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9 Dec 2008 : Column 77W—continued
Prostate Cancer
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the first prostate cancer training courses resulting from the work of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have been delivered. [240916]
Ann Keen: Leeds Teaching Hospitals national health service trust will run the first pilot prostate cancer multidisciplinary team surgical master class by early March 2009.
Radiography: Education
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made in the project to introduce virtual skills training for student therapeutic radiographers; and if he will make a statement. [240903]
Ann Keen: There are 10 universities providing therapeutic radiographer training and the virtual environment for radiotherapy training has been installed in 26 radiotherapy departments based in national health service trusts. A further eight installations are planned during 2009, and six trusts are awaiting suitable accommodation to become available.
Radiotherapy
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Commissioning Group commissions proton therapy for suitable cancers other than eye cancers from overseas suppliers. [240905]
Ann Keen: The National Commissioning Group commissions proton beam therapy for all suitable cancers identified on the high priority list produced by the National Radiography Advisory Group in 2007. A clinical reference panel advises on each individual referred case and its suitability for treatment from overseas providers.
Social Services: Registration
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce his decision on the inclusion of other social care workers on the register of the General Social Care Council. [241268]
Phil Hope: The Department remains convinced of the important role that the registration of home care workers can play in public protection and raising quality within the sector. We need to do this in a way that does not create unnecessary burdens, is cost effective and is based on best available evidence as to what works. The Department is currently in discussion with the General Social Care Council on how best to achieve this. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Children, Schools and Families
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of all guidance distributed to local councils and other bodies on procurement for the Building Schools for the Future programme. [240593]
Jim Knight: All procurement guidance for local authorities for Building Schools for the Future is available on the Partnerships for Schools website:
These documents are updated regularly and the website is the recommended best source. Officials do not provide copies to the Library to ensure no out-of-date material is available.
Children: Day Care
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in each local education authority provide wraparound school care. [241629]
Beverley Hughes: We do not collect information centrally on the number of schools providing wraparound care. We do, however, have information on the number of schools providing access to the full core offer of extended services in England. This includes access to a varied menu of activities, combined with child care in primary schools, from 8 am to 6 pm and during school holidays where there is demand. The list providing details of the number of schools in each local authority that are providing access to the core offer of extended services has been placed in both libraries. This shows that there are 14,750 extended schools which represents around 67 per cent. of all maintained schools.
There are many other schools which are already providing parts of the core offer, including child care and a varied menu of activities, and developing access to other services which are not yet included in these figures.
We want all schools to offer access to extended services by 2010.
Classroom Assistants: Conditions of Employment
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) pay, (b) conditions and (c) pensions and other benefits are stipulated in legislation for classroom assistants; and what such categories will be stipulated in statute if the proposals announced in the Queen's Speech were enacted. [240611]
Jim Knight: There is currently no national pay structure stipulated within legislation to cover support staff (including classroom assistants) who are employed to work in local authority maintained schools. Decisions on pay and conditions and other benefits are taken at local level. However, support staff employed in local authority maintained schools have access to membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
The forthcoming Children, Skills and Learning Bill will include a provision to establish the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). The remit of the SSSNB, also to be set out within the Bill, will be to negotiate and reach agreement on matters that will be referred to the Secretary of State relating to (a) the remuneration of school support staff and (b) the conditions of employment relating to the duties or working time of school support staff.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies spent on (a) entertainment, (b) hospitality and (c) advertising in 2007-08. [240605]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not centrally hold information on how much each of its non-departmental public bodies spends on entertainment, hospitality and advertising. This information can be gathered from each individual body only at disproportionate cost.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of people who are no longer in education or training as a result of the delay in making education maintenance allowance payments. [240615]
Jim Knight: We have no evidence that delay in making Education Maintenance Allowance payments has resulted in a drop in the overall numbers of people participating in education or training.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 1836W, on the education maintenance allowance, how many students had (a) received a notice of entitlement for the education maintenance allowance, (b) successfully enrolled and (c) received at least one payment by (i) November 2006 and (ii) November 2007. [241515]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA transferred to Capita from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom the LSC’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what sanctions he plans to impose on Liberata for failing to make education maintenance allowance payments on time; and if he will make a statement; [241619]
(2) how many people enrolled on an entry to employment programme have had education maintenance allowance payments delayed because of technical problems; and if he will make a statement. [241631]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA transferred to Capita from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom the LSC’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Yeovil with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the interim learning providers' portal used in the administration of the Education Maintenance Allowance; and if he will make a statement. [241795]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA transferred to Capita from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Educational Institutions: Regulation
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his estimate is of the number of unregulated and unregistered educational institutions in England used by local education authorities. [241870]
Jim Knight: This information is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of local authorities to commission education provision from public and private sector providers and we understand that the nature of this provision varies from full-time provision to a few hours of supplementary services per week.
