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7 Oct 2008 : Column 588W—continued
Zambia: Education
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2008, Official Report, columns 1274-5W, on Zambia: education, how the £22.1 million that his Department contributed to the multi-donor education fund was distributed. [223675]
Mr. Douglas Alexander:
The multi-donor education fund to which the UK Government contributed under the 2003-07 Ministry of Education Strategic Plan was
distributed across three sub sectors: free basic education, high school education, teacher and tertiary education. As illustrated in the following table, the majority of donor pooled resources were allocated to basic education.
| Percentage | ||||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
This support has resulted in the net enrolment ratio at primary school level increasing from 78 in 2002 to 97 in 2006; and from 9.4 in 2002 to 22.17 in 2006 for grades 10-12 as well as the number of orphans enrolled increasing three-fold from 12,967 in 2002 to 38,262 in 2005.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2008, Official Report, columns 1274-5W, on Zambia: education, what programmes are planned to extend the provision of free education in Zambia between 2008 and 2011. [223676]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Zambian Fifth National Development Plan 2006-10 outlines the priorities to ensure equitable access to education in Zambia. This includes expansion of infrastructure including classrooms and teachers’ houses; teacher education; and curriculum development. Specific discussions between government and development partners to extend free primary education from Grades 1-7 to Grades 8-12 are currently underway. In addition a key priority is to respond effectively to the increased demand for education services following the abolition of charges for Grades 1-7 and improve the quality of education delivered, including infrastructure and teaching staff.
The Department for International Development (DFID) provides financing to the Government of Zambia's budget to support attainment of the goals outlined in the national plan.
Children, Schools and Families
Building Schools for the Future Programme
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in issuing guidance to local authorities on producing revised expressions of interest for Building for the Future waves 7 to 15; and which of the factors raised in the consultation which closed on 4 July were taken into account in drafting the guidance. [224488]
Jim Knight
[holding answer 6 October 2008]: The guidance was issued on 19 September. It reflected the responses to the consultation. This means that those involved in these later waves of Building Schools for the Future will benefit from the experience of those involved in the earlier waves, such as local authorities, schools, diocesan bodies and private sector bodies engaged in
construction finance and design. In line with Government guidelines, we have now issued a summary of the consultation responses.
We received 145 responses, of which 67 were from local authorities (46 per cent.), 21 from schools, 16 from representative organisations, five from diocesan bodies, nine from the private sector in construction finance and design, and 27 other—which include further private sector consultants. 55 (38 per cent.) of the responses were from bodies involved in waves 1 to 6 of Building Schools for the Future, and 90 not.
The guidance issued in the light of the responses asks for responses by 30 November 2008. When the Department has received the responses, we will prioritise projects in the way that the guidance specifies. We aim to announce the new national programme in early 2009, which will provide authorities with an indication on when they can expect to join the programme.
Departmental Homeworking
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2008, Official Report, column 405W, on departmental homeworking, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of homeworking by his Department’s staff. [222472]
Beverley Hughes: We have no plans to keep a central record of those staff who agree with their line manager to work occasionally from home, for example, to write a report. There is no requirement to keep a central record.
We have, however, recently moved from ‘dial-in’ access for homeworkers to broadband access only by authorised users with encrypted fobs. We have kept a central record of those authorised users with security fobs—which currently stands at 1,631 staff (or 60.3 per cent. of staff).
GCE A-level
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of A grade A-levels in (a) chemistry, (b) physics, (c) mathematics and (d) modern languages were awarded to pupils at (i) grammar schools, (ii) comprehensive schools, (iii) sixth form colleges and (iv) independent schools in the most recent year for which figures are available. [224527]
Jim Knight [holding answer 6 October 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) on 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1854-56W.
