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23 Feb 2009 : Column 437W—continued
Tourism
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1556W on tourism, when VisitBritain will provide the final submission on the wish list requested by his Department to assist British tourism during the economic downturn. [257021]
Barbara Follett: VisitBritain have provided their final submission on the wish list to assist British tourism during the economic downturn, the contents of which are being considered.
Tourism: Coastal Areas
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had discussions with (i) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and (ii) Visit Britain on CABE’s Sea Change programme. [255775]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 10 February 2009]: The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment manages the Sea Change programme on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Ministers have had discussions with the Commission about the Sea Change programme on several occasions. Ministers have not directly discussed Sea Change with VisitBritain.
Tourism: EU Grants and Loans
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1418W, on tourism: EU grants and loans, which regional development agencies have submitted a bid for (a) European Regional Development Fund Objective 2 for Tourism and (b) European Social Fund for Tourism funds in 2008-09; and how many did so in 2007-08. [256522]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 12 February 2009]: Regional development agencies have advised that there were no bids submitted for (a) European Regional Development Fund Objective 2 for tourism and (b) European Social Fund for tourism funds in 2007-2008 or 2008-09.
Tourism: Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 60W, on tourism: Olympic Games 2012, on what date VisitBritain was informed that he had no plans to provide additional funding for tourism in respect of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games in the present comprehensive spending round. [256161]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 10 February 2009]: In respect of additional or special funding for the marketing of the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games for tourism purposes, VisitBritain were first informed that nothing would be added to their baseline funding for the period 2008-11 in October 2007 on disclosure of the outcome of the current comprehensive spending review. We have subsequently informed VisitBritain that the matter cannot be reconsidered until the next spending round.
World Heritage Sites
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to submit progress reports to the World Heritage Committee for examination at its 2009 session on the world heritage sites of (a) the Palace of Westminster, (b) the Tower of London and (c) the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City; and for what reasons they were not submitted in accordance with the originally planned timetable. [257798]
Barbara Follett: The State of Conservation report for Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City World Heritage Site was submitted to UNESCO on 9 February 2009; the report for the Tower of London World Heritage Site was submitted on 18 February 2009. The report for the Palace of Westminster World Heritage Site will be submitted by 28 February 2009.
UNESCO requests that State of Conservation reports are submitted by 1 February. However, in consultation with UNESCO we have negotiated an extension to the deadline to ensure that stakeholders can be properly consulted.
Children, Schools and Families
Advanced Extension Award
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were entered for advanced extension award examinations in (a) maintained schools and (b) independent schools in each of the last five years. [257168]
Jim Knight: Advanced extension awards were first introduced in 2002. However, the Department has only held comprehensive data on these qualifications since 2006.
The number of advanced extension awards taken in maintained and independent schools in each of the last three years is given as follows:
| Maintained schools | Independent schools | |
| Note: These figures relate to 16-18 year olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31st August) | ||
Apprentices
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many 16 to 19 year-olds have been recruited into apprenticeships in each of the last three years. [252902]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 2 February 2009]: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts for 16 to 19-year-olds (based on age at start of course), in each of the last three academic years. This information was published in a statistical first release on 18 December 2008.
| Table 1: Number of apprenticeship starts for 16 to 19-year-olds | |||
| 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the course. | |||
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps Partnerships for Schools is taking to support the Schools Capital programme in the current economic situation; and if he will make a statement. [255279]
Jim Knight: Partnerships for Schools is working closely with the Department and HM Treasury to ensure that the programme continues to deliver on time and on budget.
Despite what continue to be challenging economic conditions, 2009 has begun on a more positive note for BSF than anticipated, with a number of banks indicating they are in the market to finance senior debt in BSF schemes. In addition, companies from beyond the banking sector are showing an interest in entering the market. Discussions are also ongoing with the European Investment Bank.
PfS is also exploring with the Department and HM Treasury the option of accessing the shorter term debt market to support PFI schemes. This would involve refinancing schemes at seven or 10 years.
