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23 Apr 2008 : Column 2101W—continued
Schools: Sustainable Development
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of schools that use (a) occupancy/daylight saving light sensors, (b) infra-red operated faucets, (c) fully condensing boilers, (d) underfloor heating and (e) rainwater harvesting systems. [200308]
Jim Knight: We do not hold information on the numbers of schools that have installed (a) occupancy/daylight saving light sensors, (b) infra-red operated faucets, (c) fully condensing boilers, (d) underfloor heating and (e) rainwater harvesting systems.
Investment in measures of this nature would typically be funded from budgets delegated to schools and local authorities. This information may be held at a local authority or school level.
Schools: Water
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent by schools on water services in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (f) 2006 and (g) 2007. [200309]
Jim Knight: The information about expenditure by local authority maintained schools in England on water and sewage for 2002-03 to 2006-07 is contained within the following table:
| Expenditure by local authority maintained schools on water and sewerage (E15) | |
| £ | |
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much waste water was produced by schools in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (f) 2006 and (g) 2007. [200311]
Jim Knight: Waste water produced by schools cannot be accurately quantified because it is not metered. It is normally assumed that all water supplied to a school is retuned to sewers as waste water, although the actual volume of waste water is slightly less than that supplied, the difference being due to small volumes of water used for irrigation on school sites and/or evaporation from swimming pools.
The Department does not have information on the total water supplied to all schools in England. However, we have gathered benchmarking information on water use for the years 2001 to 2006 for a sample of schools. This has been analysed to determine average water use per pupil as summarised in the following table.
| Average annual water consumption (cu.m/pupil) | |||||
| Primary | Secondary | ||||
| Nursery | With pool | Without pool | With pool | Without pool | |
Secondary Education: Assessments
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many schools more than 50 per cent. of pupils did not gain level 5 or above in a combination of reading, writing and mathematics tests at key stage three in the last year for which figures are available. [200330]
Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Secondary Education: Teaching Methods
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what date he expects every secondary school child to have a personal tutor; and if he will make a statement. [201061]
Jim Knight: Our expectation, as described in the Children’s Plan, is that all secondary school pupils will have access to a personal tutor from 2010.
Teachers: Qualifications
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people employed as teachers in Milton Keynes Local Education Authority area have only qualifications obtained abroad. [200766]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Textbooks
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on allowing pupils to take school textbooks home. [200314]
Jim Knight: It is for schools to decide whether or not pupils should take textbooks home from school.
Communities and Local Government
Allotments: Finance
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the funding provided for allotments; what mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of allotment funding against its objectives; and if she will make a statement. [200393]
Mr. Iain Wright: Funding for allotments is available through the financial support that all local authorities receive from central Government. It is up to local authorities to ensure that adequate funding is in place for allotments according to their local needs, and to assess the effectiveness of their funding. As this should be a local responsibility, based on specific local circumstances the Secretary of State has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of funding provided for allotments.
Building Regulations: Public Participation
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to launch a public consultation on amendments to the Building Regulations; and whether such consultations will include proposed revisions to regulations regarding hot water and safety. [200394]
Mr. Iain Wright: We anticipate that public consultation on possible amendments to Part G of the Building Regulations will be published in the next few weeks. This consultation will consider the issue of hot water safety alongside other issues.
Conference Centres: Finance
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department provides any (a) capital and (b) revenue support to any conference or exhibition centre; and if she will make a statement. [199435]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department sponsors the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC) in Westminster, an Executive agency with Trading Fund status. The QEIICC trading fund is required to cover all its expenditure from income from room hire and other activities and pay the Department an annual dividend to cover the cost of capital charge incurred by the Department. In 2006-07, the QEIICC trading fund generated income of £10.4 million on its operating activities. The Department retains landlord responsibility for the QEIICC building, and undertakes capital expenditure on the building as and when it is deemed to be necessary. In 2006-07, the Department incurred capital expenditure of £0.985 million mainly in respect of replacement air-handling units.
Council Tax: Students
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether doctoral postgraduate students during their six month thesis write up stage are classed as full-time students and eligible for a council tax exemption. [198921]
John Healey: The definition of a student for council tax purposes is set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Council Tax (Discounts Disregards) Order 1992. It is for each individual local authority to decide who is classed as a student and in doing so to satisfy itself that the legislative requirements have been met before granting a student exemption from council tax.
Council Tax: Tax Yields
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2498W, on council tax: tax yields, when the data for 2007-08 will be available. [199267]
John Healey: The data will be available in June 2008 following the publication of the Statistical Release “Collection rates for council tax and non-domestic rates in England—2007-08”.
Departmental ICT
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by her Department and its agencies; and if she will make a statement. [180580]
Mr. Dhanda: IT projects(1) undertaken by Communities and Local Government (CLG) and its Agencies are as shown in the table.
(1) Two of CLG’s major change projects, Firelink and FireControl, do not feature in the table as in both cases the IT component represents only one part of the overall project activity. FireLink is a radio communications system project for the Fire and Rescue Service across Great Britain, which started in mid 2002 and was originally due to complete at the end of 2007. It is now expected to complete in mid 2009. Estimated costs have remained the same
at £400 million for Great Britain. FireControl is principally a business change project, which started in 2004 with an expected
completion date in 2009. It is now expected to complete in 2011. Estimated costs have risen from £120 million to £190 million.
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