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15 Dec 2008 : Column 493W—continued
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor have spent on (a) flat screen televisions, (b) DVD players and (c) stereo equipment in each of the last three years. [242455]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's accounting records do not collate information to this level of detail. To provide a response would be at disproportionate cost.
All expenditure, however, has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of 'Managing Public Money' and the Treasury handbook on 'Regularity and Propriety'.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 4 November 2008, Official Report, columns 336-7W, on Government departments: information and communications technology, which IP addresses are used by (a) his Department and (b) computers in the offices of its (i) Ministers, (ii) communications officials and (iii) special advisers. [241944]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry:
To help defend against electronic attack, it is standard good information security practice for corporate IT systems, not to publish internal IP addresses. When accessing internet websites, the IP addresses of all of the computers on Department for Children Schools and Families internal office IT system are hidden behind the following IP addresses which are publicly available—195.92.40.49 and 62.25.106.209. These
IP addresses are shared with other Government departments that use the Government Secure Intranet.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on Ministerial hospitality in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06, (c) 2006-07 and (d) 2007-08, expressed in current prices. [241231]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information in the form requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in “Managing Public Money”.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what bonuses were paid by his Department in 2007-08; to which members of staff; and for what purposes. [240788]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Non-consolidated bonuses paid in the Department were paid to 51 per cent. of all staff in 2007-08. Bonuses are judged on delivery of agreed objectives and behaviours.
Departmental Rail Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date he last used a train in the course of his official duties. [242624]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: My right hon. Friend last used a train in the course of official duties on Thursday 27 November. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Departmental Responsibilities
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a list of the roles no longer in existence in (a) his Department and (b) its bodies as a result of the Gershon review. [240604]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. A list of senior managers, managers and administrative staff who are no longer employed in the Department has been placed in the House of Commons Library. We cannot confirm whether all of these staff have left as a result of the Gershon review as the information is not collected in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) for which the Department is responsible have their own staffing arrangements. Information is not held centrally on roles no longer in existence and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department publishes a Public Bodies Report each year which includes the number of staff in each NDPB as at 31 March. The Public Bodies 2008 report is at:
Further Education: Sittingbourne
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) when the Learning and Skills Council will announce its decisions on a further education college in Sittingbourne; [243209]
(2) when the Learning and Skills Council began work to identify a site for a further education college in Sittingbourne; [243210]
(3) who is responsible for deciding whether to establish a further education college in Sittingbourne. [243211]
Mr. Simon: I have been asked to reply.
As the statutory planning body for post 16 education and skills, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for assessing the need for further education (FE) in each locality. Although the LSC, working with local partners, has identified a need for some additional FE provision in Sittingbourne, the evidence suggests that there is insufficient demand for a new FE college.
Canterbury and Mid-Kent Colleges continue to play a major role in offering FE to learners in Sittingbourne, along with the local schools, the new Sittingbourne Skills Centre and the new Minster Academy which is expected to offer a wide range of vocational opportunities. Canterbury College, together with Swale borough council, is investigating whether there is scope for the college to have an additional presence in the area as part of the town’s regeneration plans including looking at possible sites. If the college concludes this to be appropriate, it will consult locally before putting a case to the LSC for consideration. A proposal is unlikely before Easter 2009.
The power to establish FE colleges lies with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills consulting with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and is contained within section 16 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Such decisions usually follow proposals made by the LSC. In the event of a proposal for an existing college to locate a new site in Sittingbourne, the Secretary of State has no role in the decision. This is for the college concerned with the support of the LSC.
Learning Disability: Primary Education
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding is available to primary schools in (a) West Chelmsford constituency, (b) Essex and (c) England for children diagnosed with specific learning difficulties in 2008-09. [243967]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Funding data specifically for children diagnosed with specific learning difficulties is not collected by the Department. However, according to the available information, Essex LA's 2008-09 Section 52 Budget statement reports that the West Chelmsford maintained primary schools received an indicative SEN allocation of £2.2 million.
The following table provides the planned net expenditure on the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs in Essex local authority and England for 2008-09:
Local Authorities: Disabled
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department plans to issue its disability audit tool to local authorities. [242937]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Work on the disability audit tool is at an early stage as commissioned research upon which it is to be based was only published at the end of November. The Department expects it to be developed during the early part of 2009 with the assistance of the researcher and a working group of stakeholders with the aim of issuing it by the beginning of the next school year.
National Curriculum Tests
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children who attended Sure Start centres received level 2 or above at key stage 1 for all years for which data are available. [240591]
Beverley Hughes: Data collected on levels attained by children at key stage 1 do not include information on whether they attended a Sure Start centre. It is therefore not possible to state what percentage of children who previously attended Sure Start centres achieved level 2 or above at key stage 1.
Primary Education: Curriculum
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which primary schools have been visited by members of the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum as part of their research for the report. [242461]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Members of the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum have visited 43 schools as part of their research for the report, to date:
Gallions Primary School
Weydon School
Argyle Primary School
Bournville Junior School
Clunbury CofE Primary School
Bute House Preparatory School
The Deans Primary School
Grosvenor Road Primary School
Mills Hill Primary School
Vigo Junior School
The Colleton Primary School
Edinbarnet Primary School
Our Lady of Loretto Primary School
Brucehill Early Education and Childcare Centre
Houston Primary School
St. Fillan’s Primary School
Redlands Primary
Walnut Tree Walk School
Torriano Junior School
John Madejski Academy
Wroxham Primary School
Woodberry Down Community Primary School
Argyle Primary School
Balsall Common Primary School
Monteney Primary School
Marlwood School
Cassop Primary School
West Kidlington Primary School
Portslade Infants School
St. George’s Hanover Square CofE Primary School
Southwater Infant School
Graffham Infants School
Duncton CofE Junior School
Woolmer Hill School
Greenfields Junior School
Peacehaven Infant School
Meridian Community Primary School
Elmhurst Primary School
Oliver Goldsmith Primary School
Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children’s Centre
St. Matthew’s CofE School
Kelsall Community Primary School
De Havilland Primary School
Pupils: Bullying
Annette Brooke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) when he expects the requirement for schools to record all bullying incidents
to be implemented; and what steps he will take to monitor those records; [243127]
(2) what definitions have been provided to schools for the purposes of recording incidents of bullying; [243490]
(3) whether he has plans for the inspection of the records kept by schools of incidents of bullying. [243489]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We are planning to launch our public consultation on the proposed new duty to record incidents of bullying early in 2009 and we aim to implement it in September 2009. The new duty will require schools to record incidents of bullying at school level; they will not be required to report their records to the local authority or central Government. We currently recommend that schools record incidents of bullying and share these records with the local authority as a means of developing cross-area anti-bullying strategies, and we will continue to encourage this.
As part of the Ofsted inspection process, schools are expected to demonstrate, through the self evaluation form, the steps they have taken to minimise bullying, and the effectiveness of these steps. Evidence is provided covering issues such as what anti-bullying policies the school has implemented, how incidents of bullying are recorded, how the data collected are analysed and followed up, and with what success. We expect school bullying records will be used when completing this form.
Ofsted inspectors also gather evidence through discussions with children and young people about whether they feel safe in school, and how well they feel the school deals with bullying. School records of bullying incidents would only be checked if there was a disparity between the information provided on the self evaluation form and the information gathered from discussions with pupils.
“Bullying—Don’t Suffer in Silence: An anti-bullying pack for schools (DfEE 0064/2000, updated September 2002)” defines bullying as:
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