; and if he will make a statement; [162216]
(2) what percentage of applications for an education maintenance allowance have been successful in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government office region; and if he will make a statement; [162213]
(3) what percentage of 16 to 19 year olds in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c)
Government region have received the (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 education maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement; [162204]
(4) how many people in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have applied for an education maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement; [162202]
(5) what percentage of 16 to 19 year olds in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have applied for an education maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement; [162201]
(6) how many people in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have received the (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 education maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement. [162200]
Jim Knight: These are all matters for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold the information about take-up and payments under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council’s Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 22 November 2007:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions that asked:
1. What the cost of the education maintenance allowance has been in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region since its introduction.
2. What percentage of applications for an education maintenance allowance have been successful in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government office region.
3. What percentage of 16 to 19 year olds in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have received the (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 education maintenance allowance.
4. How many people in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have applied for an education maintenance allowance.
5. What percentage of 16 to 19 year olds in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have applied for an education maintenance allowance.
6. How many people in each (a) London constituency, (b) London borough and (c) Government region have received the (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 education maintenance allowance.
Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at national and Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
We do not hold population data for 19 year olds so the figures shown in the tables below are based on 16-18 year old data.
Information on cost is only available at a national level. EMA payments to learners during academic year 2006/2007 totalled £483 million.
The following tables show the information requested which relates to EMA applications for London LSC area, London Local Authority area and LSC Regions during the academic year 2006/07.
| Application data, LSC/local authority, 2006/07 | |||
| Number of young people who applied for an EMA | Percentage of the 16 to 18-year-old population who applied for EMA | Percentage of applications received that were successful | |
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