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15 May 2008 : Column 1781W—continued
Uganda: Armed Conflict
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in executing International Criminal Court warrants for the arrest of the leadership of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda; and if he will make a statement. [205017]
Meg Munn: Joseph Kony and the other Lord's Resistance Army indictees have so far refused to surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and reports suggest they are not currently in Uganda.
The UK strongly supports the ICC. We also continue to follow the Juba peace talks closely, and hope that this process will provide the framework for peace in northern Uganda. We believe that justice is an essential part of sustainable peace. It is vital that those responsible for the terrible crimes committed during the conflict in northern Uganda are held to account. Resolution of the conflict in Uganda must be compatible with the Rome Statute.
USA: Human Rights
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of the United States on (a) human rights and (b) use of torture. [204328]
Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains an ongoing dialogue on a range of human rights and international legal issues with the US government, including on the use of torture. As a member of the EU, the UK is also engaged in the regular EU/US dialogue on human rights.
Western Sahara: Politics and Government
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of negotiations in Manhasset on the future of the Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement. [204952]
Meg Munn: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1753, of 30 April 2007, called upon the parties to enter into negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General without preconditions and in good faith. The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Peter van Walsum, has brought the parties together for four rounds of negotiations, held in June and August 2007 and January and March 2008. The UK fully supports these negotiations, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We have encouraged the parties to maintain their commitment to the negotiation process. UNSCR 1813 called on parties to continue these negotiations in a spirit of realism and compromise, and we hope a fifth round will be held soon.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) France and (b) Spain on the future of the Western Sahara. [204953]
Meg Munn: The UK is a member of the Group of Friends of Western Sahara in the UN Security Council, along with France, Spain, the US and Russia. Consequently, the UK works closely with these two key European neighbours on the issue of Western Sahara in the UN.
Last month saw the UN Security Council adopt Resolution 1813, which extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara and called on the parties to continue negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary General. The UK, along with the others in the Group of Friends, worked hard in order to secure consensus in the Council.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to meet representatives of the Polisario Front to discuss the status of Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement. [205099]
Meg Munn: The Government maintain contact with representatives of the Polisario at official level, both in London and through our embassies overseas. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has met with consultants working on behalf of the Polisario, where he reiterated the UK’s support for the UN Secretary-General and his personal envoy to the Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, and for the negotiation process currently under way under the auspices of the UN.
Children, Schools and Families
Academies
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will bring academies into the purview of local schools committees. [204970]
Jim Knight: The Government encourage academies to work closely with local schools and their communities. However, the first priorities of an academy must be to concentrate on tackling the challenges they face in terms of performance and behaviour, and on meeting the needs of their pupils.
Many academies sit on their local school forums, but like other maintained schools are not compelled to do so; it is for the governing body of the school in each case to decide. Academy principals are also often part of their local secondary head groups—and in some cases have been the chair.
Academy Governing Bodies are bound by law to act in the best interest of the academy, its pupils and local community. They must set out their proposals for working with other schools and the wider community in their annual development plan.
All new academies will be required to be part of their local behaviour partnerships, and all open academies are already members or have indicated a willingness to work with their local behaviour partnerships.
Academies: Admissions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column 813W, on academies: admissions, if he will list each of the academies which fall in each category of selection; and if he will make a statement. [205314]
Jim Knight: In the case of over subscription:
The following academies can exercise selection by aptitude in their specialism:
The Business Academy, Bexley; The City Academy, Bristol; Capital City Academy, Brent; The Academy at Peckham, Southwark; City of London Academy, Southwark; Djanogly City Academy, Nottingham; Dixons City Academy, Bradford; Macmillan Academy, Middlesbrough; Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Academy, Lewisham; Haberdashers' Knights Academy, Lewisham; Harefield Academy, Hillingdon; The John Madejski Academy, Reading; Ashcroft Technology Academy, Wandsworth; William Hulme's Grammar School, Manchester; The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool; Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace, Croydon; John Cabot Academy, South Gloucestershire
The following Academies can exercise banding in line with ability range of applicants:
The Business Academy, Bexley; The Walsall City Academy, Walsall; Capital City Academy, Brent; The Academy at Peckham, Southwark; City of London Academy, Southwark; The West London Academy, Baling; Mossbourne Community Academy, Hackney; Dixons City Academy, Bradford; Macmillan Academy, Middlesbrough;
Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Academy, Lewisham; Haberdashers' Knights Academy, Lewisham; Sandwell Academy, Sandwell; The Petchey Academy, Hackney; The Harris Bermondsey Academy, Southwark; David Young Community Academy, Leeds; Landau Forte College, Derby; North Liverpool City Academy, Liverpool; Harris Girls Academy East Dulwich, Southwark; Ashcroft Technology Academy, Wandsworth; William Hulme's Grammar School, Manchester; The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool; The Bridge Academy, Hackney; Leigh Technology Academy, Kent; The Thomas Deacon Academy, Peterborough; Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace, Croydon; Bacon's, A Church of England Sponsored Academy, Southwark.
And, the following Academies can exercise banding in line with ability range of pupils nationally:
Harris Academy Merton, Merton; The Harris Academy South Norwood, Croydon; John Cabot Academy, South Gloucestershire.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether new academies will be allowed to select by banding with reference to the national ability range; and if he will make a statement. [205315]
Jim Knight: Academies must abide by the School Admissions Code, which allows for the banding of applicants with reference to (i) the ability of applicants for the school, (ii) the range of ability of children in the local area or (iii) the national ability range. Of the 83 open Academies, three currently have Funding Agreements which allow for banding with reference to the national ability range. Twenty-six others have Funding Agreements which allow for banding but all of these refer to the ability range of the applicants to the Academy. New Academies will be under the same obligations as existing Academies and other schools in this respect and will therefore be able to band with reference to the national ability range should they choose to.
