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23 Mar 2009 : Column 144Wcontinued
40 to 59-year- olds not in education, employment or training | ||||||||||
NEET | ||||||||||
Number | Percentage | |||||||||
40-59 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
Source: Annual Population Survey |
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to improve access to IT training in Kent Thameside. [263239]
Mr. Simon: The Government recognise that information communication and technology (ICT) training has a major role to play in helping to deliver our ambition to become a world leader in skills. With regard to ICT user skills, the recent publication Skills for Life: Changing Lives outlines how DIUS is considering with partners the development of a national strategy for ICT as a skill for life. More details will be provided shortly when the Informal Adult Learning White Paper is published. Plans for the development of digital skills more widely are being prepared with advice from sector skills councils following publication of Digital Britain: The Interim Report in January 2009 and will be presented in the final report to be published by the summer.
With regard to Kent Thameside more specifically, it is recognised that a mismatch between skills and opportunities could be a significant potential barrier to local regeneration. The Kent Thameside Regeneration Framework has a specific objective to raise the standards of learning and skills.
IT training will play a critical part in up-skilling local residents to take advantage of the opportunities that will become available through regeneration. There is a range of projects located in local communities across Kent Thameside aimed at raising the skills of local people. The Gateway Knowledge Alliance is part of a partnership delivering targeted IT provision with Learn IT to unemployed learners in deprived communities. It is also working as part of Employ North Kent on a SEEDA funded initiative. Starting from April 2009, the project will involve jobs-matching and the delivery of suitable courses that have been identified, which could include IT. In Dartford, a new state-of-the-art adult education centre was officially opened in February. The centre includes a new IT suite and aims to allow adults
to gain the skills that employers are looking for, particularly during this economic downturn. There has been a big uptake in the number of people taking part in courses for the key employability skills of maths, IT and basic English. In Dartford alone, there has been a 20 per cent. increase in the number of people enrolling on these courses since September.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the effect of the recession on the number of 18 to 24 year olds who are not in education, employment or training. [264161]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 17 March 2009]: Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) suggest that the employment rates for 18 to 24-year-olds not in full-time education have fallen slightly faster than for other age groups. However, it is too early to say that young people are or will be disproportionately affected by the current downturn, and the data may be affected by sample size fluctuations.
Over the last year increases in ILO unemployment have been spread quite evenly across different age groups. The claimant count, which tends to be more reliable than the LFS for looking at short-term economic trends, shows that the rise in inflows to job seekers allowance (JSA) has also been spread evenly by age.
There has been an increase in the percentage of 18 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training from 2007 to 2008, from 14.6 per cent. to 15.6 per cent., however due to the small samples involved, this is likely to include some degree of sampling error.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged under 16 years old were prescribed anti-depressant medication in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last five years. [265338]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking in respect of waiting times for follow-up treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. [264764]
Ann Keen: Clinical priority is, and remains, the main determinant of when patients should be treated. We have repeatedly stated that those patients who are in greatest need should continue to be treated first. Good waiting list management is based on treating clinically urgent patients urgently and all other patients in turn chronologically. Working with their lead commissioner, primary care trusts need to ensure they have the necessary capacity in place to support this.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual salary is of a neonatal nurse employed by the NHS in England; and if he will make a statement. [265421]
Ann Keen: It is not possible to identify from central data the average annual salary of a neonatal nurse employed by the national health service in England. The role of a neonatal nurse can vary locally and any particular role would need to be job evaluated, based on the demands of the job. From 1 April 2009 under Agenda for Change, the terms and conditions on which neonatal nurses are employed, salaries can range from Band 5 for a newly qualified nurse (£20,710 minimum) to Band 9 for a nurse/midwife consultant higher level (£95,333 maximum).
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for implementation of his Departments commitments contained in the National Dementia Strategy. [265719]
Phil Hope: The impact assessment for the National Dementia Strategy assumes implementation of the strategy over a five year period.
The decisions about implementation of the Departments commitments in the National Dementia Strategy will be taken during 2009-10.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what properties (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) NHS trusts have sold in each of the last five years; and how many have been sold for housing developments. [265117]
Mr. Bradshaw: Details of the larger properties sold by the Department in each of the last five years are provided in the following table. While it will be up to the purchaser to decide on the future use of the properties, information is provided where it is considered the properties may be developed for housing. No properties were sold by the Departments agencies during this period. Information is not held centrally in respect of properties sold by national health service trusts.
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