| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Feb 2008 : Column 496W—continued
Departmental Data Protection
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what audits his Department and its agencies have carried out in relation to personal data and IT equipment in each of the last 10 years. [176481]
Kevin Brennan: The internal audit work programme for the Department in line with Government Internal Audit best practice, adopts a risk based approach to identifying areas for audit coverage
The adequacy of controls over data, including personal data and IT equipment, is covered in all assignments where it is relevant to the risks under review.
The risk based audit tasks below had a specific focus on personal data and IT equipment.
Payroll
Travel and expenses claims
Teacher’s serious misconduct—follow-up
Teachers Pension—ill health performance reporting
Loss of IT kit
IT hardware asset management
Payroll inspection
Foreign Travel
Network account management
IT security
Teacher’s serious misconduct
New relationships with schools (data)
Network account follow-up
Review of payroll
Travel and subsistence inspection
Travel and subsistence post payment checks
Network account management—follow-up
Payroll—follow-up
Information relating to the Department’s agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) is not readily available within the cost threshold.
Departmental Freedom of Information
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department have given rise to responses that have been published by his Department. [180210]
Kevin Brennan: This Department has adopted a selective disclosure log whereby only the most interesting and high profile pieces of information are published. Between 2005 and 2007 12.4 per cent. of responses to Freedom of Information requests, where information has been wholly or partially released, have been published on the Department's disclosure log.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days; [163209]
(2) many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days. [164499]
Kevin Brennan: The Department has not made any permanent or temporary appointments outside civil service grades during the period described.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether any of his Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department. [178486]
Kevin Brennan: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the “Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers”, copies of which are in the House Library.
Departmental Public Consultation
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many responses he has received to his Department's Time to Talk consultation. [166148]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 19 November 2007]: The Department's Time to Talk consultation ran from 6 September to 19 October. I received over 3,000 responses from young people and adults, including public, private and voluntary sector bodies, A total of over 400 people also participated in consultation events in Bristol, Leeds, London, Birmingham and Portsmouth.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what opinion polls the Department has conducted of (a) the public and (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case. [164957]
Kevin Brennan: The Department has conducted one major survey since 27 June 2007. This took the form of a Customer Perception Tracking Survey of the public in July and August 2007. The survey is being run by BMG Research Ltd. The purpose is to track perceptions and awareness of developments in education and children’s services among key stakeholder groups. This was wave 2 of a three-year tracking study. The sample of the public is designed to be broadly representative of the general public, and as such, includes parents, whose views are analysed in comparison with non-parents where relevant. The Department intends to publish the outcomes at the end of the study in summer 2009. The cost of this interim wave was £14,000 excluding VAT.
The Department has not conducted any opinion polls or surveys of staff since 27 June 2007.
Departmental Publications
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent to produce the (a) Aiming High and (b) Children’s Plan policy documents. [186756]
Beverley Hughes: The total cost of producing the document “Aiming High for Young People: a ten year strategy for positive activities” was £14,685 shared between HM Treasury and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The cost of producing the “Children’s Plan” policy documents was £151,259.
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what (a) volume and (b) percentage of its waste his Department recycled in each of the last five years; [172509]
(2) how much and what proportion of its waste his Department and its predecessors recycled in each of the last five years. [174435]
Kevin Brennan: In the last five published reports on sustainable operations in Government the Department's headquarters estate reported the following volumes and percentages of recycled waste:
| Year | Volume (metric tonnes) | Percentage recycled |
The 2005-06 year’s performance met the 40 per cent. of total waste arisings recycling target. The Department's waste recycling performance in 2006-07 will be reported by the Sustainable Development Commission early in the new year.
Departmental Special Advisers
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether any of his Department's advisers have declared a conflict of interest; and if he will make a statement. [164233]
Kevin Brennan: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Copies of the Model Contract are available in the House Libraries.
Education: Assessments
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children entitled to free school meals achieved a level four or above in every Key Stage 2 exam in 2006, broken down by (a) region and (b) local authority. [167367]
Jim Knight: This information has been published as part of a supplement to the “National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005/06 (Provisional)” Statistical First Release (SFR) found at:
The additional publication “Local Authority tables showing achievements at Key Stage 2, by ethnicity, English as a first Language, free school meals and special education needs” to this SFR contains the data requested by my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) and is found at:
I draw your attention to tables 62 (Achievements at Key Stage 2 English Level 4 and above in 2006, for Local Authorities, by Free School Meal provision and gender), 63 (Achievements at Key Stage 2 Mathematics Level 4 and above in 2006, for Local Authorities, by Free School Meal provision and gender) and 64 (Achievements at Key Stage 2 Science Level 4 and above in 2006, for Local Authorities, by Free School Meal provision and gender).
Education: Isle of Wight
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the reason is for the withdrawal of £7 million from the Isle of Wight Council budget in respect of primary capital funding from the national budget. [181803]
Jim Knight:
There has been no withdrawal of funding. Overall capital support for Isle of Wight and its schools during the period covered by the comprehensive spending
review (2008-11) is £36 million. Capital support for the period covered by the current spending review (2005-08) is £37.4 million (excluding funding earmarked specifically for a Building Schools for the Future One School Pathfinder project). Although, in comparison to 2006-07 and 2007-08, there has been a reduction in capital support for the provision of new pupil places in areas of population growth (or Basic Need) this is in line with forecast data provided by the local authority. However, from 2009-10, Isle of Wight will benefit from the introduction of the new Primary Capital Programme which aims to support local authorities in implementing a strategic approach to renewing at least half of all primary schools by 2022-23.
Education: Kent
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funds in the form of (a) revenue payments, (b) capital grants and (c) supported borrowing for which his Department is responsible have been made available to (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2007-08. [183060]
Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on funding at district level. However it does collect information on funding allocated to Kent county council. The information on capital, revenue and supported borrowing allocations made by the Department are provided in the following tables. In total £114 million of capital funding (including supported borrowing) and £910 million of revenue funding has been allocated to Kent county council in 2007-08 via schools and children services grants. The figures exclude payments made by non-departmental public bodies which can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |