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22 Apr 2009 : Column 740W—continued
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.
London Metropolitan University
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment he has made of London Metropolitan University's contribution to widening participation in higher education. [268617]
Mr. Lammy:
The performance of individual institutions towards widening participation is shown by performance indicators published annually by the Higher Education
Statistical Agency (HESA). These performance indicators show how a university performs against its benchmarks. Benchmarks show what a university with similar circumstances could be expected to achieve.
The performance of London Metropolitan University is shown in the following table. The table shows that the London Metropolitan University is exceeding the benchmarks for young people participating from both state schools and colleges and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. It performs below the benchmark for participation from low participation neighbourhoods.
| Table 1 : Performance indicators for London M etropolitan university concerned with widening participation | ||||||||
| Academic y ear | % from state schools or colleges | Benchmark (%) | % from NS-SEC classes 4,5,6 & 7 | Benchmark (%) | % from low participation neighbourhoods | Benchmark (%) | % from low participation neighbourhoods (POLAR 2)( 1) | Benchmark (%) |
| (1) There was a change in methodology in 2006/07 for the low participation neighbourhood indicator which has produced a break in the time series as figures using different methods cannot be compared. Figures for the 2005/06 year have been re-calculated to show some time series comparison. Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA. | ||||||||
Students: Loans
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the Student Loans Company has repaid following overpayments by people with student loans; and if he will make a statement. [269119]
Mr. Lammy: The Statistical First Release Student Loans for Higher Education in England, Financial Year 2007-08 (Provisional) includes the amounts the Student Loans Company has refunded to borrowers from 2005-06. Consistent data are not available for earlier years. This document is published by the Student Loans Company and is available on the SLC website at:
For income contingent loans, because there is a time lag between student loan deductions being made and the Student Loan Company (SLC) receiving information from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), it is possible for people to overpay before the SLC becomes aware that their repayments should stop. Because of this, borrowers are advised to monitor their own repayments so they know when they are likely to come to the end of repaying their loan. If they do not, they could overpay.
The SLC is exploring number of measures to help customers avoid overpayment, including giving them the option to make final repayments outside the tax system, via direct debit, to ensure they do not overpay. The SLC has also introduced new guidance and tools, including an on-line calculator, to help customers work out their loan balance, and therefore when they are likely to repay their loan in full. This facility is also available by telephone.
In the main, MS loans are repaid by direct debit (or standing order), which continue to deduct repayments so long as there is a balance outstanding on the customer's account. SLC administers these loans directly, issuing customers an annual statement. This reduces the likelihood of overpayments being made, although it is still possible for them to occur in some circumstances.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many graduates he estimates will complete the repayment of their student loans in the next (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months. [269121]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested is not available.
The Statistical First Release Student Loans for Higher Education in England, Financial Year 2007-08 (Provisional) includes figures of borrowers who have fully repaid loans in the last three years. This document is published by the Student Loans Company and available on the SLC website at:
Train to Gain Programme
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people who started training under Train to Gain did not complete their course in the last period for which figures are available. [261831]
Mr. Simon: The percentage of people successfully completing a Train to Gain qualification is measured using the Train to Gain success rate. This can be used to infer the percentage of people who do not complete their qualification, which will include those learners that did not finish their course.
In 2006/07, the Train to Gain success rate was 70.6 per cent.
International Development
Cameroon: Environment Protection
Jo Swinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government has given to the Cameroon Parliamentary Caucus for Environmental Protection in each of the
last five years; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Caucus against its objectives; and if he will make a statement. [270008]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK Government have made no financial or other contributions directly to the Cameroon Parliamentary Caucus for Environmental Protection. A Department for International Development (DFID) funded project—the Forest Governance Facility (FGF)—co-hosted two meetings with the Caucus between March 2007 and summer 2008 on issues relating to (1) environmental policy and legislation in Cameroon and (2) wetlands management and conservation. The FGF also provided some assistance in kind to the Caucus secretariat including print cartridges, reams of paper and the printing of one edition of their newsletter. This did not exceed a value of £200.
There has been no further work or follow up with the Caucus.
Departmental Finance
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the merits of requiring each project funded by his Department to publish data on its (a) budgeted and (b) actual expenditure online; and if he will make a statement. [270009]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) makes information about project funding available through two portals, the AiDA Development Gateway and the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s Creditor Reporting Systems (CRS). These can be accessed through the following links:
More detailed information including budgeted and actual expenditure is due to be made available through a database on the DFID website later this year. The exact timing is currently being finalised.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidance his Department issues on whether members of staff may claim for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in standard class. [268544]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Employees of the Department for International Development (DFID) must travel by the most efficient and economical means when travelling on official business. Staff are required to travel in standard class carriages for rail journeys within the UK, unless they are expected to work during the trip, when first class travel is allowed. Where no standard class seats are available, staff are permitted to travel first class where this provides the most economical means of meeting the business need.
Justice
Criminal Justice Act 1996: Convictions
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for an offence under sections 139 and 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1996 in 2007; and on how many occasions the maximum sentence of imprisonment was imposed. [263178]
Maria Eagle: Information showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty, sentenced, and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for offences under sections 139 and 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (as amended by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996) and under section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 in England and Wales in 2007 are shown in the table.
The statutory maximum penalty is reserved generally for the worst of cases for which it is prescribed and therefore rarely imposed. This is true across all types of offences.
If it was found that the courts were sentencing at, or near, the maximum for any offence with any degree of frequency this would cause us to look at the maximum penalty to see if it were set high enough to cater for the cases coming before the courts. It is likely that the courts would draw our attention to any such cases and indicate that they did not consider that their powers were sufficient.
More offenders are being sent to jail for the number of offences resulting in immediate custody rose from 1,125 in the last quarter of 2007 to 1,386 in the same period of 2008. On average there was a 40 per cent. increase in the number of prisoners serving a sentence for possession of an offensive weapon between the same periods.
Fewer cautions being issued: the number fell 31 per cent. over the same period (1,706 in the last quarter of 2008 compared to 2,455 in the same period of 2007).
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