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17 Sep 2008 : Column 2271W—continued
Work Permits: Health Professions
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 20 non-EU nationalities received the most work permits for (a) doctors and (b) nurses in each year since 1997; and how many such
work permits were issued to non-EU nationals in each of those years. [210421]
Mr. Byrne: Tables placed in the House Library show the 20 non-EU nationalities (where applicable) with the highest number of work permits granted each year for doctors and nurses in the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2007.
Children, Schools and Families
Adoption
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many (a) people and (b) couples had been assessed as suitable adoptive parents and were yet to adopt at the most recent date for which information is available; [223342]
(2) how many (a) people and (b) couples were assessed as suitable adoptive parents in each of the last 10 years; [223344]
(3) how many children who were adopted waited longer than (a) one month, (b) six months and (c) one year to be adopted following the decision that adoption was in their best interest in each of the last five years. [223345]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 10 September 2008]: The information requested is as follows:
Data on how many (a) people and (b) couples have been assessed as suitable adoptive parents and were yet to adopt are not collected centrally by the Department.
Data on how many (a) people and (b) couples have been assessed as suitable adoptive parents in each of the last 10 years are not collected centrally by the Department.
Information on how many children who were adopted waited longer than (a) one month, (b) six months and (c) one year to be adopted following the decision that adoption was in their best interest in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
The table provides the information requested for looked after children who were adopted. The figures shown for the time between the decision that adoption was in the child's best interest and the date of adoption are cumulative.
Children: Databases
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how and by whom the new statutory guidance on sections 10 and 11 of the Children Act 2004 will be monitored and evaluated; and when he expects the first evaluation to be completed. [223353]
Beverley Hughes: As set out in the Children’s Plan launched by the Secretary of State in December 2007, the Government are committed to publishing revised statutory guidance under Section 10 of the Children Act 2004 on inter-agency co-operation to improve the well-being of children, young people and families later this year. A revised version of the statutory guidance under Section 11 on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, originally issued in 2005, was published in April 2007. The Government have no plans to issue further revised guidance at this stage.
The Government have no plans to provide specific additional funding for implementing these guidance documents, which are intended to clarify the statutory responsibilities of local authorities and other bodies, including health agencies, for which they receive mainstream funding. The Government have however commissioned an audit of the extent to which public organisations have been complying with their duties under Section 11. The results of the survey will be made public in spring 2009.
From April 2009, the performance of local authorities and their partners will be assessed under the new, multi-inspectorate Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA). This will focus on the delivery of key outcomes in an area, and the contribution of statutory and non-statutory partners, including health agencies, will be in scope. Inspectorates are currently consulting on CAA, and intend to publish their framework in February 2009. CAA will report annually, with the first reports in November 2009.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in his Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years. [221169]
Jim Knight: The total amount claimed as reimbursable expenses by press officers are as follows:
| £ | |
These figures include expenses claimed by press officers who transferred to DIUS in the machinery of government changes in 2007. We do not hold records of expenses claimed by any outside agencies.
Education and Inspection Act 2006: Parenting Orders
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parenting orders under section 98 of the Education and Inspection Act 2006 have been issued since September 2007. [224101]
Jim Knight: To date, no local authority has applied to the courts for a parenting order following a pupil’s exclusion from school or for serious misbehaviour. Use of parenting orders was always intended to be a last resort, after local authorities and schools had used a wide range of strategies to address poor behaviour in schools such as voluntary parenting contracts for behaviour. 86 local authorities have agreed over 6,500 parenting contracts for behaviour since September 2004.
Education: Assessments
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what proportion of (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science key stage 3 tests he estimates will have been marked and entered into the computer system by 15 July 2008; and if he will make a statement; [217700]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) key stage 2 and (b) key stage 3 pupils who will not receive their national test results in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science by 18 July 2008; and if he will make a statement; [218222]
(3) which schools will not receive their national test results by 18 July 2008; and if he will make a statement; [218223]
(4) what progress has been made in marking key stage 2 and 3 national test papers; and if he will make a statement. [218225]
Jim Knight: The administration and marking of national curriculum tests is a function of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) that is delivered independently of Government. The National Assessment Agency (NAA) manages the marking process within the QCA. NAA has advised that, to date, the proportion of Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 English, maths and science results available to schools are as follows:
| Percentage | |
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) by what date he expects all key stage 2 test results to have been delivered to schools; [220484]
(2) by what date he expects all key stage 3 test results to have been delivered to schools. [220485]
Jim Knight: The administration and marking of national curriculum tests is a function of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) that is delivered independently of Government. The National Assessment Agency (NAA) manages the marking process within the QCA. NAA has advised that, at present, over 99.5 per cent. of Key Stage 2 and over 98 per cent. of Key Stage 3 results have been made available to schools.
