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14 July 2008 : Column 78W—continued
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many working days have been lost due to sickness among employees for which his Department and its predecessor were responsible for each year since 1997. [218031]
Mr. Lammy: Cabinet Office has recently introduced a revised format for reporting sickness absence statistics across the Civil Service. The new format was introduced at the end of March 2008 and the reports now cover the period up to 31 March 2008. The figure for annual average working days lost due to sickness in the Department up to that date is 7.9 per staff member. The annual number of days lost is 10,464.18.
The Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. Sickness absence data for the Department's predecessors, the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Trade and Industry, for 2006-07, 2005 and 2004, including the average number of days taken as sick leave are published on the Civil Service website:
along with data for other departments and agencies.
Earlier sickness data are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Television
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills to what premium Sky, digital terrestrial or cable television channels (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies subscribes; and at what yearly cost in the most recent period for which figures are available. [215647]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was established under machinery of government changes in June 2007. The Department does not hold records at this level of detail, to answer the question would be at disproportionate cost.
Education: Hyndburn
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of the population of Hyndburn constituency which has been educated to NVQ level 4 or above. [218292]
Bill Rammell:
DIUS uses the Annual Population Survey (APS) to provide local estimates of educational attainment. DIUS estimates that in 2006, 22.5 per cent.
of women aged 19 to 59 and men aged 19 to 64 in Hyndburn were qualified to NVQ level 4 or above. The comparable figures for the North West and England were 26.6 per cent. and 28.9 per cent. respectively.
The economic and social benefits of increasing high level skills are felt at a local as well as national level, unlocking the potential of towns and people by attracting, nurturing and retaining talent in a local area. In “Higher Education at Work-High Skills: High Value” we have consulted on our strategy to increase the numbers of people with qualifications at level 4 and above.
EU Education and Training 2010 Work Programme
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the performance of the EU Education and Training 2010 Work Programme. [218011]
Mr. Lammy: The EU Education and Training 2010 Work Programme, developed to give direction to the role of education and training within the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, has added value across the European Union to a policy area which is the responsibility of individual member states.
Performance of the work programme is assessed through a series of EU benchmarks and indicators which identify priority areas for improvement in the field of education and training. A biennial joint report of the European Council and Commission highlights progress towards these benchmarks across the EU and gives further strategic direction to the work programme.
Within these priority areas, the open method of coordination, on which the activities of the work programme are based, provides a platform for exchange of best practice and peer learning across member states, through cluster group work and ministerial exchanges of views at EU Education Council.
European Pact for Youth
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's role is in activities being carried out in England under the European Pact for Youth. [216648]
Mr. Lammy: The European Youth Pact calls on member states to equip young people with the necessary knowledge, opportunities, skills and competencies to ensure that they can contribute to the achievement of the Lisbon goals of boosting jobs and growth. The Department's role is to share our experience with other EU member states and the Commission as part of encouraging good practice. The pact is implemented in England through our domestic policies, for example the Department's work on skills and joint work with DCSF on apprenticeships.
European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the UK’s role is in the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning. [217996]
Bill Rammell: The UK supports the European Qualifications Framework as we believe it has the potential to improve the recognition of skills throughout Europe, allowing national qualifications to be translated more effectively between different countries. This will play an important role in helping our labour markets work better.
European Space Agency: Small Businesses
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely effects of European Space Agency projects on levels of employment in small and medium-sized businesses in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) Leeds Metropolitan District. [218013]
Ian Pearson: There are no estimates available relating solely to small and medium-sized business employment on European Space Agency projects. However, in the “Size and Health of the UK Space Industry” survey published by BNSC in 2006, analysis indicated that 16,200 people were employed in the space sector in the UK in 2004-05. Of these, 15,830 were employed in England with 620 in Yorkshire and Humberside. There are no data available relating specifically to the Leeds metropolitan district.
Higher Education: Admissions
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of 17 and 18 year olds who took A-levels in 2007 (a) applied to and (b) have enrolled in a higher education institution. [216894]
Bill Rammell: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The proportion of A-level students who applied to university is not available.
(b) Detailed information on higher education enrolments is not yet available for 2007/08. The proportion of maintained school pupils who took A-levels in 2003/04, who entered a UK higher education institution in 2004/05 or 2005/06, was 70.7 per cent.
