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3 Feb 2009 : Column 1060W—continued
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the oral answer of 26 January 2009, Official Report, columns 10-11, on child abuse, what steps his Department is taking to encourage parents and others who provide childcare to use non-physical means of modifying a child's behaviour. [253615]
Beverley Hughes: Our approach is to provide parents with positive support and guidance to help them manage their children's behaviour more effectively. This includes making parenting classes more widely available to help give parents the confidence to use other, better means of disciplining their children than physical punishment. This approach works with parents and not against them. We are pleased that parents' attitudes towards smacking have been changing over time; this was the finding of the parental survey conducted in 2007 as part of the review of section 58 of the Children Act 2004.
Physical punishment is banned in schools and in registered childcare settings, including daycare and childminding. It is also banned in children's homes and local authority foster care.
Children: Internet
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what steps his Department has taken to encourage internet service providers to practise greater self-regulation in the area of pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia websites; [246090]
(2) what recent steps his Department has taken to promote awareness among parents of the dangers of pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites; [246091]
(3) what recent meetings his Department has had with internet service providers regarding websites which are pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia. [246092]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 12 January 2009]: We take the issue of safety on the internet very seriously. That is why we asked Dr. Tanya Byron to lead an independent review on potential risks online and in video games—and we have fully accepted all her recommendations, including those on the needs for vulnerable groups. These include:
encouraging content hosts and search providers work with the relevant charities to make sure that advertisements with links to support services are displayed whenever users discuss or search for information about harmful behaviours;
encouraging content hosts to work with charities to improve moderation practices around discussions about harmful behaviours; and
targeted communications to raise awareness of internet content issues amongst those who work with vulnerable children and young people.
The UK Council for Child Internet Safety, a multi stakeholder forum, was launched in September 2008 to implement the Byron recommendations. Its work will lead to the publication of a Child Internet Safety Strategy later this year that will contain specific measures to make the internet a safer place.
We are also working with the Department of Health to implement the recommendations of the report of the independent review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, ‘Children and Young People in Mind’, published on 18 November. We have set up a National Advisory Council for children's mental health and psychological wellbeing to advise us on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of CAMHS final report and hold us to account on progress. Better access to specialist services for children, young people and families is a priority area for the implementation of the CAMHS review's recommendations.
In addition, the Department of Health announced in October 2008 a £170 million expansion of psychological therapies to provide better support for people with common mental health problems such as eating disorders.
Children's Centres
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the viability of children’s centres in circumstances where local authorities comply with guidance issued by his Department that such centres become financially self-sustaining by 2011. [251043]
Beverley Hughes:
There is no requirement that Sure Start Children’s Centres become self-sustaining by 2011. Integrated early learning and day care, which is a key part of the offer in children’s centres in the most
disadvantaged areas and optional elsewhere, is the only service which is intended to become self-sustaining. The Department’s Phase 3 Sure Start Children’s Centres planning and delivery guidance states that this is to run on business lines once it is established. Local authorities are accountable, through their sufficiency duties, to ensure there is appropriate provision to meet local needs.
Education: Per Capita Costs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average (a) primary and (b) secondary school per pupil funding is in each local authority area in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [249932]
Jim Knight: The per pupil revenue funding figures for each local authority for 2008-09 are shown in the following table. Since 2006-07, the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is the main source of school funding. As the DSG is distributed through a single guaranteed unit of funding per pupil and is distributed from central government to local government, a primary/secondary split on a central to local government basis is not available. The following figures are for all funded pupils aged three-19 and are provided in cash terms:
| 2008-09 DSG plus grants per pupil | |
| £ | |
| Notes: 1. Price base: Cash 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10 | |
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