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19 May 2009 : Column 1332W—continued
Community Relations: Islam
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he plans to reply to question 245558, on Islamic Studies outside the Islamic world, tabled on 16 December 2008 and transferred from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 12 January 2009. [276447]
Mr. Lammy: Since the Government designated Islamic studies as a strategically important subject in 2007, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), following a period of research and consultation, has been working with other funding agencies in the UK to develop a programme of work designed to address its strategic importance and to provide additional support for it as a subject in UK higher education.
HEFCE research and consultation showed that Islamic studies scholars are often relatively isolated experts affiliated to different departments, with weak links to scholars doing related work at other institutions.
HEFCE is, for this reason, funding a national network to bring the community of Islamic studies scholars closer together.
This network aims to provide information on courses and staff, facilitate events, seminars and exchange of ideas, and enable academics to connect. The network will be managed through a website and complemented by a programme to digitise Islamic studies resources developed by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
The Higher Education Academy has been funded for a short development phase to plan and develop the national network, which we expect to be operational from the autumn.
Although a national network, the web facility and international links within the UK academic community should further enrich this work and strengthen the UK’s position as a leading centre for the study of the subject.
Further details can be found on HEFCE’s website at:
UK network and digitisation programme
In January 2009, HEFCE awarded £95,000 to the Higher Education Academy to work with the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) on the development of a full business case for an Islamic studies UK network. We expect that this work will inform a further three-year implementation phase.
HEFCE has awarded £350,000 to the JISC Digitisation Programme to support two specific strands of work relating to the digitisation of resources for use in Islamic studies research and teaching. This is based on recommendations in Exeter University’s 2008 “Review of User Requirements for Digitised Resources in Islamic Studies”.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Departmental Lost Property
John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property. [263111]
Mr. McFadden: During the period 1 February 2008 to 28 February 2009, this Department’s records show that 71 items were reported as lost or stolen on the BERR central London estate with an estimated total replacement value of £13,500. Of these, 17 items were subsequently found with an estimated replacement value of £1,000.
In addition to the above, during the period 1 March 2009 to 30 April 2009, a further 16 items were reported lost or stolen with an estimated total replacement value of £4,400. One of these items was subsequently found with an estimated value of £50.00.
This figure includes small, low value personal items reported lost or stolen as well as a small number of mobile phones, multi media equipment and other electrical accessories.
Duchy of Lancaster
Departmental Pay
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of staff in (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) the Central Office of Information received bonus payments in each of the last five years; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement. [258009]
Mr. Watson: An element of the Cabinet Office’s overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives. Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
For details of the cost of end of year non-consolidated variable payments in 2004 to 2007 I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on:
2 July 2007, Official Report, column 901W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson).
6 June 2008, Official Report, column 1185W, to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond).
Details of total paybill and headcount for each year can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts, which are published on the Cabinet Office website.
We would not normally give out information pertaining to an individual’s remuneration. However, the average senior civil service non-consolidated award paid by the Cabinet Office over the past five years is:
| Average non-consolidated award (£) | |
I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information (COI) to write to the hon. Member with the information relating to COI.
Copies of the COI letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Disadvantaged
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if his Department will commission research on the relationship between levels of public spending and levels of deprivation across the UK. [275545]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
We conduct regular research on regeneration and economic development including the impact of government programmes on the most deprived areas, and publish research reports regularly on our website. Other Government Departments undertake and publish similar research.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he plans to answer question 270079 tabled on 17 April 2009, about special advisers; and if he will make a statement. [275605]
Mr. Byrne: A response has been sent to the hon. Member.
Children, Schools and Families
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what average rate of interest is being paid on the 30 Building Schools for the Future contracts which had been signed with the private sector by the end of March 2009. [275629]
Jim Knight [holding answer 18 May 2009]: There were 18 signed projects at the end of March 2009 involving private finance; the average all-in rate of interest was 5.88 per cent.
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what rate of interest is being charged by the Government on the £2.4 billion set aside as the additional HM Treasury contribution to private finance initiative schemes in the Building Schools for the Future programme. [275630]
Jim Knight [holding answer 18 May 2009]: The rate of interest to be charged by the Treasury's Infrastructure Finance Unit (TIFU) to assist Building Schools for the Future PFI projects is not set in advance. It will lend on a commercial basis and at rates applicable in the market at the time of financial close of a project.
The £2.4 billion relates to the value of BSF PFI projects in procurement at the time of the announcement according to figures provided to HMT as part of the pre-Budget PFI data collection exercise.
Not every project is expected to require assistance, only those projects which cannot secure debt finance on acceptable terms.
Cam House School Dursley
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has received a proposal from Gloucestershire county council to change the status of Cam House school. [276216]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I can confirm that the Secretary of State has not, to date, received a copy of a statutory proposal notice relating to Cam House school.
When the school was placed in special measures the local authority (LA) temporarily suspended residential provision. Should the LA decide to permanently close residential provision then it would be considered as a prescribed alteration and the authority would be obliged to follow statutory procedures relating to school organisation.
The LA received approval from the Secretary of State on 13 February 2009 to set up an Interim Executive Board for the school.
Primary Education
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what forecast he has made of the number of children there will be in primary schools in each year to 2031. [276295]
Jim Knight [holding answer 18 May 2009]: The Department's current estimates for the number of full-time equivalent pupils in education in maintained primary schools in England are shown in the following table:
Updated projections for the number of pupils in primary and nursery schools are due to be published in the departmental annual report on 8 June 2009. These will take into account the provisional annual school census figures for January 2009. Projections are not shown beyond 2017 because of the increasing degree of uncertainty over time.
Secondary Education
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils entered state secondary schools in each local authority in year 7 in September 2008; how many and what percentage of these pupils entered schools selecting other than via banding systems (a) wholly by academic ability, (b) partly by academic ability and (c) by aptitude; and how many of them transferred to state secondary schools from primary schools in the private sector. [274440]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold data on the number of pupils who entered state secondary schools in September 2008. The latest available data about the number of admissions to schools can be accessed in the statistical first release (SFR) “Admission Appeals for Maintained Primary and Secondary Schools in England, 2006/07”
Data for 2007/08 are due to be published in late June.
The Department also collects data about offers of secondary school places. The data on offers made in March 2008 (which will relate to the number of pupils who entered state secondary schools in September 2008) can be accessed in the SFR “Secondary School Applications and Offers”
These figures are likely to have changed slightly by September for a number of reasons, such as appeals being successful, children moving home and late applications being processed. However, local authorities are not required to submit updated data in September.
The Department does not collect data on the admission arrangements applied to determine which school places are offered, or on the number of children that have transferred to state secondary schools from primary schools in the independent sector.
Teachers: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) head teachers, (b) deputy head teachers, (c) other teaching staff and (d) non-teaching staff were suspended from duties in each local authority area in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [276217]
Jim Knight: The operation of disciplinary procedures in schools, including those that result in suspension, is a matter for local determination. Accordingly the information requested about the suspension of teaching and non-teaching staff is not held centrally.
Young Offender Institutions: ICT
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on how many and what proportion of computers in (a) young offender institutions and (b) secure training centres malware was detected in 2008. [275422]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 14 May 2009]: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for overseeing the management of services in young offender institutions. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is responsible for monitoring the services provided by contractors in secure training centres.
Neither NOMS nor the YJB have received any reports of malware being detected in young offender institutions or secure training centres in 2008.
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