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22 Jan 2009 : Column 1702W—continued
Departmental Data Protection
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many members of staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since its inception. [248250]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since the Department was created in July 2007, there has been one investigation into the temporary loss of a laptop computer. Disciplinary action in relation to this new case has begun, but is not yet completed.
The Department takes any breach of security very seriously and may take disciplinary action against those who commit such breaches. Policies and guidance on IT security are available to all staff on the departmental intranet. Logging into the Department’s IT system requires that staff agree to abide by these policies.
Departmental Equality
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the progress made against his Department’s Equality and Diversity Delivery Plan. [247188]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department’s Diversity Delivery Plan has recently been sent to Cabinet Office for review and therefore it is too early to make any assessment against progress. We will evaluate the plan later in the year and review its impact on a yearly basis.
Departmental Furniture
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent by his Department on furniture made by (a) British firms, (b) Remploy and (c) overseas firms since it was established. [244361]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007. The total expenditure on office furniture for its headquarter buildings in 2007-08 was £2,323,834. All of the furniture was manufactured by British firms. No furniture was made by Remploy or overseas firms.
Departmental Pensions
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on pensions for former employees in each of the last 10 years. [247304]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) is a multi-employer occupational pension scheme for civil servants employed by Government Departments, including the Department for Children, Schools and Families, as well as some other public bodies.
The payments from the PCSPS are contained in the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts, which are laid before Parliament each year. These accounts do not contain breakdowns for individual employers.
Departmental Surveys
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the findings of his Department’s staff survey which commenced in April 2008 were. [247187]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Cabinet Office publish the results of all Departmental Staff Surveys. The findings from the Department's last staff survey in April 2008 can be found on this site at:
Education Maintenance Allowance
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many people have received notices of entitlement for the education maintenance allowance but have not enrolled on a course in the last 12 months; [249227]
(2) how many people have yet to receive an education maintenance allowance payment to which they are entitled. [249228]
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). 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 both Libraries.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people (a) in Jarrow constituency, (b) in South Tyneside, (c) in the North East and (d) nationwide have received education maintenance allowance in each year since its inception. [249560]
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). 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 both Libraries.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Kent
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students have (a) received a notice of entitlement for the education maintenance allowance (EMA), (b) successfully enrolled on a course of study and (c) received at least one (EMA) payment in (i) Kent local authority area and (ii) Ashford constituency since the introduction of the allowance. [249187]
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). Mark Haysom the LSC's chief executive, will write to the Member for Ashford (Damian Green) with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in both Libraries.
Expect Respect
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many local education authorities have encouraged schools to use the Expect Respect education toolkit; [247668]
(2) what guidance his Department has provided to local education authorities on use of the Expect Respect education toolkit. [247669]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect information on how many local education authorities have encouraged schools to use the Expect Respect education toolkit, nor do we endorse or recommend any particular provider or approach to the use of external education materials. We believe that schools and local authorities are best placed to decide which resources/materials to use and support.
Global Fellowships Programme
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of the Global Fellowships programme’s initiative to provide young people with work and cultural experiences in (a) China, (b) India and (c) Brazil; and if he will make a statement. [247271]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: An interim evaluation of the Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship will be published by the Department and the British Council in the spring.
Graduate Leader Fund
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what funding his Department has allocated to the Graduate Leader Fund over the next three years; [247417]
(2) how much he expects to be available from Graduate Leader Fund in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [247288]
Beverley Hughes: The Department has allocated £305 million to the Graduate Leader Fund for the three years 2008-2011. This includes £232 million to be allocated via local authorities for early years settings in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sectors to recruit and retain graduate practice leaders and £73 million to enable the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to establish a supply of professionals with Early Years Professional Status.
Of this funding, the Department has made £99 million available in the next financial year 2009-10. £75 million has been allocated for recruitment and retention of graduate leaders and £24 million to CWDC.
Mathematics
Mr. Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress is being made in the implementation of recommendation 3 of the Williams Review of Mathematics Teaching in Early Years Settings and Primary Schools. [247332]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry:
The Williams Review recommended that a maths specialist teacher should be available to every primary school by 2019. A small pathfinder project is currently running to test issues relating to the training for maths specialists. This was launched in October 2008 and involves seven LAs with
eight schools in each, and a total of 56 trainee teachers. Early evidence shows a positive reaction from the teachers involved and the training improving their confidence, enjoyment and understanding of mathematics.
