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18 Feb 2008 : Column 413W—continued
3. The need to be compliant with all laws governing equal opportunities.
4. The importance of diversity in the work force.
Adhering to these principles will ensure that DIUS has a diverse work force, while complying with all legal requirements.
Education
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which further and higher educational establishments have opened teaching centres overseas; what estimate he has made of the annual revenue from such centres; and if he will make a statement. [184034]
Bill Rammell: Further and higher education institutions are independent and autonomous institutions and the Department does not hold records of establishments which have opened teaching centres overseas.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of non-accredited learning on (a) health, (b) educational aspirations within families and (c) social inclusion. [184664]
Bill Rammell: We recognise the many wider benefits of participation in non-accredited learning and its vital contribution to improving personal health and wellbeing, raising confidence and self-esteem, engaging families in learning, and developing stronger communities.
These courses offer social and economic benefits for people of all ages and backgrounds, including the most vulnerable families, marginalised groups and those at risk from offending behaviour. They help adults and children to learn together, helping to change attitudes to learning and widening participation across the community by promoting a positive learning culture, where learning is seen as attractive and relevant. They also have well-documented spin-off benefits in terms of reduced calls on health and social services budgets. People who keep mentally and physically active not only live longer but live happier and more fulfilled lives, and pursuing learning can play a real part in this.
We want to continue to raise people's aspirations and significantly broaden participation, progression and achievement in learning by creating the best learning offer possible and enabling individuals and communities to improve and prosper. Our Skills and Skills for Life Strategies, the Employability Skills
Programme and projects like Skilled for Health, together with our decision to extend the Personal and Community Development Learning budget safeguard at £210 million per annum through to 2010/11, will ensure the continuing availability of a wide range of suitable learning opportunities in every area.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills launched a consultation on Informal Adult Learning on 15 January 2008. Through this consultation we will work with other Government Departments, with partners and stakeholders, and with learners themselves, to look at how this learning is funded and delivered to improve social cohesion and progression, focus on disadvantage and engage new learners.
Educational Institutions: Religion
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether funds were paid to (a) Jewish, (b) Muslim and (c) Christian seminaries by his Department's predecessors between 1997 and 2001. [172370]
Bill Rammell: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills does not hold information on any funding that might have been paid to Jewish, Muslim or Christian seminaries by its predecessor Departments between 1997 and 2001.
Employment Agencies
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies in relation to departmental appointments in each year since 1997. [184913]
Mr. Lammy: DIUS was created by Machinery of Government Changes in July 2008 from elements of the then Department of Trade and Industry and Department for Education and Skills.
DIUS is currently undertaking a project to define document and agree a single set of policies and procedures. Until such time as these are defined, the policies of an employee's former Department (DTI/DfES) remain in force.
These policies allow for staff to report any cases of harassment to line management, trade union representatives, a confidential counselling service or HR.
During the period in which DIUS has existed there have been no cases of complaints of sexual harassment or sexual discrimination.
English Language: Education
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many individuals (a) registered for and (b) successfully completed an English for Speakers of Other Languages approved course in England in each of the last five years. [181564]
Mr. Lammy:
The Learning and Skills Council does not break down the data to subject or level for individual learners as some learners will be taking
literacy/ESOL and numeracy across a number of different levels. However, the following data show all ESOL learning aims enrolled on and achieved over the last five years.
| ESOL learning aims enrolled and achieved for the last five years | ||
| Learning aims enrolled | Learning aims achieved | |
Forced Marriages: Victim Support Schemes
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will ensure that information on helplines and access to support for victims of forced marriage or persons in fear of forced marriage is made available on university and college campuses. [184351]
Bill Rammell: Higher and further education institutions do provide a range of welfare support to their staff and students and, due to their status as independent organisations, specific support is determined by institutions at the local level based on individual need. However, institutions do receive guidance on welfare issues from a range of national organisations and networks. I have asked the Equality Challenge Unit, the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education, the National Union of Students, and the Association of Colleges to consider how they might best provide sign-posting information on the forced marriages helpline, and other support available, to higher and further education institutions.
Higher Education: Finance
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding he has allocated in cash terms to (a) higher education and further and continuing education funding for teaching costs only, (b) fee grants for full-time students and fee grants for part-time students, (c) fee loans for full-time students, (d) maintenance loans for full-time students, (e) maintenance grants for full-time and part-time students and (f) access funds in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11. [183946]
Bill Rammell: The following table sets out the funding allocated over the 2007 comprehensive spending review period for higher education (HE) and further education (FE) in the areas the hon. Gentleman requests in cash terms (£ millions).
The funding systems for FE and HE operate differently. For example in HE, support for fees is provided mainly through fee loans. In FE, fee remission is provided in full for all learners undertaking priority qualifications as well as those on limited incomes. This is reflected in the total amount of participation funding for adult FE and skills in the following table.
Higher Education: Student Wastage
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many applicants accepted for places in higher education were no longer enrolled onto higher education courses as first time students in each of the following years by the February of the academic year (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007. [175789]
Bill Rammell: The available information on non-continuation in higher education is shown in the following table. These figures show proportions of UK-domiciled entrants to full-time first degree courses at higher education institutions in England, who did not continue in higher education after their first year.
This information is taken from the annual Performance Indicators in Higher Education, which are currently published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
| Proportion of UK-domiciled entrants to full-time first degree courses at English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year | |
| Academic year | Percentage not in HE after first year |
| Source: ‘Performance Indicators in Higher Education’, published by HESA | |
Nuclear Physics
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding has been (i) spent and (ii) allocated for each of the next three years on the large hadron collider; [182767]
(2) what the initial programme of activity is for the large hadron collider; what the programme's objectives are; and if he will make a statement; [182768]
(3) what progress has been made in commissioning and operating the large hadron collider; and if he will make a statement; [182769]
(4) what process is in place for British universities and organisations to bid for projects to run on the large hadron collider; and if he will make a statement; [182770]
(5) what assessment he has made of the merits of the large hadron collider as an instrument for scientific discovery; and if he will make a statement. [183742]
Ian Pearson: The UK is a member state of CERN, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council has responsibility for the funding of the UK's membership subscription. Most of the activities at CERN are currently directed towards building the large hadron collider (LHC), and the experiments for it, which are due to start operation later this year. A major part of the UK's CERN subscription relates to spending on the LHC.
The total cost of the LHC facility, which comprises the underground tunnel, the machines which fire the beams of particles, and the people and resources needed to build and operate it, is estimated to be 4.7 BN CHF. The costs of the four LHC experiments, which are not considered part of the LHC, are not included in this figure.
The following table illustrates CERN's spending on the LHC for 2004-07 and the planned expenditure in the next three financial years in millions of Swiss Francs. It also shows the UK contribution for 2004-07, and the estimated UK contributions in the next three years, to the LHC project itself, and to university groups in the UK involved in the project. The expenditure on the LHC is projected to fall as the construction nears completion.
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
|
Support within the UK through grants to institutions (£ million) | |||||||
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