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30 Apr 2008 : Column 537W—continued
Teachers: Qualifications
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in developing a new master’s-level teaching qualification; and if he will make a statement. [201064]
Jim Knight: Plans for the introduction of a Masters-level qualification in teaching and learning for teachers were set out in “Being the best for our children: Releasing talent for teaching and learning” on 7 March. We propose to begin by targeting the Masters mainly on teachers in the first five years of their careers, building on initial teacher training and induction. The Training and Development Agency for Schools has started to develop the programme, working with social partners: they will commence consultation with schools and higher education institutions on the content of the new qualification in the near future.
Trust Schools
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many trust schools, established or converted under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 there were on 1 September 2007, broken down by local authority. [200315]
Jim Knight: As of 1 September 2007, there were 23 trust schools established under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. These are broken down as follows by local authority:
| Local authority | Number of schools |
Since last September, the number of trust schools has risen to 55, with a further 386 in the pipeline.
Work and Pensions
Cycling
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) his Department and (b) his Department’s non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement. [197606]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently sourcing a supplier to offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. This scheme will support employees in taking greener journeys, by enabling the Department to loan a cycle to an employee, for up to 18 months and is expected to be available by September 2008.
The Department also offers an advance of salary to encourage green commuting. This allows employees to take an advance of their salary of up to £1,000 for the purchase of a cycle or an amount to cover the full cost of an annual public transport season ticket. The amount has to be repaid over the following 12 months and is free of interest. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee.
The Independent Living Fund, which is a non-departmental public body sponsored by DWP, offers staff who wish to purchase a bicycle for the purpose of travelling to work the opportunity to request an advance of salary, which will be recovered in equal payments over a 12 month period.
Departmental Equality
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made towards the equality targets set out in its annual report 2007, page 79. [200468]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is set out in the following tables.
| Ethnic minority representation by grade (March 2008) | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
| Grade | March 2006 | June 2006 | March 2007 | March 2008 | Target March 2008 |
| (1) None. Note: Staff without declared ethnicity excluded | |||||
| Disability: staff in post (March 2008) | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
| Grade | March 2006 | June 2006 | March 2007 | March 2008 | Target March 2008 |
| (1) None. Note: Staff without declared disability status excluded | |||||
| Gender: Women in post (March 2008) | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
| Grade | March 2006 | June 2006 | March 2007 | March 2008 | Target March 2008 |
| (1) None. | |||||
Departmental Internet
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of his Departmental website. [200033]
Mrs. McGuire: The most recent redesign of the DWP departmental website www.dwp.gov.uk took place in 2004-05 and cost £101,467.
The work was conducted by the Department’s in-house e-communications team and an external supplier.
The external supplier supplier’s costs are included in the response; however it has not been possible to quantify the internal costs.
Departmental Manpower
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number and proportion of his Department’s workforce that will be employed in each region in 2009. [200466]
Mrs. McGuire: An estimate of the numbers and proportion of the Department for Work and Pensions workforce that will be employed in each region in 2009 is not available at present.
The Department's three year plan provides an indicative range of headcount reductions for the current Spending Review period and detailed business and regional plans for the period ending 31 March 2009 are currently being developed.
Departmental Pensions
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for (a) discount and (b) longevity the estimate is based. [200761]
Mrs. McGuire: This information is held within the principal civil service pensions scheme resource accounts which can be accessed on the civil service pensions website:
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91. [200762]
Mrs. McGuire: Information of liabilities in present value terms are held in the principal civil services pension scheme resource accounts (since 2000-01) which can be accessed on the civil service pensions website:
However, these are produced under differing sets of assumptions (e.g. on longevity), so are not comparable across years.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) rate and (b) cost was of employer contributions for each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement. [200763]
Mrs. McGuire: This information is contained in the Principal Civil Service Pensions scheme resource accounts (since 2000-01) and can be accessed on the civil service pensions website;
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