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13 Jun 2008 : Column 546W—continued
Employment: East of England
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to increase the number and improve the retention of jobs in the East of England; and if he will make a statement. [209093]
Mr. McFadden: As part of the Government’s wider strategy on job creation and retention in the East of England, the Regional Development Agency, EEDA is charged with developing a strategic vision for the region. EEDA is currently completing a review of the region’s economic strategy (RES) and this will provide the basis for co-ordinated action to bring about sustainable improvements in the region’s economic performance and meet its aspirations to increase the overall employment rate to 80 per cent. by 2031.
To support the delivery of this ambition, EEDA has developed a number of programmes which contribute to the achievement of higher employment levels by:
Encouraging new business growth and improving the survivability of small and medium sized businesses by providing business support services through Business Link and the Manufacturing Advisory Service. EEDA is planning to boost the level of specialist business support services available in the coming year with the introduction of new services delivering specialist ICT, design and innovation advice.
Providing a range of specialist support activities to attract mobile foreign direct investment to the region through EEDA’s sister organisation, East of England International and to provide export advice to companies looking to compete in overseas markets.
Providing financial help in the form of grants and loans to support SME growth throughout the East of England.
Improving the employability of individuals unable to participate in the region’s economy and increasing the number of employment opportunities available through EEDA’s Economic Participation programme.
Supporting the development of the region’s science base by investing in the development of high quality science parks and enterprise hubs.
The Chancellor’s pre Budget report in 2007 also enabled RDAs to take lead responsibility for co-ordinating and managing the response to industrial crises or natural disasters which have the potential to create substantial economic shocks and impact severely on business.
EEDA’s work will ensure the continued and improved prosperity of the East of England including increasing the number of jobs, managing the changing structure of jobs (a greater proportion of jobs requiring more skilled labour), and retaining the number of jobs.
Post Offices: Devon
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which post office branches in east Devon made a loss in each of the last five years. [209930]
Mr. McFadden:
This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan
Cook, managing director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member. Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Post Offices: National Lottery
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on locating lottery ticket machines in post offices. [209809]
Mr. McFadden: The provision of lottery terminals in post offices is a commercial matter for Post Office Ltd and Camelot.
Lottery terminals are the property of Camelot, and as part of its licence it is bound to review all potential sites and to operate a fair policy on the roll-out and allocation of terminals, ensuring that a strict selection criteria is adhered to, and that one retailer is not unduly favoured over another.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Day Care
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many mothers receive childcare allowances in (a) Leeds Metropolitan District and (b) Leeds West constituency. [209213]
Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
The most recent estimates of the average number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit, by local authority and constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, are published in the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Finalised Awards 2006-07. Geographical analyses”. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of training the children's workforce in line with the recommendations set out in the Sector Skills agreement issued by the Children's Workforce Development Council in December 2007. [211199]
Beverley Hughes: No estimate has yet been made of the training costs arising from the recommendations in CWDC's Sector Skills Agreement Gap Analysis Report.
Departmental Standards
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the reasons were for his Department’s performance against each public service agreement target set in 2004 which it did not meet, as referred to in the Departmental Annual Report 2008. [211169]
Kevin Brennan: The Department published its Departmental Report on 19 May 2008 which included latest assessments against Spending Review 2004 PSA targets. Two target elements were reported as not met:
PSA target 6 (element 1)—By 2006 85 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieve level 4 or above, with this level of performance sustained until 2008.
PSA target 7 (element 1)—By 2007 85 per cent. of 14-year-olds achieve level 5 or above in English, mathematics and ICT (80 per cent. in science) nationally, with this level of performance sustained to 2008.
PSA target 6 (element 1) was first reported as not met in the Autumn Performance Report 2006 (CM 6992) which also included the following information on performance:
Provisional 2005/06 results of Key Stage 2 tests show that 79 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved level 4 or above in English (no change over 2004/05) and 76 per cent. achieved level 4 or above in mathematics (an increase of one percentage point over 2004/05).
Although primary standards are now at their highest ever level, the headline Key Stage 2 targets have not been met.
Compared to 1996/97, about 95,000 more 11-year-olds are now achieving the target level for their age in English and 83,000 more are doing so in mathematics. The 2005/06 results showed the largest increase in children achieving above the target level 4 in English since 2000.
