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6 Mar 2009 : Column 1857W—continued
Air Finland
Air Slovakia
Antonov Design Bureau
ArkeFly
Atlas Air
Avico
Corsair
XL
FlyGlobespan
Icelandair
Jet2.com
Kalitta Air
Kuzu Airlines
Maximus Air
MK Airlines
Monarch Airlines
My Travel
Omni Air International
Polet
Ruslan
Thomas Cook
Thomson Fly
Titan Airways
Volgr Dneiper Airlines
World Airways
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Apprentices: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people resident in Suffolk were on (a) apprenticeships and (b) advanced apprenticeships in each of the last five years. [256958]
Mr. Simon: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts, by level, in Suffolk local authority from 2003-04 to 2007-08.
| Apprenticeship starts in Suffolk by level | |||
| Apprenticeship | Advanced apprenticeship | Total | |
| Notes: 1. Local authority is based on learner’s home postcode. 2. Numbers have been rounded and may not sum to total. Source: WBL ILR | |||
The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05. A remarkable achievement.
Students: Radicalism
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps are being taken to reduce levels of political and religious extremism in universities. [260794]
Mr. Lammy:
We are working with universities and student bodies to support universities in addressing the issues that can drive students into the hands of violent
extremist groups. We have provided guidance to the higher education sector focussed on promoting shared values; fostering a healthy spirit of debate to engage and challenge those that hold extremist views; breaking down segregation among different communities; supporting students who may be at risk and ensuring staff and students are aware of their roles in preventing violent extremism.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Databases
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1068-9W, on children: databases, what assessment he has made of the merits of enabling ContactPoint to match variant spellings of surnames. [261667]
Beverley Hughes: ContactPoint uses phonetic matching and alternatives for surnames in the same way as it does for forenames. It will also consider matches of surname against forenames. This enables ContactPoint to cater for situations where surname and forenames are interchangeable and could be incorrectly ordered, e.g. James Thomas, Thomas James.
Children: Day Care
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what date he expects free full-time childcare for children aged (a) three and (b) four years to be available. [261675]
Beverley Hughes: Each local authority has a duty to secure sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents and those looking to work or enter education or training, including both full and part time provision.
In addition, all three and four year olds are entitled now to 12.5 hours of free early education for 38 weeks of the year. That offer is being extended progressively so that by 2010 all 3 and 4-year-olds will be entitled to 15 hours a week—available more flexibly to meet families needs.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 443W, on departmental disciplinary proceedings, how many cases of bullying and harassment in his Department have been (a) formally investigated and (b) referred for mediation in the last three years. [261674]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since the answer given on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 443W, there have been no cases of bullying and harassment in the Department that have been formally investigated or referred for mediation in the last three years.
School Leaving
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils dropped out of school before the age of 16 in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England in the last 12 months. [261672]
Jim Knight: Information on pupils dropping out of schools is not collected, nor can it be accurately derived from the data currently collected on pupils.
Schools: Admissions
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on shared catchment areas for schools. [261670]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The School Admissions Code sets out the mandatory requirements for schools and local authorities when setting and administering catchment areas. The Code provides guidelines for doing this in a fair and practical way, as part of agreed local admissions policies.
It is for schools and local authorities to ensure that catchment areas do not exclude disadvantaged groups, and provide access to local state schools on a fair and transparent basis.
Work and Pensions
Carer's Allowance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central, Official Report, column 849W, on carer's allowance, if he will allocate resources to producing the estimates requested in the question. [255376]
Jonathan Shaw: We have no current plans to make such estimates.
Children: Maintenance
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child maintenance cases were closed where the parent with care was (a) claiming and (b) not claiming income support and (i) the non-resident parent was still liable to pay maintenance and (ii) the maintenance liability had ended in each of the last 24 months. [260114]
Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about child maintenance, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the child maintenance system is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child maintenance cases were closed where the parent with care was (a) claiming and (b) not claiming income support and (i) the non-resident parent was still liable to pay maintenance and (ii) the maintenance liability had ended in each of the last 24 months. [260114]
The information that you have requested is not available as the Child Support Agency does not record information on the maintenance liability status of a case at the point it is closed, or on the benefit status of closed cases.
Information on the number of current scheme applications which are closed each month is routinely published in Table 2.4 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest copy of which is in the House of Commons library or online at the following link:
The information set out in this table is concerned with the status of cases at the application stage rather than at case closure. It includes information on applications for child maintenance made as a result of a claim for either Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Departmental Databases
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of maintaining the databases owned and managed by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008. [256144]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department realigned its contracts with its major suppliers, EDS and BT, in 2005, which means the Department only pays for the IT services it consumes.
As the contract pricing mechanisms are based on the volumes of services consumed, it is not possible to separately identify the elements of the service costs that relate to the maintenance and management of databases.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food in each of the last five years. [261155]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions does not separately account for its expenditure on either alcohol or food for hospitality purposes. Expenditure on alcohol and entertaining falls within the classification "Hospitality" within Managing Public Money, the use of which is strictly prescribed, and in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, which is based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Accordingly, alcohol is provided only as an exception and only with the specific written authority of a small number of designated senior civil servants.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, columns 855-6W, on public expenditure, how much his Department's year-end stock of money, net of stock drawn down to fund in-year spend, was in each year since 2002; and what his estimate is for this figure at the end of 2008-09. [260098]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions’ year-end stock of money not spent in earlier years since 2002 is shown in the following table:
| Year-end stock of money not spent (£000) | |
The year-end stock of money not spent in earlier years is calculated net of stock drawn down to fund in year spend and includes additional stock generated in year.
The stock of money not spent (commonly referred to as end of year flexibility) is determined at the end of each financial year in conjunction with HM Treasury and is published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP).
As part of the pre-Budget report 2008 the Department was provided with funding to support the impact of the economic downturn in 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Department agreed to contribute its end of year flexibility stock towards this additional funding.
It is therefore expected that there will be no remaining stock of money at the end of 2008-09.
Employment
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 24 October 2007, Official Report, columns 283-4W, how many of the 300,000 new jobs expected under company agreements had been created at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [256824]
Mr. McNulty: Through Local Employment Partnerships, Jobcentre Plus and its partners work to enable employers to recruit disadvantaged jobless people in greater numbers. More than 100,000 people have already been helped into work through Local Employment Partnerships.
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