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Children, Schools and Families

Autism

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who the members of the Autism Research Co-ordination Group are; and on what dates the group has met since its formation. [270111]


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Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 22 April 2009]: The following people are currently members of the Autism Research Co-ordination Group:

Two meetings were held when the Group was being established on 26 April and 30 September 2004, following publication of the report “Mapping autism research: Identifying UK priorities for the future” (Charman and Clare, March 2004). Subsequent meetings have been held on 10 March, 13 July and 28 October 2005, 8 March and 26 September 2006, 14 March 2007 and 8 December 2008.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates minutes of meetings of the Autism Research Co-ordination Group have been published. [270375]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The minutes of Autism Research Co-ordination Group meetings are not yet published, but we will be making them available on

from the 1 May 2009. The First Report of the Autism Research Coordination Group is available from the DCSF website

Children: Autism

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the costs incurred in ensuring the needs of children with autism are taken into account in the preparation of a
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children and young people's plan; and by what methodology he plans such needs to be taken into account. [270361]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Children and Young People Plan (CYPP) is a local plan which should meet the specific, assessed, needs of all children and young people in the area including children with autism. Children's planning stems from the principle that every child matters and only by developing services to address the particular needs of all children and young people as individuals will services for vulnerable children improve. The needs assessment is an essential part of good planning by the Children's Trust and we have not made an assessment of the costs involved for different groups of children.

The needs assessment for the CYPP should result in a comprehensive profile of all children, young people and families in the area. It will be undertaken in partnership with all those involved in the planning process including the third sector, draw on analysis carried out by partners, in particular the statutory Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), and in direct consultation with children and young people. Data should be analysed on a number of different levels—regional, community, and neighbourhood and at the level of a single agency or service.

Data should include published or unpublished research papers, major surveys such as epidemiological surveys, participation data and as appropriate, draw on aggregated and anonymised data collected through one-to-one interviews, focus groups and individual assessments.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, we are planning to fully consult, in the autumn, with stakeholders and partners on further guidance on Children's Trust Boards and the development of the CYPP, including the needs assessment.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether (a) the Security Service and (b) the Secret Intelligence Service will be allowed access to data on ContactPoint. [266911]

Beverley Hughes: Members of the Security Service or Secret Intelligence Service will not have access to ContactPoint. If they required access to data held on ContactPoint, the Security Service or Secret Intelligence Service would have to make a clear and exceptional case for disclosure, on a case by case basis, directly to the Secretary of State or local authority. The Secretary of State or local authority would then consider each case on its merits and whether it met the prescribed circumstances when deciding whether to disclose the data.

Regulations permit the Secretary of State or a local authority to disclose data held on ContactPoint in very limited, prescribed circumstances, including where disclosure is required:


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ContactPoint holds only basic information. It will not hold details of arrest or criminal activity; it will not provide a record of whether or not a child or a member of their family is an offender; and it will not hold subjective observations or case information.

Children: Internet

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the child internet safety website, as referred to in the Byron Review Action Plan, to be launched. [270708]

Beverley Hughes: The Public Awareness working group of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety will meet on 24 April 2009 and will be responsible for the development and promotion of a “one-stop shop” for child internet safety. We are consulting with stakeholders on a future date for the launch of the website.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) meetings and (b) discussions took place between Ministers and Mr. Ken Boston of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority between 1 November 2008 and 16 December 2008; and if he will make a statement. [246134]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No meetings between DCSF Ministers and Dr. Ken Boston took place between the dates referred to.

Schools: Asbestos

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether asbestos is routinely removed from those schools buildings where it has been identified under the Building Schools for the Future programme. [270010]

Jim Knight [holding answer 22 April 2009]: Major refurbishments carried out under the Building Schools for the Future programme normally include removal of all asbestos in areas in which it would be disturbed by the work undertaken. Asbestos is also removed when buildings are demolished. Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that are likely to deteriorate are identified by an asbestos survey for each refurbishment and are normally then removed. Where minor refurbishment
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work takes place, an asbestos survey is done and, depending on the condition of the ACMs, they are either removed or managed in place.

Asbestos does not pose a serious risk if it is managed properly in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not recommend the routine removal of asbestos. Its advice remains that, providing that ACMs are maintained in good condition, they can be left where they are and managed until a building reaches the end of its life and asbestos can be removed without risk of exposing building users to risks arising from significant disturbance.

The risks created by removal need to be borne in mind; unless the removal is carried out perfectly, the process may leave contamination. If the asbestos is in good condition and is not likely to be damaged or disturbed, it is usually safer to leave it in place and manage it until the building has reached the end of its useful life.

Teachers: Pensions

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of former teachers have had their pension payments (a) reduced and (b) increased in the last 12 months; and for what reasons in each case. [270108]

Jim Knight [holding answer 22 April 2009]: In April each year the pensions of some 500,000 former teachers and their dependants are increased in line with inflation (i.e. pensions increase), consequently all teacher pensioners received increases in their pensions of 5 per cent. this financial year.

The teachers’ pension scheme is a statutory scheme and pensions are reduced where there has been an overpayment, i.e. where the pension in payment exceeds the statutory entitlement. There are a number of reasons why overpayments can arise, for example, from this April some 20,000 former teachers had their pensions adjusted because an element of their pension known as the guaranteed minimum pension had previously been overpaid. However, it should be noted that only around a half of those pensioners had a reduction in the level of their pension payments as the adjustment was timed to coincide with the annual pensions increase uplift.

Details of each and every adjustment to former teachers’ pensions are not collated centrally, and the records of over half a million former teachers who are in receipt of a teacher’s pension would need to be individually investigated in order to do so. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

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