If we consider only those pupils who “gained 2 or more” GCE A-levels in 2003/04, 79.5 per cent. entered a UK higher education institution in 2004/05 or 2005/06.
These figures are obtained using linked National Pupil Database and Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record datasets. Additional students may have applied for higher education courses in 2006/07 or 2007/08 but linked data are not yet available which allow us to track the above students into higher education later than 2005/06.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what research has been undertaken by his Department on the reasons why 18-year-olds with an academic or vocational Level 3 qualification decide not to enter higher education by the age of 19 years. [216926]
Bill Rammell:
The Youth Cohort Study asked those with five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, who were studying level 3 academic or vocational qualifications in 2002/03 and were not intending to apply to university in the near future, to give reasons as to why they were not
applying. The following table summarises the reasons that were given by the 299 respondents.
The respondent to this survey would be considering entering HE in 2003/04 (at age 18) or in 2004/05 (at age
19) and as such would have entered under an old student support system. So reasons regarding finance are unlikely to be relevant to young people now or in more recent history.
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of 18 year olds from the 20 (a) most and (b) least deprived local authority areas entered higher education in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007. [218606]
Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England analyse the geography of young participation in higher education. The exact specification requested is not currently available but they have provided some provisional figures (from a report on trends in young participation that is currently in preparation) that relate to the young (18 and 19 year old) HE participation rates of deprived areas.
The 20 per cent. of English small areas recorded as most deprived by the 2004 version of the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) had a young HE participation rate of 13.8 per cent. for 1998-99 and 18.3 per cent. for 2006-07 (projected). The corresponding figures for the least deprived 20 per cent. are 48.7 per cent. (1998-99) and 50.5 per cent. (2006-07, projected). Figures are not available for the 1997/98 and 2007/08 academic years.
Higher Education: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of the population of Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency which has been educated to NVQ level 4 or above. [218614]
Bill Rammell: DIUS uses the Annual Population Survey (APS) to provide local estimates of educational attainment. DIUS estimates that in 2006, 26.1 per cent. of women aged 19-59 and men aged 19-64 in Bexleyheath and Crayford were qualified to NVQ level 4 or above. The comparable figures for Greater London and England were 36.5 per cent. and 28.9 per cent. respectively. DIUS local estimates of attainment down to local authority level are available at:
However, it should be noted that all these APS estimates are currently undergoing revision following the reweighting of all underlying datasets to reflect more up to date population estimates from ONS. The DIUS published series will be revised and updated to include 2007 estimates in August.
Higher Education: Teachers
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what the average age of a lecturer was (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available; [217997]
(2) what the average length of time was that a lecturer had spent in the profession (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which information is available. [218001]
Bill Rammell: According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Staff Record, the average age of Academic Lecturers and Senior Lecturers and Researchers who are teaching only or teaching and research was 44 in the 1997/98 academic year and 45 in the 2006/07 academic year. The age of academic staff is as at 31 August and the average age is calculated on known ages only. Figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in January 2009.
Information showing the average length of time that a lecturer had spent in the profession is not available. Lecturers are likely to change institutions throughout their career and the HESA Staff Record is unable to follow the path of a lecturer throughout their career.
Morning Star
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many copies of the Morning Star publication his Department and each of its agencies subscribes to each week; and at what cost. [215663]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was established under machinery of government changes in June 2007. The Department does not hold records at this level of detail, to answer the question would be at disproportionate cost.
Overseas Students
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) others on the contribution that those from overseas studying at universities in England and Wales make to the national economy; and if he will make a statement; [216204]
(2) what estimate he has made of the income which accrued to each university from the teaching and supervision of overseas students in each of the last three years, broken down by country of origin. [216348]
Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Chancellor and others on the benefits of international students to the United Kingdom economy. “Global Value”, a study published by the British Council in September 2007, estimated that the total value of international higher education students to the UK economy as being over £5.6 billion a year. In 2006/07, the latest year for which data are available, there were 351,470 non-UK domiciled students studying in the UK, of which 308,990 were at higher education institutions in England and Wales.
Tables showing the requested information about (a) country of domicile for students at each higher education institution in England and Wales and (b) the income received by each higher education institution in respect of tuition fees are being sent to the hon. Member separately. A copy of each table has been placed in the Libraries.
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