National Apprenticeship Service
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the National Apprenticeship Service to be established. [247242]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: ‘World-class Apprenticeships’ announced that from April 2009 there would be a separately branded, customer-facing National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) which will have end-to-end responsibility for the apprenticeship programme in England, including ultimate accountability for the national delivery of targets.
Good progress is being made in setting up the NAS and the chief executive, Simon Waugh, will take up post on 2 February. The NAS is on track to be fully operational from April 2009.
Excellent progress is also being made on the National Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service (NAVMS). The web-based matching service was launched on 12 January and the full service to employers and would-be apprentices will be in place in April 2009.
National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Centre
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) whether he expects the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Centre to open in 2009; [247407]
(2) what estimate he has made of the (a) capital and (b) annual running cost of the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Centre. [247408]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Resource Centre is grant funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation rather than the Department for Children, Schools and Families. I am unable to confirm when it is due to open and have made no estimate of the capital and running costs involved.
Pupils: Broadband
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent assessment of the level of access to broadband at home is for (a) all primary school pupils and (b) primary school pupils from lower income households. [250606]
Jim Knight: The most recent research(1) published by the Department found that 90 per cent. of parents of school-aged children in England reported that they had computer and internet access at home. Among parents of primary age children the figure was 89 per cent. for parents of children in Key Stage 1, and 88 per cent. for children in Key Stage 2.
(1) Peters et al, Parental Involvement in Children's Education, London, DCSF, 2007
The research showed a variation in connectivity by social class. Among parents in social class E, 69 per cent. had a computer with internet access. The research did not distinguish broadband and dial-up connectivity. However Government statistics(2) show that most UK households with internet connectivity have a broadband connection: 65 percent of households had any Internet access and 56 per cent. had broadband access.
(2) National Statistics Omnibus Survey 2008
Schools: PFI
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many contracts with private providers under private finance initiative schemes have been signed for school capital projects in each of the last six months. [249101]
Jim Knight: The following contracts have been signed which include private finance initiative in each of the last six months:
Islington—July 2008
Kent—October 2008
Schools: Pigmeat
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pork served in schools in (a) East Devon constituency, (b) the South West and (c) England was locally sourced in the last five years. [247561]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect this information. Decisions on food procurement are down to individual schools and local authorities. To assist them in this the School Food Trust has published “A fresh look at school food procurement: efficiency and sustainability”—guidance for schools and local authorities on how efficient and sustainable food procurement can be pursued in tandem.
The guidance actively promotes the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI), which aims to increase tenders from small and local producers and improve their ability to do business. The guide encourages buyers to identify and reduce barriers to small and medium-sized local enterprises (which may prevent them from tendering) and recognises that smaller suppliers can compete with larger businesses. It also recognises that their participation in the public sector supply chain can benefit local and regional economies. The Trust’s website also contains a number of case studies where local authorities and schools demonstrate how they have successfully tendered for local produce for their meals’ service.
Schools: Racial Discrimination
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what means his Department monitors and records the number of
racially-triggered events occurring in schools; how many such events there were in maintained schools in Norfolk in the last 12 months; what steps he is taking to reduce the number of such events in the future; and if he will make a statement. [247763]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families issued its ‘Recording and reporting racist incidents guidance’ in December 2006. It is for individual local authorities to record, monitor and investigate the number of incidents in their schools.
Between 1 April 2008 and 13 January 2009, Norfolk county council has stated that 283 racist incidents were reported by schools. Between April 2007 and March 2008, 293 incidents were reported.
Schools: Standards
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in the National Challenge programme were oversubscribed in September (a) 2007 and (b) 2008; and if he will make a statement. [249972]
Jim Knight: Data on schools that are oversubscribed are not collected centrally.
Schools: Vetting
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects all Criminal Records Bureau checks on existing (a) head teachers, (b) teachers and (c) non-teaching school staff to have been completed. [249570]
Jim Knight: Schools are not required to obtain CRB enhanced disclosures on staff who have been in post since before the CRB was established in 2002, although schools are required to check that such staff are not barred from working with children. When the new Vetting and Barring Scheme is introduced, such staff will be required to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority and to obtain a CRB enhanced disclosure. The new scheme will be phased in over a period of up to five years, but staff—including school staff—who have never had a CRB disclosure will have high priority in the phasing-in process. Although we cannot say precisely when this will be complete, staff without CRB disclosures will be taken early in the phasing process. The arrangements apply equally to head teachers, teachers and other staff.
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