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6 Oct 2008 : Column 481W—continued
It is not possible, except at disproportionate expense, to provide a more detailed breakdown for actual dates for when each campaign ran, other than detailing the financial year within which the expenditure occurred.
The Department ran a number of campaigns in support of its key delivery priorities, in order to inform target audiences of how they were affected by DFES policies. All of DFES campaigns followed the guidelines which govern Government information on issues of propriety and cost.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on entertainment in each of the last five years. [219256]
Beverley Hughes: Details of expenditure on entertainment incurred by the Department are as follows:
2007-08: £16,467
The figure includes expenditure incurred by Ministers and senior departmental officials. The figure excludes costs incurred as part of official events or formal meetings held to further departmental business.
The basic rules governing hospitality are set by HM Treasury. Hospitality expenditure is limited to occasions when official business can best be transacted in that way. Personal entertainment is usually restricted to where senior managers (deputy director or above) are acting as a host and expenditure must be approved in advance by a director or executive board member.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 as a result of a Machinery of Government change and the expenditure recorded above includes that of its predecessor Department, the Department for Education and Skills. The expenditure will also include any costs incurred by the newly created Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills, where these costs relate to areas formerly the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.
Departmental Official Residences
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided. [222008]
Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families provides no permanent residential accommodation for use by civil servants of any grade.
Departmental Procurement
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department’s financial database. [221997]
Ed Balls: The Department’s finance system can only produce a list of all organisations including commercial and non-commercial organisations that have received a payment from the Department. We would, however, have to consider, on an individual basis, whether or not disclosure of that information might prejudice the commercial interests of the Department or the relevant organisation, and that could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Relations
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months. [222002]
Ed Balls: The Department uses marketing companies for raising public awareness on specific issues. Public relations agencies are employed for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press office to provide campaign support in local, regional and specialist media.
The expenditure figures in the following table relate to the Central Office of Information’s Public Relations Framework and have been provided on a financial year basis, following guidance provided centrally by the Cabinet Office.
| £ | ||||
| Company | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 |
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many staff in his Department and its predecessors have been seconded to public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in each of the last five years; [222187]
(2) how many staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies have been seconded to his Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years. [222190]
Kevin Brennan: Since my Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, no staff have been seconded to or from public relations or public affairs firms, or consultancies.
Information for the previous years regarding the predecessor Department (the Department for Education and Skills) is not available.
Departmental Surveillance
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications his Department and its predecessor have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (a) undertake directed surveillance, (b) use covert human intelligence sources, (c) acquire communications data and (d) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months. [222000]
Ed Balls:
Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (‘RIPA’) are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner, each of whom has particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority
using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.
Economic and Monetary Union
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 30 June 2008, Official Report, column 638W, on economic and monetary union, if he will place in the Library a copy of the last version of the plan. [222188]
Beverley Hughes: A copy of the last plan has been placed in the Library.
EDF Energy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment. [221847]
Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 and has a contract with EDF for the provision of electricity to all of its Headquarter buildings. During 2007-08 the sum paid under this contract was £1,659,305. Contracts prior to this date relate to the former Department for Education and Skills.
Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant in each year since 2004-05; how much is allocated for each of the next three years; what the purpose of the grant is; and if he will make a statement. [223889]
Jim Knight: The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) is a ring-fenced grant allocated to all local authorities on a needs-based formula. The grant has two purposes:
(i) it allows LA strategic managers and schools to bring about whole-school change in narrowing achievement gaps for Black and minority ethnic pupils which in turn ensures equality of outcomes; and
(ii) it covers some of the costs of additional support to meet the specific needs of bilingual learners and underachieving pupils.
The following has been spent on EMAG since 2004:
| £ million | |
The following has been allocated for each of the next three years:
| £ million | |
EU Law
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. [222271]
Beverley Hughes: The Joint International Unit (JIU) supports both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills by promoting and defending the interests of the two Departments on EU business; overseeing the delivery of EU education; training and youth programmes; and fulfilling our treaty obligations in respect of European Schools. A total of 15 JIU staff work on this EU business for the two Departments.
Exams: Special Educational Needs
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of children classified as having (a) hearing and (b) vision impairment achieved the national standard in key stage (i) 1, (ii) 2 and (iii) 3 tests in each year since the introduction of the tests; [223755]
(2) how many and what proportion of children classified as having (a) hearing and (b) vision impairment achieved five A* to C grades in their GCSE exams in each of the last 10 years; [223756]
(3) how many and what proportion of children classified as having (a) hearing and (b) vision impairment achieved five A* to C grades including mathematics and English in their GCSE exams in each of the last 10 years. [223757]
Jim Knight: The Department only collects data by type of special educational need for children at School Action Plus or with statements. School Action Plus, under the SEN Code of Practice, enables a school to receive some external help to meet a child's SEN. An SEN statement is drawn up by a local authority, following an assessment, when it is necessary to determine the special educational provision which a child's learning difficulties call for.
The available 2007 information is attached to the Statistical First Release (SFR) National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2006/07.
KS2 can be found in Table 73 (key stage 2 attainment by SEN stage and primary SEN type) and at KS4 is in Table 74 (key stage 4 attainment for pupils at School Action Plus or with statements by primary SEN type). This information can be found at
A similar analysis was also carried out in 2006 and the relevant information is given as follows.
This information is not available for years before 2005 when type of SEN information for pupils was not collected. Information for 2005 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Having published this data in 2007, the Department will publish it for subsequent years when the data are available.
The analysis only relates to the primary SEN type of pupils. Some of these children may also have a secondary SEN type which has not been taken into consideration in the analysis.
| Percentage of pupils achieving level 2 or above in key stage 1 assessments | ||||
| Number of pupils with a hearing impairment at School Action Plus = 505 | ||||
| Number of pupils with a visual impairment at School Action Plus = 320 | ||||
| Number of pupils with a hearing impairment with statements = 415 | ||||
| Number of pupils with a visual impairment with statements = 230 | ||||
| Reading | Writing | Maths | Science | |
| Note: Figures relate to seven-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in maintained schools. | ||||
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