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27 Mar 2009 : Column 796W—continued
Science: GCSE
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of comprehensive schools offer GCSEs in the separate sciences to all pupils, broken down by local authority. [241794]
Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on subjects offered by schools. The number of comprehensive schools in each local authority that entered one or more pupils in separate sciences has been placed in the House Libraries.
Special Educational Needs
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils with (a) statements of and (b) non-statemented special educational needs achieved an A* to C in both English and mathematics GCSE in each of the last 10 years. [253356]
Jim Knight: Figures are available for the years 2006-08 only, and are provided in the table:
| Pupils( 1) in maintained schools with a statement of special education needs (SEN) and with SEN but without a statement achieving A*-C in both English and Mathematics GCSE, 2006-08( 2) | ||
| Pupils with a statement of SEN | Pupils with SEN but without a statement | |
| (1) Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (2) Figures are based on final data in 2006 and 2007 and revised data in 2008 Source: National Pupil Database | ||
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the number of children with special educational needs who do not have a statement. [267520]
Jim Knight: As at January 2008, there were 1,390,670 children with special educational needs who do not have a statement. This figure is contained in Table 1b of the Statistical First Release Special Educational Needs in England, January 2008 available via
Teachers: Sick Leave
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many teachers had a period of absence attributed to stress in the last four years for which figures are available; [266106]
(2) what the cost to (a) schools and (b) other education providers of teacher absence attributed to stress was in the last four years for which figures are available. [266107]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Truancy: Fines
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents resident in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire were (i) fined and (ii) imprisoned for their children’s non-attendance at school in each of the last five years. [265819]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Ministry of Justice collects data for England and Wales on prosecutions brought against parents under the Education Act 1996 for the offence under s444(1) of failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school; and for prosecutions under s444(1A), the aggravated offence of knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly. It is possible, because of the way courts record data that some data is collected under the more general heading of various offences under the Education Act 1996.
The information on the number of parents sentenced and given fines or immediate custodial sentences in the Hertfordshire area is detailed in the table. The Ministry of Justice only collects information on prosecutions based on police force regions.
The Department also collects and publishes data on penalty notices (fines) issued by local authorities in England to parents for not ensuring their child’s regular attendance at school. The figures for the last four school academic years since the data collection began are detailed in the table. Data are only collected at local authority level.
| School academic year—penalty notices for non attendance | England | Hertfordshire LA |
| Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families data March 2009 | ||
Young People
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the (a) capability and (b) capacity of local authorities to deliver the changes to the machinery of local government required in respect of his Department's policy for 14 to 19 year olds. [267092]
Jim Knight: As part of the transfer of commissioning of 16-19 education and training from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to local authorities we have asked that local authorities work together in sub-regional groups that reflect the travel to learn patterns of young people.
The Department developed a two stage process to assess the capability and capacity of local authorities as they prepare for the transfer. In stage one, in September 2008, the Department asked local authorities to provide information on the sub-regional group they would be working in. A national panel reviewed the information and provided feedback in October.
The second stage of this process is now underway. The local authorities in each sub-regional group have provided information on how the they will operate, including: governance, resources, capacity and policy and planning to ensure they can undertake their future
commissioning roles effectively. These proposals have been submitted to the Department and a national panel has been convened on 8 April to review them, identify any strengths and weaknesses and what support might be required.
Following on from the national panel the Department will be working with Government Offices, the Learning and Skills Council, The Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Children's Services, the Association of Colleges and the Association of Learning Providers to ascertain what progress has been made, what further capacity and capability issues might have arisen, but also to identify and share good practice.
Subject to the successful passage of the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learners Bill the Department plans to transfer around 1000 Learning and Skills Council staff to local authorities as we recognise they have the expertise, knowledge and appropriate skills required by local authorities.
To support local authorities through this process and help them develop their capacity and capability, the Department funded the REACT (Raising Expectations Action) programme from November 2008. This programme provides a package of support for local authorities to assist help build capacity and understanding through the transition period. It has been developed with the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Children's Services.
In addition a wider £20 million commissioning support programme for Children's Trusts was launched in September 2008 which includes a specific strand of support focussed on pre-19 commissioning.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Africa: Nuclear Free Zones
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government have spent on legal assistance for African states to develop the Pelindaba treaty. [264969]
Gillian Merron: We are not aware of any UK funding of legal assistance for African states to develop the treaty of Pelinaba.
Binyam Mohamed
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports (a) his predecessors and (b) officials in his Department received on the location of Mr Binyam Mohamed between May 2002 and May 2004; and what steps the Government took to ascertain (i) his whereabouts and (ii) the conditions in which he was being held during that period. [259029]
Bill Rammell: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on intelligence matters. The High Court’s Judgment in the case of R (Binyam Mohamed) v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 21 August 2008 said,
“it is clear that the United States authorities have never informed either the SyS or any other part of the United Kingdom Government about BM's whereabouts in the period between 17 May 2002 and his transfer to Bagram in May 2004”.
In giving evidence to the Intelligence and Security Committee in 2006, the then director general of the Security Service stated that
“[This] is a case where, with hindsight, we would regret not seeking proper full assurances at the time”.
Cayman Islands: Storms
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to mitigate the risks of a future hurricane or storm event in the Cayman Islands. [267098]
Gillian Merron: Hazard Management Cayman Islands is a public authority with responsibility for the Territory's disaster preparedness. Their contingency plans, which incorporate lessons learnt from Hurricane Paloma in November 2008, will be fully tested in May 2009.
Colombia: Armed Conflict
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the number of extra-judicial killings by members of the security forces in Colombia in 2008. [265372]
Gillian Merron: We have received no reports of extra-judicial killings by members of the security forces in Colombia committed in 2009. I issued a statement on the issue on 30 October 2008 in which I said that the Colombian Government’s decision to dismiss a number of army officers as a result of recent extra-judicial killings and cases of criminal conspiracy was important. It is vital, not least for Colombia’s international reputation, that the Government and courts continue to show a determination to deal with human rights abuses committed by members of the armed forces, and that those convicted by the civilian justice system are punished appropriately.
The statement of 30 October 2008 is available for viewing online at:
Colombia: Human Rights
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Colombia. [265373]
Gillian Merron: We remain deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Colombia. Many vulnerable groups including the indigenous, civil society organisations, trade unionists and human rights defenders face violence and intimidation.
I pressed the need for stronger action on human rights with Colombian vice-President Francisco Santos Calderon during a meeting in November 2008, and also during separate meetings with the Colombian Foreign Minister and the Colombian ambassador in London.
The UK is funding a broad range of projects to promote human rights in Colombia, alongside international and civil society partners.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Colombia on human rights. [265376]
Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 618W, on Colombia: Human Rights.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on the human rights situation in Colombia. [265377]
Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has held no discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on the human rights situation in Colombia. However he discussed Colombia with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in November 2008.
The numbers and plight of internally displaced persons in Colombia is a serious concern, which is why we have supported projects on the issue implemented by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Colombia.
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