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27 Feb 2009 : Column 1121W—continued
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained special schools there were in each local authority in each year since 1997, broken down by special educational needs priority 1. [256443]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We cannot provide the information requested because it would require the manipulation of large volumes of data which could be undertaken only at a disproportionate cost.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1730-2W, on special educational needs, how many pupils were given (a) a fixed period and (b) a permanent exclusion. [258051]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Teachers: Training
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Continued Professional Development proposed for teachers operating in challenging circumstances, as referred to in his Department’s publication “New Opportunities, Fair Chances for the Future”, will include training on the effects of poverty on children’s experiences of school. [258089]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The teachers’ Professional Standards already require them to identify and support children and young people whose progress, development or well-being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances, and when to refer them to colleagues for specialist support.
In connection with the extra support announced in the New Opportunities White Paper, I have asked the Training and Development Agency for Schools to assemble a package of guidance and advice for both new and experienced teachers and other school staff working in challenging circumstances. This will be available from
September and will support teachers in achieving and maintaining the Professional Standards and other school staff in supporting children and young people.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Codes of Practice
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on research in preparing for the new Code of Good Agricultural Practice. [252771]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 29 January 2009]: A number of technical specialists from DEFRA and its agencies contributed to the content of the new Code of Good Agricultural Practice. The publication updates the previously published codes of practice for water, soil and air which have been periodically updated for the past 20 years. Therefore, the cost of research in preparing the new Code of Good Agricultural Practice is not readily available in DEFRA.
Angling: Devon
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of recreational sea angling to the North Devon economy; [258420]
(2) how many people resident in North Devon are employed in the North Devon recreational sea angling sector; [258421]
(3) how many recreational sea anglers are estimated to visit North Devon each year; [258422]
(4) what recent assessment he has made of the effect that Article 47 of the EU Proposal for the Monitoring of Recreational Fisheries would have on recreational sea angling. [258423]
Huw Irranca-Davies: A DEFRA-funded study carried out by Drew Associates into the economic impact of the recreational sea angling sector in England and Wales was published in 2004. This study estimated that 18,889 people were employed in the sector and that the total expenditure of anglers was £538 million per year. Although we do not have detailed data on angling activity in North Devon, the same report considered the principal locations for angling in that area and identified that there were 15 charter angling vessels in the North Devon and Bristol Channel area.
In England there are around 400 charter angling vessels that would require an authorisation under Article 47 of the draft EU proposal, plus an as yet unquantified number of privately owned vessels. As part of the process of negotiating this proposal, we shall be seeking clarification from the Commission on a number of issues relating to Article 47. Until we have that clarification it is difficult to assess accurately its potential impact on recreational sea angling. We shall be seeking stakeholders’ views on these points and considering them in more detail in the impact assessment that my officials are drawing up and which we shall publish as part of the formal consultation procedure.
Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on research into a vaccine for (a) BVT1, (b) BVT8, (c) BVT6 and (d) all other strains of bluetongue disease in each of the last six years. [257428]
Jane Kennedy: The research, development and production of bluetongue vaccine is a commercial proposition and there are a number of private companies involved in the development, production and sale of vaccine. Although Government do not actively fund work specifically on development of vaccines, significant funding on bluetongue research in recent years has provided a fundamental science base that contributes to and underpins the use of vaccines in disease control. This research, which includes work to understand the molecular basis of infection and protection from bluetongue, is published and made available to the wider scientific community.
It is, therefore, not possible to state an exact figure that has contributed directly to vaccine development, but the overall Bluetongue Virus (BTV) research spend, of which some has been spent on molecular research over the last six years, has been:
| Bluetongue (£ million) | |
| (1) Estimated | |
DEFRA continues to engage with experts and manufacturers on the issue of vaccine development and authorisation for other serotypes.
Departmental Legal Proceedings
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision his Department has made in its budget for potential civil liabilities stemming from legal proceedings. [241190]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The provision made by the Department in its budget for potential civil liabilities stemming from legal proceedings is £5,958,667.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 23 January 2008, Official Report, column 2019W, on departmental marketing, how the (a) long-sleeved T-shirts, (b) travel wallets, (c) pens and (d) travel toothbrush sets were branded; what (i) slogan and (ii) logo was used on each; and what the cost of each such type of promotional material was to his Department. [249360]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Departmental Communications Directorate has procured the following DEFRA branded products:
| Product | Date | Slogan | Logos | Use | Cost (£ each) |
Departmental Pay
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent in bonuses to staff of each grade in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008. [258230]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment, help drive performance in departments and agencies and support better public service delivery. DEFRA’s uses non-consolidated payments to reward high performance during the year and these are based on how well an individual has met or exceeded set objectives, relative to their peers.
Non-consolidated performance payments are one-off payments and do not count towards pension. They are allocated from a ‘pot' expressed as a percentage of the salary budget each year. Non-consolidated performance
payments paid from the 2007 pay budget relate to performance in the, 2006-07 appraisal year and those paid from 2008 pay budget relate to performance in the 2007-08 appraisal year.
For the senior civil service (SCS) the size of the pot available is agreed centrally each year following recommendations from the senior salaries review body. In recent years, this pot has increased as greater emphasis is placed on non-consolidated performance pay with proportionately smaller increases to consolidated base pay.
The size of the pot for non-SCS is determined individually by Departments and Agencies through the pay remit process and in negotiations with the Trades Unions. DEFRA’s pay remit level approved over the past two years has been below the average of those approved across Whitehall departments.
The following tables show the total amount of non-consolidated performance payments awarded to staff in each grade in 2007 and 2008. For DEFRA, the data cover staff in core-DEFRA (including staff who transferred to DECC in October 2008) and those agencies covered by DEFRA terms and conditions (Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service and until 1 April 2008 Pesticides Safety Directorate).
| 2007 | |||||
| £ | |||||
| Grade equivalent | DEFRA | VLA | RPA | CSL | CEFAS |
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