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27 Apr 2009 : Column 1133W—continued
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the monetary value of Warm Front grants awarded in (a) Shropshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England was in 2008. [267759]
Joan Ruddock: The monetary value of Warm Front grants awarded in (a) Shropshire, (b) West Midlands and (c) England for the period 1 April 2008 to 28 February 2009 is detailed in the following table:
| £ | |
Wind Power: Fisheries
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission research into the effect of offshore wind farms on fish stocks. [270421]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The likely effect of offshore wind farms on fish stocks and commercial fisheries is being considered at a strategic level as part of the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The SEA Environmental Report published on 26 January 2009 for public consultation noted various potential effects on the marine environment including on fish stocks arising from reductions in fishing effort through the presence of wind turbines and other installations. These effects are similar to those found in marine protected areas and are an active area of research, which the Department is monitoring. The SEA consultation period closed on 22 April 2009 and the Government will publish their decision on the draft plan for up to 25 GW of new offshore wind, including any proposals for future research, later in the year. It should also be noted that site-specific studies of such impacts are currently a requirement of the FEPA licence awarded to developers for individual projects and will need to be included in any Environmental Impact Assessments for future wind farm projects.
Wales
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of invoices his Department has paid within 10 days of receipt in each of the last five months. [270539]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The percentage of invoices paid by my Department within 10 days for the last five months is:
| Percentage paid within 10 days | |
Children, Schools and Families
Schools in Deprived Areas
10. Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of recent trends in academic results in schools in deprived areas. [270741]
Jim Knight: Over the past decade all groups of schools have improved their performance substantially—but schools serving the 10 per cent. most deprived areas of England have made gains twice as large as those in the 10 per cent. least deprived areas. Further details are set out in our recent document “Breaking the Link between deprivation and low attainment—Everyone’s Business”.
It is most encouraging that schools serving areas of social deprivation are making these disproportionate gains.
Standard Assessment Tests
11. Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests; and if he will make a statement. [270742]
Ed Balls: Over the last 10 years, testing and assessment have played a vital role in ensuring that more than 100,000 more pupils leave primary school secure in English and maths. As I said to this House in October, the Key Stage 2 tests provide an objective measure of pupils' performance, and a recent survey confirmed that they are greatly valued by parents.
The Expert Group on assessment that I established last October will shortly publish their advice on further improvements to the assessment system.
Apprenticeships: Keighley
12. Mrs. Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many 16 and 17-year-olds in Keighley constituency were undertaking an apprenticeship in 2008. [270743]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: 80 people aged 16 to 17 completed an apprenticeship, in Keighley in 2007-08. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill aims to ensure an apprenticeship place is available for all suitably qualified young people by 2013 and is key to delivering our ambition for one in five young people to be in an apprenticeship in the next decade. We have announced an additional £140 million to provide 35,000 additional places this year, 21,000 of these in the public sector.
Diploma Courses
13. Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were enrolled on a 14-19 diploma course in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [270744]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Our latest information shows that around 12,000 young people are currently working towards a Diploma qualification. Learners are based in over 140 consortia, in 100 local authorities.
Sure Start Children's Centres
15. Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to allocate funding for outreach workers in Sure Start Children's Centres. [270746]
Beverley Hughes: We provided local authorities with details of their sure start, Early Years and Childcare Grant allocations for the next three financial years (2008-11) in August 2007. This included resource to enable local authorities to fund another two additional full-time outreach posts in children’s centres serving the most disadvantaged communities. Local authorities are responsible for allocating funding to individual children’s centres in their area, according to local need.
Youth Services: North-East Derbyshire
16. Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans his Department has for the future provision of youth services and facilities in North-East Derbyshire. [270747]
Beverley Hughes: Local authorities receive funding for youth services from Government through the Revenue Support Grant. Next year Government funding through the Formula Grant will increase by 6.4 per cent. £1.878 million is also being allocated to Derbyshire next year through the Positive Activities for Young People programme and Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds. Over £3 million has also been secured to improve youth facilities in Chesterfield through the myplace programme.
Physical Education
17. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department takes to support secondary schools in offering fitness, health and sporting activity to 14 to 16 year-olds during core school hours. [270748]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: PE is a compulsory part of the National Curriculum for all pupils in secondary schools. We are supporting this through provision of a School Sport Co-ordinator in every secondary school to increase opportunities in PE and sport for their pupils. We are working closely with the Department of Health with our joint strategy ‘Healthy lives, brighter futures’ which we published in February.