General Certificate of Secondary Education
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1854-6W, on examination results, what percentage of students who gained a GCSE in (a) French, (b) German and (c) Spanish at each grade were educated in the (i) mainstream maintained sector and (ii) the independent sector in each year since 1997; [224476]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1854-6W, on examination results, what percentage of students who gained a GCSE in (a) physics, (b) chemistry and (c) biology or human biology were educated in (i) the mainstream maintained sector and (ii) the independent sector in each year since 2005, broken down by grade. [224477]
Jim Knight [holding answer 6 October 2008]: The answer to which the question refers gives figures broken down by A*-C and A*-G grades. Further breakdowns can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
General Certificate of Secondary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many maintained mainstream schools over 75 per cent. of pupils obtained fewer than five GCSEs including English and mathematics at grades A to C in the last year for which figures are available. [224519]
Jim Knight [holding answer 6 October 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to PQ 180463, 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 162W.
The latest year for which figures are available is 2006/07. Provisional figures for 2007/08 will be available in mid-October.
Languages: General Certificate of Secondary Education
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) at how many comprehensive schools 50 per cent. or more pupils achieved a modern languages GCSE at A*-C in each year since 1997; [224479]
(2) what percentage of pupils in the maintained mainstream sector achieved five GCSEs including a modern language at A* to C grades in each year since 1997. [224500]
Jim Knight [holding answer 6 October 2008]: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to refund pre-paid Air Passenger Duty to passengers who had booked tickets with airlines which ceased trading prior to the date of the flight. [224528]
Mr. Timms: Where an airline ceases to trade and there is no carriage of passengers, no liability to APD arises, and consequently no tax is received by HMRC.
It is therefore for the airline to decide whether or not it refunds this charge.
Child Benefit: Telephone Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average waiting time was for telephone callers attempting to contact child benefit services in the last period for which figures are available. [224466]
Mr. Timms: In 2007-08 customers calling the Child Benefit Helpline waited, on average, one minute 21 seconds before their call was answered by an adviser.
Council Tax: Wales
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2008, Official Report, column 305W, on council tax: Wales, how many dwellings in Wales are marked with a property details activity code of (a) 30, (b) 60 and (c) 70 according to the Valuation Office Agency's records. [218245]
Mr. Timms: The number of dwellings in Wales marked with property details activity code 30, 60 or 70 is as follows.
| Data held at 2 April 2008 | |
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach. [223046]
Mr. Timms: There were fewer than five cases of serious disciplinary breaches over the last 12 months. These were dealt with under the Department’s disciplinary procedures and appropriate action taken.
Departmental Security
James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many departmental identity cards or departmental passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in (a) his Department and (b) each of its executive agencies in the last 24 months. [222226]
Mr. Timms: In the last 24 months the following departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in:
| Number | |
| (1) OGC and OGC Buying Solutions figures include data for all their offices since January 2007. Earlier figures are not available other than at disproportionate cost. | |
Excise Duties: Fuels
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the postponement of the two pence increase in fuel duty on revenue accruing to the Exchequer in each of the next 12 months. [222316]
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on Government revenue of delaying the two pence rise in fuel duty to spring 2009. [222935]
Mr. Timms: The impact of a six-month postponement of fuel duty increases on Government revenue is shown in Budget 2008, page 110, table A1.
Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has he made of the effect on Exchequer receipts in each financial year of the entry into force of clause 144 of the Finance Bill, on rebates to vehicle excise duty. [222789]
Mr. Timms: The public finance assumption is that the clause will have a negligible effect on receipts.
Housing: Sales
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residential property transactions there have been, according to HM Revenue and Customs records, by number and value, in (a) England and Wales and (b) the United Kingdom in each month in 2008. [224087]
Mr. Timms: Figures for the number of residential property transactions with a value of £40,000 or above by month are published on the HMRC website as National Statistics:
Housing: Valuation
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 18 June 2008, Official Report, column 988W, on housing: valuation, if he will place in the Library (a) a hard copy and (b) electronic copies of the maps and boundaries of each locality. [223087]
Mr. Timms: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Valuation Office Agency will adopt a principle of data minimisation in the information it collects and holds on domestic dwellings. [223961]
Mr. Timms: The Valuation Office Agency only collects information on domestic dwellings that is necessary for it to undertake its work in relation to property valuation.
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