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28 Oct 2008 : Column 996W—continued
Overseas Students
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) which 50 (a) universities and (b) further education colleges had the highest number of non-European Union students registered for courses in the last year for which figures are available; and how many such students were registered at each; [227519]
(2) how many students have been enrolled in full-time higher education courses at English universities and colleges in each year since 1990; how many of those originated in (a) EU member states other than the UK and (b) non-EU countries; and how many students from EU countries other than the UK studied at university in England in each year since 1997; [227520]
(3) which universities had over 5 per cent. of their student intake from non-EU nationals in each of the last five years; [227521]
(4) how many non-EU national students there are at each university in England. [227522]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
Scholarships: Overseas Students
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent on each publicly funded international student scholarship programme for which he is responsible in each of the last five years; and how much is to be spent on each programme in 2008-09. [229008]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills funds scholarships for PhD students from the developing world through the Dorothy Hodgkin awards. DIUS (previously DTI Office of Science and Technology) has directly contributed £525,000 since 2005, including £131,250 in 2008/09. This contributes towards the total of £23.565 million that research councils have funded through the Dorothy Hodgkins scheme from 2004-08. DIUS has also contributed £400,000 per year towards the FCO’s Chevening scholarships for the past five years, including this year. DIUS has earmarked, but not yet spent:
£800,000 for Commonwealth Scholarships for the academic years 2009/10 and 2010/11
£13.4 million over the current spending period for Newton Fellowships.
Students: Fees and Charges
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the annual costs that would accrue to the public purse from the abolition of fees for students in higher education in the UK. [224539]
Mr. Lammy: Total income from tuition fees was worth £5.4 billion to UK higher education institutions in 2006/07 the latest year for which data is available. It would cost the taxpayer at least that amount each year if tuition fees were abolished for all students in higher education in the UK and the Government decided to compensate institutions for the loss of income on a pound for pound basis. The Government believe that in view of the personal financial returns to higher education, those who benefit from participating in higher education should also make a contribution to its costs.
Teachers: Training
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the annual cost to his Department was of the funding of (a) post graduate certificate in education courses and (b) undergraduate B.Ed courses in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [228881]
Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families pays grant in aid to the Training and Development Agency for Schools to help fund undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training courses in England. Total TDA funding to initial teacher training providers for trainee teachers registered on postgraduate and undergraduate courses for the last three years is as follows:
| £ | ||
| Academic year | Postgraduate | Undergraduate |
| Notes: 1. Postgraduate courses include School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT). 2. Undergraduate courses include all degrees leading to Qualified Teacher Status, including BEd, BA with QTS and BSc with QTS. | ||
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of students on an initial teacher training course were eligible for a bursary in the most recent period for which figures are available. [229020]
Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
Training bursaries are payable to eligible trainees on mainstream postgraduate courses of initial teacher training. In 2006/07 there were 23,920 first-year postgraduates on mainstream courses eligible for the bursary. That figure represented 61 per cent. of the total teachers in training in that year.
Children, Schools and Families
Academies: Trade Unions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether it is his policy that academies should recognise trades unions; and if he will make a statement. [229466]
Jim Knight: Academy trusts are subject to the same employment law requirements as any other employer.
In the 2007 academies prospectus we stated that:
“As a good employer we would expect Academies to recognise staff Associations.”
Alderman Blaxhill School: Colchester
Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2008, Official Report, column 1104W, on the Alderman Blaxhill school, Colchester, if he will list
the full itinerary for which the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners undertook on his visit to Colchester in September 2008. [231261]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: My predecessor, Lord Adonis, held a short introductory meeting with the leader of Essex county council, followed by visits to Alderman Blaxill school, Thomas, Lord Audley school and Sir Charles Lucas school when he visited Colchester.