Business: Education
Mr. Prisk:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 6 June 2007 to the hon. Member for
Banbury, (Tony Baldry) Official Report, columns 625-26W, on business: education, (1) what factors have been taken into account in determining whether to proceed with a second round of Enterprise Summer School Pathfinders in 2008; [204635]
(2) what discussions officials in his Department have had on a second round of Enterprise Summer School Pathfinders to take place in 2008; [204633]
(3) what funding is available for a second round of Enterprise Summer School Pathfinders to take place in 2008; [204634]
(4) how many of the nine recommendations made following the evaluation of the School's Enterprise Education Network carried out by York Consultancy LLP in September 2007 have been (a) accepted and (b) implemented; [203910]
(5) what the cost was of the assessment of the Enterprise Summer School Pathfinders conducted by Oxford University in 2006; [203909]
(6) what the cost was of the evaluation of the School's Enterprise Education Network carried out by York Consultancy LLP in September 2007. [203911]
Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has been working with partners to develop a second pilot enterprise summer schools programme, within the ‘Young Chambers’ (YCs) initiative launched in 2007 as part of the enterprise education strategy. Partners in YCs are the British Chambers of Commerce, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), the National Education Business Partnerships Network, and YCUK. The SSAT has invited all schools taking part in the Young Chamber programme to organise a ‘summer enterprise workshop’, offering support of £1,000 from allocated funds. The aim of the summer enterprise workshop is to give students a real experience of business—for example around entrepreneurship, setting up and running a business—using practical input from a local business or employer, and other relevant local partners. I am pleased to say that 25 schools have applied to date, and we hope that the number will rise to around 50.
We have taken account of the evaluation of the 2006 Young Enterprise summer schools, and the SSAT is sending a copy to all applicant schools to ensure that the positive lessons can be learned. That evaluation was commissioned by Young Enterprise and funded from within the allocation made to them for the summer schools. The evaluation of the Schools' Enterprise Education Network (SEEN) carried out by York Consultancy was commissioned by the SSAT and funded from within the allocation made to them for SEEN; the DCSF intends to issue an Invitation to Tender for the future management of SEEN, and in doing so will take account of the recommendations made. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman when I have details of the costs of the two evaluations.
Children: Armed Forces
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many support staff his Department employs specifically to help the children of service personnel. [205134]
Jim Knight: Information on the number of support staff employed specifically to help service children is not collected by this Department.
Support for service children is provided by Service Children's Education which is an agency of the Ministry of Defence.
Children: Day Care
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made towards meeting the target of each full daycare setting being led by a graduate and those in the most disadvantaged areas being led by two graduates by 2015; and if he will make a statement. [205385]
Beverley Hughes: Over 1,000 people have been conferred with Early Years Professional Status. This number will continue to increase as the work of some candidates is resubmitted and reassessed, and as new candidates are assessed. Over 2,000 people are currently training towards Early Years Professional Status.
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of affordability of childcare for children under the age of five; and if he will make a statement. [205423]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 13 May 2008]: The childcare sufficiency assessments which all local authorities were required to complete by 31 March 2008 took account of the affordability of childcare, which is one of the factors which can be regarded as the 'benchmark' of sufficiency.
This Government recognise that childcare costs are a serious matter for some families in some areas, which is why we are doing more than ever before to make good quality childcare and early education accessible and affordable.
We are investing £3 billion per year to support free early education, so all three and four year olds, irrespective of the employment status of their parents, can benefit from 12.5 hours of free early years provision for 38 weeks per year. This increases to 15 hours by 2010 and will be delivered more flexibly to meet families' needs. In addition, we announced in the Children's Plan an additional £100 million to pilot a free entitlement for 20,000 of our most disadvantaged two year olds.
We provide substantial help (totalling over £3 million a day) through the tax credit system, in providing up to 80 per cent. of childcare costs. This helps nearly 450,000 families, with nearly 280,000 of these families being those with children under the age of five.
The budget increased the commitment to childcare by announcing additional pilots to support new approaches to childcare, building on good practice from the additional childcare support provided by the £33 million London Childcare Affordability Programme. In addition, the Government will also pilot new child development grants of 200 in 10 local authority areas, payable where parents take up their childcare places and have contact with their local Children's Centre.
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2008, Official Report, column 687W, on children: day care, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff working in nurseries who are unqualified foreign nationals. [205429]
Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not collected centrally.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff qualifications that are relevant to working with children and young people. In 2006, the survey estimated that 10 per cent. of paid staff working in full day care settings in England held no qualifications. However, the survey does not collect information on the nationality of staff, therefore it is not possible to estimate the number or proportion of staff working in nurseries who were unqualified foreign nationals.
Class Sizes: Wirral
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the pupil-teacher ratio was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Wirral West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [205069]
Jim Knight: The following table provides the pupil:teacher ratio in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Wirral West constituency and England, January 2007 the latest information available by constituency.
| Pupil:teacher( 1) ratios in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Wirral West constituency and England, January 2007 | ||
| Wirral West | England | |
| (1) The PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. Source: School Census | ||
Provisional pupil:teacher ratios for England for January 2008 were published on 29 April at the following web link:
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