Since 1996/97, the increase in standards and in the quality of teaching and learning in schools has been dramatic and sustained. Ofsted have stated that teaching in primary schools has never been better and describes the current generation of newly-qualified teachers as the best trained ever.
PSA target 7 (element 1) was first reported as not met in the Autumn Performance Report 2007 (CM 7279) which also included the following information on performance:
The 2006/07 provisional results of the National Curriculum Key Stage 3 tests show that 74 per cent. of 14-year-olds achieved level 5 or above in English, 76 per cent. achieved level 5 or above in mathematics, and 73 per cent. achieved level 5 or above in science. This represents an increase of three percentage
points from the target’s 2003/04 baseline in English, three percentage points from the target’s 2003/04 baseline in mathematics, and seven percentage points from the target’s 2003/04 baseline in science.
Recent slow progress has meant the 2007 target has not been met. However, there has been some progress in 2006/07 with provisional results showing improvement in attainment in English, science and IT.
The 2006/07 results mean that 95,000 additional pupils reached the expected level in English compared to 1997, with 95,000 more reaching the expected level in mathematics and 75,000 in science.
To build on these results, the Making Good Progress pilot which started in September 2007 will help all children to progress well at school, giving the brightest pupils an opportunity to reach their full potential, and ensuring that those at risk of falling behind are identified and supported in their learning. A new secondary curriculum will be introduced from next year, which will give teachers more flexibility and provide additional time to help children who are at risk of falling behind to master the basics, as well as offering more stretching opportunities for those who excel.
Tools, guidance and training on Assessing Pupil Progress have now been rolled out for reading, writing and mathematics; speaking and listening and science will follow over the next year. The effective tracking of pupil progress is the most common feature of successful schools, and these materials will support schools in doing that. Through the National Strategies, targeted intervention materials for pupils who fall behind is also continuing.
Pre-school Education
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) private and voluntary independent and (b) maintained day nurseries there were in each year since 1997. [211168]
Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the ownership of child care provision. The estimated number and proportion of full day care providers by type of ownership, from 2001, is shown in the following table. Data for previous years are not available.
| Ownership of full day care provision | ||||||||
| 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | |||||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding. | ||||||||
Communities and Local Government
Fire Services: Procurement
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of new appliance chassis which will be procured for use by Fire and Rescue Services in 2008-09; and if she will make a statement. [210589]
Mr. Dhanda: Firebuy Ltd., the body responsible for establishing contracts for FRS national procurement, monitors the use of these arrangements. A framework contract for pumping appliances was let by Firebuy in April 2007. 77 orders were made from this contract in 2007-08 of which 47 are due for delivery during 2008-09. To date in 2008-09 a further 86 pumping appliances have been ordered from this contract, plus orders for 15 specialist appliances through other Firebuy framework contracts.
Fire Services: Uniforms
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of Fire and Rescue Services which have opted out of the Integrated Clothing Project element of the FireBuy scheme for 2008-09; and if she will make a statement. [210588]
Mr. Dhanda: The contract for the Integrated Clothing Project has recently been signed between Firebuy Ltd. and Bristol Uniforms. We expect that a large number of fire and rescue authorities will use the contract when their current arrangements end. We know that some fire and rescue authorities are likely to seek agreement from CLG to go outside national arrangements for operational or other reasons. Firebuy will work with FRAs, where necessary, to assist them with the procurement process.
Home Information Packs
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to raise stakeholder and public awareness of home information packs over the next two years. [200333]
Caroline Flint: Along with the industry, we will continue to raise stakeholder and public awareness of Home Information Packs (HIPs) in the medium term, including through direct contact with key stakeholders, the HIPs website and other marketing activities.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to evaluate the (a) effectiveness and (b) public understanding of the revised home information pack scheme; and if she will make a statement. [201924]
Caroline Flint: The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Home Information Packs (HIPs). Along with the industry, we will continue to raise stakeholder and public awareness of HIPs in the medium term, including through direct contact with key stakeholders, the HIPs website and other marketing activities.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to make the home condition report a mandatory component of the home information pack in the event that the industry does not secure its inclusion by voluntary means. [207395]
Caroline Flint: The home condition report remains a valuable element of the home information pack. The Government will continue to work with stakeholders to make a success of the voluntary uptake of the HCR. The mandatory option has not been ruled out should this voluntary approach not work.
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