Against this backdrop, BSF continues to deliver. Deals have closed throughout the autumn and now into 2009, with the latest deal to close in Tameside, bringing the total to twenty-nine. Nearly a third of all secondary schools in England are now engaged in BSF, with the 50th school having now opened.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the budget for the Building Schools for the Future programme; and when he expects the budget for 2009-10 to be allocated. [256874]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: As an outcome of the comprehensive spending review 2007, the Department announced new capital resources of £9.3 billion, including £3.4 billion of PFI credits, for the Building Schools for the Future and Academies programmes for the current period 2008-09 to 2010-11. These resources, together with BSF resources of some £6 billion made available in the last spending period, are being allocated to BSF projects in the first six waves of the programme. This Government are committed to the continuation of these programmes to renew the secondary schools’ estate to provide 21st century facilities for all of our young people, and we will continue to review future requirements in the light of the next spending review exercise for 2011-12 and beyond.
Children in Care
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been taken into care in each local authority area in each (a) month, (b) quarter and (c) year since 1 January 2003; and if he will make a statement. [256997]
Beverley Hughes: Figures on the number of children that have been taken into care in each local authority in each month and quarter for the years 2003-04, 2005-06 and 2007-08 has been placed in the Libraries. A full five-year time series from 2003-04 detailing how many children have been taken into care in that year has also been placed in the Libraries.
Only the first occasion where a child has been taken into care in each financial year has been counted in all of the analysis provided. Subsequent occasions where a child ceases to be looked after and then is taken into care again in another month or quarter in the same financial year have not been included. This analysis can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Information on the number of children that have been taken into care in each month and quarter for the period 2004-05, 2006-07 and pre-April 2003 has not been provided due to disproportionate costs.
Children: Day Care
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average hourly cost of childcare in (a) London and (b) the rest of England was for different age groups of children in the latest period for which information is available. [256982]
Beverley Hughes:
The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents collects information on parents’ use, views and experiences of child care and early years provision, including information on costs of child care. When reporting the costs of childcare, parents were asked to include payments made directly by the family and payments made by an external source, for example money paid by employers, the local authority, or an
ex-partner. Therefore the costs recorded in the survey are not costs that parents actually pay for child care as they include help that is available through tax credits, childcare vouchers and the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds.
Table 1 shows the figures from the 2007 survey on the hourly costs of child care by region. Regional data on the hourly cost, by the age of the child are not available due to small sub-sample sizes at the regional level.
| Table 1: Hourly cost of child care (including subsidies), by region | |
| Mean hourly cost (£) | |
| Notes: 1. Based on all children paying for child care used in last week. 2. Figures include subsidies, eg money paid by employers, the local authority, or an ex-partner. | |
Table 2 shows the hourly costs of child care by the age of the child in 2007.
| Table 2: Hourly cost of child care (including subsidies), by age of the child | |
| Mean hourly cost (£) | |
| Notes: 1. Based on all children paying for child care used in last week. 2. Figures include subsidies, eg money paid by employers, the local authority, or an ex-partner. | |
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research his Department has undertaken on (a) charging for extended school activities, (b) the number of parents claiming child care tax credit for help with funding out of school activities, (c) the percentage change in the number of parents paying for out of school childcare in the last three years and (d) the percentage change in the number of parents claiming child care tax credit for help with out of school activities in each of the last three years. [257385]
Beverley Hughes: The Department commissioned research from Ipsos MORI (“Extended Schools Survey of School, Pupils and Parents”, 2009). Schools were asked how they fund activities and child care (multiple choices were possible). The report found that:
“Around three-quarters (73%) of schools that provide childcare, or activities used as childcare, say that users pay for services, although around three in ten (32%) say that the school itself
provides funding to enable this service to run. Activities are also most commonly funded by the school (58%), although this is also more likely in secondary schools (74%) and schools in deprived areas (70%). In around two in five cases, the users pay for the service (43%).”
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