| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
6 May 2008 : Column 815W—continued
The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that there were approximately 10,250 children from a black and minority ethnic group attending full day care provision in children's centres, an average of 24 per cent. of children per setting.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers survey does not collect information about children in care or children's socio-economic groups.
Data for previous years are not available; children's centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006.
Local authorities are responsible for the performance management of children's centres. To support them in this, and to encourage a systematic approach, we issued “Planning and Performance Management Guidance” in November 2006 including a framework of performance indicators reflecting the every child matters (ECM) outcomes, national public service agreement targets, and key activities for centres for example reaching excluded groups in their area; and a self evaluation form for centres to complete and discuss with their local authority. In line with the proposals in “Strong and Prosperous Communities”, the local government White Paper published in October 2006, we are moving to a more streamlined and proportionate performance management regime with a new national indicator set which includes indicators relating to Sure Start Children's Centres.
Children's Centres: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of children’s centres in Bexley borough; and if he will make a statement. [203386]
Beverley Hughes:
During the period 2003-08, Bexley local authority developed 12 Sure Start children’s centres, offering a wide range of services to children and families including child care, health and family support services. Further centres will be developed over
the next two years (2008-10), which will ensure that there are sufficient centres to meet the needs of all pre-school children in their area.
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people were serving on the boards of the non-departmental public bodies which his Department sponsors at the latest date for which figures are available. [203600]
Jim Knight: The Cabinet Office publication “Public bodies 2007” lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007, the latest date for which figures are available. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. “Public bodies 2007” can be downloaded from www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp Copies are also available in the Library of the House. The Department was created in June 2007; the figures in “Public Bodies 2007” relate to the former Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The names of the NDPBs for which my Department is now responsible are listed on my Department’s website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/ndpb/ The DfES’s “Public Bodies 2007” is also on this website page.
Nurseries: Standards
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of (a) maintained and (b) independent nurseries were rated by Ofsted as (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) poor in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [202182]
Beverley Hughes: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
Nursery Schools
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery schools (a) opened and (b) closed in each of the last 10 years. [201853]
Beverley Hughes: The number of maintained nursery schools notified to the Department as opening and closing in each of the last 10 years are provided in the following tables.
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Grand total | |
| Source: EduBase | ||||||||||||
Schools can be opened and closed for a number of reasons including: to meet demographic changes (population decline); as part of an amalgamation; to allow a Fresh Start school to replace a school in special measures; to allow a school with a religious character to replace a school without a religious character; or as part of another type of local reorganisation.
The number of child care places available in England since 1997 is shown in the following tables:
| Table 1: Number( 1,2) of day care places for children under eight years of age by type England 1997 to 2002, position at 31 March each year | ||||||
| Type of provider | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| n/a = not available (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) Data Source: Children's Day Care Facilities Survey. (3) From 1999, places were counted once for each school holiday. Before 1999, places were counted once each year. | ||||||
| Table 2: Number( 1) of registered child care places for children under eight years of age by type of care, England 2003-07, position at 31 March each year | |||||
| Type of care | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. Source: Ofsted | |||||
Local authorities were responsible for the registration and inspection of children's day care facilities until these responsibilities were transferred to Ofsted in September 2001. With the introduction of the National Day Care Standards and the transfer of responsibilities for registration and inspection of child care providers from local authority social service departments to Ofsted in September 2001, child care places were classified according to the type of provider.
Olympic Games 2012: Education
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Olympics on the educational legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games. [203346]
Jim Knight: I have had one meeting with the Minister for the Olympics to discuss the education legacy of the 2012 games.
Officials from my Department are currently in discussion with the Government Olympic Executive and the London Organising Committee of the Games on the development of a detailed Education Delivery Plan to support the successful delivery of PSA 22 and the Legacy Action Plan indicators for which the Minister for the Olympics is responsible.
Treasury
Council Tax: Valuation
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements exist for the Valuation Office Agency to make the council tax list for England and Wales available to third parties for value-added use; and if he will make a statement. [200842]
Jane Kennedy: Council tax valuation lists for England and Wales are available to search on the Valuation Office Agency's website at no cost. Full copies of lists are not otherwise available without a statutory gateway.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many dwellings in each local authority area in Wales have moved up one or more bands as a result of council tax band amendments subsequent to the 2005 council tax revaluation. [203116]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plot size attribute information the Valuation Office Agency's TENET mapping software provides for council tax valuations and revaluations. [203128]
Jane Kennedy: TENET mapping software can calculate plot size for domestic properties where that is relevant to the market value of a dwelling.
Departmental Consultants
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultancy contracts his Department issued in each year since 2005; what the (a) value, (b) purpose and (c) contractor was in each case; and whether the consultant's report is publicly available in each case. [181895]
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts were awarded by his Department to (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) McKinsey, (e) Deloitte and (f) other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) value was of each of these contracts. [196591]
Angela Eagle: The Treasury awarded the following consultancy contracts in 2007:
| Purpose | Supplier | Estimated contract value (£) |
| (1) Commercially confidential project not yet completed. (2) Commercially confidential. | ||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |