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14 Jan 2008 : Column 826W—continued
Schools: Capital Investment
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Hendon have received capital funding from the Government since 1997; how much each school received; how much of that funding was for (a) new school buildings and (b) major repairs; and if he will make a statement. [177729]
Jim Knight: Capital allocations are made by the Department to local authorities and to schools, who prioritise how they are spent in local asset management plans. Departmental allocations may also be supplemented by other resources available locally. The Department does not impose conditions on how resources should be spent and, accordingly, does not keep records of the split between (a) new school buildings and (b) major repairs.
Total allocations are recorded by the Department on a local authority basis, and Hendon lies within Barnet. Allocations to Barnet and its schools for the period 1997-98 to 2007-08 are set out in the following table:
| £ million | |
Large changes in allocations from year to year are due to bid-based projects, and these supplement formulaic allocations. In 2004-05 and 2005-06, £6.8 million and £4.4 million was allocated respectively for Targeted Capital Fund projects. In 2006-07, an additional £28.4 million was allocated in respect of a Building Schools for the Future school pathfinder project.
Schools: Uniforms
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to ensure schools’ uniform policies are fair, reasonable and inclusive. [177702]
Jim Knight: The Department published guidance in October 2007 which provides advice to schools on how to formulate fair, reasonable, affordable and inclusive school uniform policies.
In addition, the School Admissions Code makes clear that all governing bodies must take steps to ensure that their policies, including school uniform policies, do not disadvantage certain social groups or discourage some groups of parents from applying for places.
Schools: Wolverhampton
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the merits of proposals to create project-based rather than discipline-based schools in Wolverhampton. [177303]
Jim Knight: I have made no assessment of the merits of these proposals. Schools are required to teach pupils all of the statutory content of the programmes of study for the compulsory subjects specified for each of the Key Stages.
How schools design their curriculum and structure their teaching and learning to ensure that they meet the statutory requirements of the curriculum is entirely a matter for them. Wolverhampton schools will be expected to monitor the effectiveness of their project-based curriculum, while Ofsted will provide an external assessment.
Science: GCE A Levels
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of (a) the academic rigour of and (b) the ability level required to study A level (i) physics and (ii) chemistry courses; and if he will make a statement. [177312]
Jim Knight: It is for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the qualifications regulator to ensure maintenance of standards in A level, including the level of what is assessed and the rigour applied in doing so. QCA is robust in ensuring that standards are maintained: with reference to A levels, an OECD Independent Committee on exam standards concluded in late 2004 that:
"No examination system at the school or other level is so tightly or carefully managed".
Last year QCA accredited new A level specifications, including in physics and chemistry, which will be taught from September this year. As these are revised qualifications, QCA has proposed that it will take a more active role in monitoring the setting of the first question papers to ensure that standards are maintained.
Special Educational Needs: Manpower
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many special educational needs co-ordinators there were per pupil in each local authority in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement; [177218]
(2) how many special educational needs co-ordinators were employed in maintained schools in each year since 2001. [177219]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Specialist Diplomas
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Hendon will offer the new diplomas from September 2008; what financial assistance they will receive from his Department to do so; and if he will make a statement. [177728]
Jim Knight: Schools, colleges and other providers wishing to offer the new Diplomas need to pass through a Gateway process, which assesses their readiness for doing so. We did not receive a Gateway application from schools in Hendon to offer the new Diplomas from September 2008. We have, however, received an application from a consortium in Barnet aiming to offer the Creative and Media Diploma from September 2009. This consortium includes Copthall School from Hendon. The London Academy is also a partner in a joint application to offer the Construction and Built Environment Diploma from a group of North London boroughs. We plan to announce the results of this year’s Gateway exercise by the end of March and financial assistance will depend upon whether these applications are successful.
Local authorities with pupils starting Diplomas in 2009 will receive funding for pupils taking Diplomas at Key Stage 4 through the Diploma grant and through the Dedicated Schools Grant. The Learning and Skills Council will provide funding for 16 to 18-year-olds taking Diplomas in sixth forms and colleges. Other support will also be provided to those who pass through the Gateway in March 2008 to ensure they are fully equipped to deliver from September 2009. This will include a comprehensive package of work force training and support, and a specific Gateway support grant to support Diploma and Functional Skills delivery.
Prime Minister
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with Government officials on negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [178555]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my statement on Afghanistan on 12 December 2007, Official Report, column 303.
Armed Forces: Deployment
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions and on what dates when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer he visited British troops deployed abroad. [177116]
The Prime Minister: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister whether his predecessor visited the combat stress centres at (a) Tyrwhitt House, (b) Hollybush House and (c) Audley Court between 1 April and 26 June 2007. [179083]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) on 15 February 2006, Official Report, column 2032W.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister whether any of his Department’s special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department. [178490]
The Prime Minister: Special advisers are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
Departmental Redundancy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was of redundancies in his Office in the 12 months preceding (a) 30 June 2004, (b) 30 June 2005 and (c) 30 June 2006. [175331]
The Prime Minister: I refer to the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) today.
Lord Ashcroft
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will instruct the Cabinet Secretary to respond to the request of the hon. Member for Pendle, made at the meeting of the Public Administration Select Committee on 15 November 2007, for information on the nature of the undertaking given by Michael Ashcroft in 2000 about his UK residence for tax purposes. [177910]
The Prime Minister: The Cabinet Secretary has replied to my hon. Friend.
Trade Unions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with trade unions officials on a future national policy forum. [178556]
The Prime Minister: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.
Northern Ireland
Antisocial Behaviour Disorders
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland in 2007. [178492]
Paul Goggins: The relevant authorities have notified the Northern Ireland Office of 60 antisocial behaviour orders being granted in Northern Ireland since they were made available in August 2004. The relevant authorities have reported that nine of these orders were made in 2005, 32 in 2006 and 19 in 2007.
| Location of antisocial behaviour orders | |
| Court area | Total number of ASBOs |
We do not collect data by parliamentary constituency.
Departmental Christmas Cards
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007. [176759]
Mr. Woodward: The following table gives a breakdown of the amount spent by the NIO on Christmas cards in 2007.
| Christmas cards 2007 | |
| £ | |
Departmental Databases
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether personal data for which his Department is responsible is (a) stored and (b) processed overseas; and if he will make a statement. [176015]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland does not store or process personal data overseas.
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