School Meals
18. Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to promote the take-up of school meals. [270749]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The School Food Trust's Million Meals campaign is at the forefront of its work and, in addition, it is taking forward targeted activities at local authority and school level. In 2009-10, it will be working with Government offices to develop regional strategies to increase take-up.
Children's Social Care
19. Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to improve standards of children's social care. [270750]
24. Mr. Vara To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to improve standards of children's social care. [270755]
Beverley Hughes: We are committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to lead a happy, healthy life and that no child is left behind. Following unprecedented investment in the last eight years we have seen better educational attainment and more care leavers than ever before in employment or training.
Improving work force skills and capacity are key to the delivery of high quality social care. We have already announced the investment of £73 million pounds to improve the recruitment, retention and professional development of social workers. In children's homes, we are piloting a social pedagogic approach and have commissioned a training and development framework for staff. We are funding a national roll-out of the ‘Fostering Changes’ programme—a positive parenting programme for foster carers, and through the KEEP pilot projects, enabling elements of the multi-dimensional treatment foster care programme for children with complex needs to be available to foster carers more widely. Further to that, the Social Work Task Force has been established to examine social work practice and make recommendations to Government later this year for any long term reform needed in the system. We have also committed to providing a more detailed response and action plan shortly in response to Lord Laming's ‘The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report’.
Children with Special Educational Needs
21. Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on the provision of schools for children with special educational needs. [270752]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's policy on the provision of schools for children with special educational needs is set out in DCSF guidance ‘Planning and Developing Special Educational Provision’. This encourages local authorities to develop a range of provision to meet the needs of children, which can include special schools, mainstream schools, designated units and resourced provision within mainstream schools, and co-located schools.
Encouraging Healthy Lifestyles: Primary School Children
22. Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress his Department has made in encouraging healthy lifestyles among primary school children; and if he will make a statement. [270753]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Good progress has been made to encourage healthy lifestyles among primary school children.
98 per cent. of schools are participating in the Healthy Schools programme and schools are offering all five to 16-year-olds five hours of PE-sport per week. We have introduced food standards for all schools and the School Food Trust is working with schools so more children eat a healthy school lunch. Change 4 Life will also help children and their families become more healthy.
GCSEs
23. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to maintain academic standards of GCSE qualifications. [270754]
Jim Knight: In April 2008 we established Ofqual as an independent regulator to ensure that standards in qualifications are maintained. It will report directly to Parliament on standards in the qualifications system in England.
Ofqual has an established programme for reviewing standards in GCSEs and, if any issues are identified, will ensure that robust action is taken to address them. This should end the annual debate about standards, which undermines the achievements of millions of students.
Academy Programme
25. Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Academy programme on educational outcomes. [270756]
Jim Knight: Academies are having a positive affect on the educational outcomes of children. Improvement rates at GCSE (including English and maths) show academies outstripping the national average. Progress made by pupils on free school meals at academies has also been more than double the national rate of improvement.
In addition, the PwC evaluation said that
“sponsors contribute significantly to school improvement”
“the quality of leadership is generally very good”.
Building Schools for the Future: Sefton
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the timetable is for assessment of Sefton local authority's bid for Building Schools for the Future funds; and if he will make a statement. [270734]
Beverley Hughes: Sefton has been listed as sixth in the provisional prioritisation of projects for local authorities that have not yet started in BSF. Partnerships for Schools the agency administering the process has invited Sefton to make a submission on its readiness to deliver and Sefton has indicated it will send this in by 8 May. PfS will then assess this alongside submissions from other authorities, and expects to complete this evaluation in the next few months.
Children Eligible for Free School Meals: Copeland
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Copeland constituency eligible for free school meals achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE level in 2008. [270745]
Beverley Hughes: In 2008, in maintained schools located in the Copeland constituency 28 pupils eligible for free school meals achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent at the end of key stage 4. This is equivalent to 30.1 per cent. of the pupils in that cohort who are eligible for free school meals.
Home Access to Computers: Staffordshire
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Staffordshire have made use of his Department's home access to computers scheme. [270751]
Jim Knight: The Home Access Programme, announced by the Prime Minister in September 2008, is currently being piloted in two local authorities, Oldham and Suffolk, prior to national roll-out in late autumn. In addition, all local authorities were invited in October 2008 to provide expressions of interest for funding to support learners for which they have a direct parental or additional responsibility. Staffordshire indicated they intend to target 360 such learners by August 2009.
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