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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1625W—continued
Publications: Obesity
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost was of printing and distributing the publication ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices’; how many copies were printed; and to whom it was distributed. [194545]
Ian Pearson: The printing and distribution costs for the ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices’ report were about £17,000 and £10,000 respectively. 4,000 copies were printed, including a second edition.
The report was circulated to key stakeholders including relevant Government Departments, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations, the press and those who attended the launch event in October 2007 and other dissemination events and activities. In addition, it was, and continues to be, sent in response to individual requests.
Rackspace
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies in each of the last nine years. [197503]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of Machinery of Government changes in June 2007. Neither DIUS, nor it's agencies, have any contracts with Rackspace.
Salisbury College: Standards
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the Ofsted report on the last inspection of Salisbury College. [198539]
Bill Rammell: As this is a matter for Ofsted, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 3 April 2008:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty’s Chief inspector, for reply.
Salisbury College was most recently inspected in November 2007 (having been found inadequate in its previous inspection in October 2006) and a copy of the inspection report is enclosed. This college merged with Wiltshire College as of 1 January 2008, and is now known as Wiltshire College Salisbury.
Wiltshire College was last inspected in October 2007, and the inspection report is available on the Ofsted website http://www.ofsted.gov.uk under Inspection Reports, Further Education Colleges. The direct link is:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=317040&;providerCategoryID=524288&fileName=\\school\\132\\c12_132779_20080304.pdf
A copy of this reply has been sent to Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will place in the Library copies of the minutes from the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Science Board between April 2007 and February 2008 inclusive. [196526]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 25 March 2008 ]: The minutes from the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Science Board between April 2007 and February 2008 inclusive have been published by STFC on its website:
Skilled Workers
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 12 July 2007, Official Report, column 1624W, to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings, (Mr. Hayes) on skilled workers, what his most recent estimate is of the number of skill shortage vacancies in (a) the construction sector and (b) the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector. [197416]
Mr. Lammy:
The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) 2005 for England has the most current publicly available data on skill shortages. The 2005 survey shows that 143,125 employers reported at least one skills shortage vacancy (SSV). Of these, construction accounted for 11,900 skill shortage vacancies. Forecast data by ConstructionSkills anticipates that to meet the demand for new workers, the construction industry in England will need to recruit 74,340 people per annum between 2008 to 2012. The NESS 2005 also shows that
12,900 vacancies in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism arise as a result of a skills shortage. People 1st research indicates that chef and managerial vacancies are hardest to fill. Updated data on skill shortage vacancies will be available when the NESS 2007 is published after the end of March.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent steps the Government has taken to include employers in the formulation of skills policy. [199831]
Mr. Lammy: We are giving employers an unprecedented role in shaping the employment and skills system to ensure it delivers the skills and qualifications that they and the wider economy need.
The new employer-led UK Commission for Employment and Skills became fully operational this month, and brings an unprecedented level of employer leadership and challenge at the heart of the system. It will provide vigorous and expert challenge to Government on its employment and skills strategy, targets and policies.
The network of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) also has a vital role to play in the development and implementation of skills policy. The UK Commission will lead the reform and re-licensing of SSCs, with a new focused remit to work with employers to articulate the future skills needs of their sector, ensure that the supply of skills and qualifications is driven by their needs; and to raise employer ambition and investment in skills.
DIUS ministers and officials maintain a regular dialogue with employer representative bodies, including the Confederation of British Industry, Federation of Small Business, British Chambers of Commerce and the Engineering Employers’ Federation, for example.
Specialist Schools: Capital Investment
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what capital spending is planned for (a) James Brindley, (b) Haywood, (c) Brownhills and (d) St. Margaret Ward specialist colleges in each of the next three years. [198354]
Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
All schools receive devolved formula capital allocations for their immediate investment needs. In each year 2008-09 to 2010-11 this will be calculated on the basis of £18,500 plus £94.50 per secondary school
pupil, if the school is unmodernised. Modernised schools will receive half that amount. Resources are also allocated at local authority level, for authorities to invest in accordance with local investment priorities. In the case of these four schools, they will form part of Stoke’s Building Schools for the Future project. Construction is expected to begin for these schools in the latter half of the three year period, but there are no firm timescales at this stage.
Student Wastage
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of students left university in their first year in the 2006-07 academic year; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for them leaving. [187849]
Bill Rammell: The latest figures available on non-continuation of higher education students are for the 2004/05 academic year. The latest available information is shown in table 1 and is broken down by young (under 21) and mature (21 and over) students and first degree and other undergraduate entrants.
| Table 1: Percentage of UK domiciled full-time first degree and other undergraduate entrants not continuing in higher education after their first year, English higher education institutions, academic year 2004/05 | ||
| Age | First degree | Other UG |
| Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. | ||
Figures for the 2005/06 academic year will be available later this year and those for the 2006/07 academic year, in 2009. The Higher Education Statistics Agency do not publish figures on the percentage of part-time students not continuing in higher education after their first year.
According to the figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate for type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries (the UK ranks fifth out of 23 countries who report data in this area).
The percentage of students in England not completing their course has fallen to its lowest since the non-completion performance indicator was introduced, which already starts from a baseline which is low by international standards.
The latest available information for reasons for leaving higher education courses is shown in table 2. This is broken down by first degree and other undergraduate entrants.
The reason for leaving information on the HESA student record should be treated with some caution, because the ‘other personal reasons and dropped out’ and ‘other’ fields are used extensively, Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded, however it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what information his Department holds on the (a) gender, (b) socio-economic background and (c) ethnicity of students who fail to complete their first degree; and if he will make a statement. [199347]
Bill Rammell: The available information on the proportion of UK-domiciled starters to full-time first degree courses who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution is shown in table 1. It is not possible to break these figures down by gender, socio-economic background or ethnicity. Comparable figures for the 2005/06 academic year will become available in June this year. Information on the actual number of students who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution has not been published.
| Table 1: Proportion of full-time first degree starters at English and UK higher education institutions, who were projected to neither gain an award nor transfer to another institution—academic years 1997/98 to 2004/05 | ||||||||
| Percentage | ||||||||
| Academic year | 1997/98 | 1998/99 | 1999/2000 | 2000/01 | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 |
| Notes: 1. The projected outcomes for a cohort are based on the assumption that their patterns of progression will follow those of students currently in the system. A student is assumed to have left with no award if they have been inactive for two years. 2. Figures from the 1996/97 academic year have been excluded due to a change in methodology between 1996/97 and 1997/98. 3. Figures for years earlier than 1996/97 are not available. Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | ||||||||
HESA also publishes non-continuation indicators, which show the proportion of entrants to full-time first degree courses not continuing in higher education after their first year. It is possible to break these down by gender, ethnicity and National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC), and this information is shown in table 2.
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