In line with the usual protocols, Lord Adonis’ office informed the hon. Member for Colchester in a letter of 27 August of the date of the visit and the planned itinerary.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who instigated the visit on 12 September to Alderman Blaxill school, Colchester, by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners. [226733]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 13 October 2008]: The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners, visited Alderman Blaxill School, Colchester, on 12 September at the invitation of Lord Hanningfteld. Lord Hanningfield e-mailed to invite Lord Adonis on 13 June 2008.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2008, Official Report, column 1104W, on the Alderman Blaxill school, Colchester, on what date the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners visited Colchester; and what the (a) name and (b) position was of the member of his private office who was present during the visit. [231260]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners was accompanied by his diary manager on his visit to Alderman Blaxill School, Colchester on 12 September. It is not the Department’s practice to make public any personal information relating to junior officials.
Children: Asylum
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who were suspected to be victims of human trafficking came to the UK in each year for which records are available. [228708]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
The Home Office does not collate aggregate data on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children coming to the UK who are suspected of being victims of human trafficking.
Children: Prisoners
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with children's charities on (a) the needs of children with parents in prison and (b) the additional support that they require. [229976]
Beverley Hughes: We have an ongoing dialogue with children's charities and voluntary organisations through the Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) grant programme, the Parenting Fund and the Parent Know How Programme to provide services to parents and families, including help with their parenting skills. This includes structured parenting programmes, support groups, counselling and helplines.
We recently announced the injection of £16 million pounds for parenting services across the UK as part of the third round of the Parenting Fund run by the Family and Parenting Institute. Charities and voluntary organisations from 23 areas of the country will be able to apply for funding for projects that help strengthen family relationships in families where parental behaviours compromise family well being, including work to support families of offenders to improve life chances of their children.
In January, we published the joint priority review of the children of offenders with the Ministry of Justice. This includes commitment to explore ways in which the National Offender Management Service and children's service can assess and meet a child's needs when a parent goes to prison; and to set clear and achievable expectations of offender managers and local partners to improve support for these families.
We have also highlighted the families of offenders as being a priority group to local authorities in their work to decide where to target the significantly increased funding (over £120 million for 2008-11) we have made available for targeted initiatives to support families with high levels of need, with a particular focus on parenting skills. These include family intervention projects, the parenting early intervention programme, family pathfinders respect parenting practitioners and funding for at least one new parenting expert in every local authority to provide evidence-based parenting programmes for parents of children who are considered to be at risk or those parents with problems that are known to put their children at risk. Children of offenders (including those in prison) have been highlighted as one of the groups to be targeted by the Family Pathfinders and for the new parenting experts and the youth crime action plan.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what IT projects his Department is undertaking; and what the most recent estimate of (a) the cost and (b) the completion date of each is. [229156]
Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold a current comprehensive list of IT expenditure at every level of detail sponsored by the Department or its delivery partners. This could be calculated only at disproportionate cost. However, some information is readily available about the eight most significant IT projects sponsored by the Department and its delivery partners. The information that follows represents the total cost of each project and not all of this will relate to hardware and software. Figures quoted are based on current plans and are subject to actual outturns. Some DCSF expenditure also includes elements relating to services provided to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills following machinery of government changes that are not readily identifiable.
| Projects | £ million |
I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (James Brokenshire) on 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 604.
Departmental Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on overnight accommodation by his Department’s civil servants in the last 12 months. [228764]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is not available in the form requested and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Older Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people aged over (a) 55 and (b) 60 years of age were recruited by his Department in 2007-08; and what percentage in each case this was of the number of new recruits. [228761]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: My Department was formed as part of the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007. Figures are available from 28 June 2007 to 30 September 2008. The information is set out as follows:
| Number/percentage | |
Departmental Pensions
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many civil servants working in his Department and its agencies have pensions with a cash-equivalent transfer value of over £1 million. [229558]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It is not appropriate to disclose pension information for civil servants other than board members whose details are shown in the remuneration report in annual resource accounts. A copy of the Children, Schools and Families resource accounts for financial year 2007-08 can be found in the Library or accessed electronically using the following link
The Department has no agencies.
Diplomas
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many places will be available for each of the diplomas for 14-to 19-year-olds in 2009-10. [225847]
Jim Knight: We do not know the number of places that will be available for diplomas in the school year 2009-10, and will not do so until young people chose their options next year.
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