National Strategies: Finance
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the budget is, including monies allocated through the Standards Fund and Area-Based Agreements, for the National Strategies in 2008-09. [224222]
Jim Knight: The budget allocated for the National Strategies programmes in 2008-09 is:
£86 million for the central support and challenge function to local authorities, schools and early years settings, including substantial free resources provided through the web and in hard copy form. This central resource supports a range of programmes, for example school improvement, behaviour and attendance and early years, whose local delivery is supported from other budgets.
£60 million for local authority delivery and support to schools which is now a component part of the area based grant paid to local authorities.
£218 million standards fund grant for schools to access the national strategies' core training and support.
Pre-School Education: Disadvantaged
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to ensure that children from disadvantaged families have the same access to pre-school educational care as other children. [223557]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 15 September 2008]: All three and four-year-olds are now guaranteed free, part time early education, so that they can receive two years high quality early learning before school starting age. Local authorities are required to reach out to particularly disadvantaged and hard to reach groups within their local community to maximise take up of this free entitlement. We are also piloting free early years provision to 13,000 disadvantaged two-year-olds across 32 local authorities. As set out in the Children's Plan, we are investing £100 million over three years to extend the offer of up to 15 hours of free early education and child care to a further 20,000 two-year-olds in the most disadvantaged communities.
Since April 2008, local authorities have been under a duty to secure sufficient child care for working parents in their area, paying particular attention to the needs of families from disadvantaged backgrounds as reported in their child care sufficiency assessments. We are also doing more than ever to make good quality child care affordable, particularly through spending some £3.5 million every day on tax credits for lower and middle income working families. The Department is running an ‘Affordable Childcare’ media campaign, aimed at disadvantaged families in particular, informing parents of the benefits of child care for children and the financial help available through tax credits. In addition, we are pursuing an initiative to improve the take-up of child
care by hard-to-reach and black and minority ethnic families, as well as a scheme to help workless families with child care as they train for work.
Schools: Inspections
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) formal and (b) informal support measures his Department provides to headteachers whose school is undergoing an Ofsted inspection. [224231]
Jim Knight: The Department does not provide specific support to head teachers during a school inspection. However, Ofsted provides a helpline which head teachers can access if they need advice or have concerns about an inspection.
Ofsted aims to make the school inspection process as transparent as possible. It publishes its inspection guidance so that head teachers can benefit from a clear understanding of how their school will be inspected. It also produces the Self-evaluation Form (SEF) and jointly with Department provides schools with RAISEonline, a performance data package which allows schools to analyse their own performance. Both these link to the framework used by inspectors in assessing a school, which is published.
All schools have School Improvement Partners tasked with providing regular professional challenge and support in the process of school improvement, including help with taking forward Ofsted’s recommendations.
Schools: Standards
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils who have taken part in the Making Good Progress pilot did not pass the single level test at the first attempt in (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science at key stage 2 (i) level 4 and (ii) level 5. [224223]
Jim Knight: National level results of the single level tests have not yet been published. They will be published as part of an independent evaluation of the Making Good Progress pilot which is being conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Their interim report will be published in autumn 2008.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils who have taken part in the Making Good Progress pilot to date reached key stage 2 level 4 in (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science by the end of year 6. [224224]
Jim Knight: We are not able to provide results from the 2008 Key Stage 2 National Curriculum assessments for schools involved in the Making Good Progress pilot. These results are currently provisional and have been published at national and local authority level only.
The percentage of pupils achieving level 4 in Key Stage 2 National Curriculum assessments in English, mathematics and science will be published at school level, including schools involved in the Making Good Progress pilot, in the 2008 Primary Achievement and Attainment Tables.
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