Gifted Children: Finance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department plans to spend on programmes for gifted and talented young people in each financial year from 2008-09 to 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [241634]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer my hon. Member to the reply given to him on 28 April 2008, Official Report, column 202W.
International Baccalaureate
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which maintained schools are offering (a) the international baccalaureate and (b) the pre-U examination in 2008-09. [240629]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold this information.
Maintained schools are free to offer whatever qualifications they consider appropriate to their students’ learning, provided these qualifications are approved under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000.
Details of all schools and colleges offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) can be found on the IB website at:
Primary Education: Capital Investment
Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether local authorities will be required under the primary capital programme to reduce primary pupil places across the whole authority as a condition of spending the funding awarded under the programme. [241205]
Jim Knight: There is no such condition. Prior to agreeing funding for the Primary Capital Programme, we asked each local authority to develop Primary Strategies for Change in consultation with local stakeholders setting out how the programme will support national policies and local priorities. We release funding to each authority once we are satisfied with its Strategy for Change. We issued guidance on the content of strategies for change on 6 December last year.
Among other things, the guidance made clear our expectation that local authorities should review overall provision taking into account demographic change and parental preference. However, responsibility for balancing the demand and supply of places is a matter for local determination.
Primary Education: Stoke-on-Trent
Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what conditions apply to the award of £10.7 million to Stoke-on-Trent under the primary capital programme. [240300]
Jim Knight: To access the funding earmarked for the delivery of the Primary Capital Programme, Stoke-on-Trent was asked to develop a Primary Strategy for Change, setting out how the programme will support national and local priorities. Following assessment against the guidance issued on 6 December the authority has been notified that its strategy has been approved with modification. This means that it was judged to be generally sound but further information/reassurance is required on how the programme will transform school standards. This includes;
The approach on suitability and accessibility issues in schools
The plans for schools not reaching floor targets
The relationship between the design of schools and
The rote of technology in raising standards
The need for a proactive approach in driving through change in governance arrangements where there is very poor performance.
The Department has committed to working with Stoke-on-Trent to resolve these issues quickly, prior to resubmission by the end of March 2009.
Pupils: Diabetes
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance has been issued by his Department to (a) schools and (b) Ofsted on training of school staff relating to children with diabetes; and if he will place copies of such guidance in the Library. [241492]
Jim Knight: This Department issued, in 2005, guidance entitled 'Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings'. This guidance was published jointly with the Department of Health, and specifically addresses what schools can do to help children with diabetes and other medical conditions.
The guidance contains information on putting arrangements in place for dealing with emergency situations, including when to call an ambulance. However, it is for schools and local authorities to set their own policy, including the training needs of staff, taking into account local needs and resources. They should work with local health services to support pupils with medical conditions, including diabetes.
This Department has not issued guidance on this matter to Ofsted.
Schools: Admissions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many surplus places there were in (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in each local authority area in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [241854]
Jim Knight: The requested information has been placed in the House Library.
Schools: Buildings
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children are currently being taught in temporary facilities. [240594]
Jim Knight: Data on school temporary buildings were supplied to the Department by local education authorities in 2001, 2003 and 2005. However, the data did not show numbers of pupils taught in those buildings. Furthermore, checks indicated that the completeness and quality of the data was not good enough for accurate analysis.
Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.7 billion in 2008-09 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable.
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