| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
1 Jun 2009 : Column 232W—continued
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer Question 271012, tabled on 21 April 2009, on the Shia Personal Status Law in Afghanistan. [277487]
David Miliband: This question was answered on 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1496W.
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 1 June 2009
Children, Schools and Families
Apprentices
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to help school leavers between the ages of 16 and 18 years-old find employment through training and apprenticeship schemes. [272683]
Jim Knight: We are determined to ensure that as many young people as possible continue their learning beyond the age of 16 to get the qualifications and experience they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive labour market. Many will continue their learning in the workplace through an apprenticeship or work based learning programme.
All 16 and 17-year-olds will be offered a suitable place in education or training under the September Guarantee. We announced in budget 2009 an additional investment to allow 54,400 more young people to take up a place at school, college or with a training provider. This is in addition to plans recently announced to make available an additional 17,500 apprenticeship places for 16 to 18-year-olds across the public and private sectors. Schools, colleges and Connexions services will give young people in Cheshire the advice and support they need to find a suitable opportunity.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many hours a week on average 16 to 18 year-olds spent on apprenticeships in each industrial sector in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Teesside and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [276624]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Apprenticeships for young people are normally full-time and the hours that each individual spends on their framework each week are a matter for the apprentice and their employer. Some apprentices work part-time. Information about the number of hours that apprentices work and train each week is not collected centrally. We are currently consulting on a specification for apprenticeship standards in England which proposes a minimum number of guided learning hours per year for all apprentices.
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.
Cabinet: Glasgow
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) special advisers and (b) officials of his Department accompanied him to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009. [273925]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families was accompanied by two departmental officials on his visit to Glasgow on 16 April 2009.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what car journeys he took in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273926]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families travelled by official Government car to and from the Cabinet meeting. He also travelled by official Government car to visit Crookston Early Years Centre in Glasgow.
Children: Databases
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009, Official Report, column 1336W, on children: databases, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Framework Agreement. [271472]
Beverley Hughes: A copy of the Business Services Framework Agreement between the Department and Capgemini dated 6 November 2001 has been placed in the House Libraries pursuant to the answer given on 27 February 2009, Official Report, column 1116W.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what data sources are used to populate the National Register of Unaccompanied Children; [275472]
(2) what discussions his Department had with the Information Commissioner on the (a) design and (b) implementation of the National Register of Unaccompanied Children; [275471]
(3) whether a privacy impact assessment was carried out on the National Register of Unaccompanied Children; [275470]
(4) what data fields there are in each record on the National Register of Unaccompanied Children; [275469]
(5) which (a) persons and (b) bodies have authorisation to access the National Register of Unaccompanied Children directly; [275474]
(6) what disclosures of data held on the National Register of Unaccompanied Children have been made to (a) agencies, (b) individuals and (c) researchers without direct access to the Register in each month since its inception. [275473]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
Although funding is provided by the United Kingdom Border Agency the National Register of Unaccompanied Children (NRUC) is not administered by central Government. The information sought needs to be obtained from NRUC direct at:
Children: Day Care
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many child care places for children aged four years and under were available in each London local authority area in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007-08. [276181]
Beverley Hughes: Information is not available specifically for children aged four years and under. Available information on children under eight years of age is shown in the table.
| Number( 1) of registered child care places for children under eight years of age, position at 31 March each year | ||
| Local authority area | 1997( 2) | 2008( 3) |
| (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) Data Source: Children’s Daycare Facilities Survey—total includes day nurseries, playgroups and pre-schools, child minders, out of school clubs and holiday schemes. (3) Data Source: Ofsted—total includes full daycare, sessional daycare, child minders, out of school clubs and crèche daycare. (4) Data not available. | ||
Children: Mental Health Services
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent assessment is of his Department's progress in meeting its target of having no children placed on adult mental health wards by 2010. [275652]
Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
Section 31(3) of the Mental Health Act 2007, which the Government are committed to commencing in England by April 2010, places a duty on hospital managers to ensure that under 18s are treated in an environment which is suitable having regard to their age (subject to their needs).
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 May 2009, Official Report, column 1238W, where figures were provided for the number of bed-days for under 18s on child and adolescent mental health services and adult psychiatric wards, and these showed that in quarter 3 of 2008-09, the latest quarter for which data are available there were no bed-days for under 16-year-olds in adult psychiatric wards and 2,918 bed-days for 16 to 17-year-olds on adult psychiatric wards. This represents less than 7 per cent. of the total bed-days young people spent on psychiatric wards in this period, a significant reduction from 12 per cent. in 2006-07. We are continuing to monitor progress on this issue.
The National Mental Health Development Unit is currently undertaking a programme of awareness raising, self-assessment and support for trusts on this issue.
Note:
A bed-day is a day during which a person is confined to a bed and in which the patient stays overnight in a hospital.
Children: Protection
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many copies of serious case reviews have been misplaced by Ofsted in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [271242]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 5 May 2009:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
As responsibility for the evaluation of serious case reviews transferred from the Commission for Social Care Inspection to Ofsted on 1 April 2007, we are not able to provide information preceding this date. Local safeguarding children boards are required, upon completion of serious case reviews, to send a copy of documents to Ofsted for evaluation.
Since April 2007, Ofsted has received documentation for 234 serious case reviews. One set of documents was lost in December 2007, within one of Ofsted's regional offices, and has not been found. I very much regret this. Due to the highly sensitive content of serious case reviews, the matter was thoroughly investigated and a more secure document handling process was implemented across the whole of Ofsted.
There has been no recurrence. However, there have been four incidents when local safeguarding boards have claimed to have sent documents to Ofsted that were not received. Ofsted has a process for recording receipt of post, which is why we know the Derbyshire documents were received in our Midlands regional office and then lost by us. We have no record of documents from these four incidents reaching any of our four offices and in none of these cases could proof of postage be provided. In each case, documents were subsequently provided to Ofsted and evaluated.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |