| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Jun 2009 : Column 911W—continued
Mr. Coaker:
We do not keep central records of when brokering discussions begin for academy projects. The statement of intent (SOI) phase has only been a formally recorded part of the process since 2007. It would be beyond the cost-threshold to provide the data as requested.
I have placed a table in the House Libraries which sets out the time frame of each phase for open academies and all current projects which have passed EOI stage. Where there is no SOI and the FA is yet to be signed, the date of the EOI is provided.
The average period between SOI and expression of interest (EOI) is six months and EOI to funding agreement (FA) is 17 months. For all open academies, the average between the funding agreement stage and opening date is eight months.
Care Proceedings
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications were made by local authorities for care orders during (a) July, (b) August, (c) September, (d) November and (e) December 2008. [248905]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The number of public law care and supervision applications under section 31 of the Children Act 1989 in the months July to December 2008 is given in the following table. Public law cases are those brought by local authorities or an authorised person (currently only the NSPCC). Figures relate to the number of children that are subject to each application and have been rounded to the nearest 10. Please note that 2008 figures are provisional.
Comparisons between single months should be made with caution as the monthly figures are subject to more volatility than those covering longer time periods.
| Number of public law care and supervision applications under section 31 of the Children Act 1989, England and Wales; county courts and family proceedings courts | |||
| 2008 | Family proceedings courts( 1) | County courts( 2) | Total |
| (1) There have been data quality issues with figures for family proceedings courts. A new method of collection was introduced in April 2007 which has improved the coverage and completeness of data. (2) Research undertaken on behalf of Ministry of Justice has identified that some cases that have transferred from the family proceedings court to the county court have been incorrectly recorded as new applications in the county court, thus inflating the reported number of new applications through double counting (see Masson et al 2008). Source: HMCS FamilyMan and manual returns, as at January 2009. | |||
Child Minding: Manpower
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many registered child minders there were in each local authority in each quarter in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement. [278878]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of registered child minders in each local authority in each quarter of each year since 2003 has been placed in the House Libraries.
Class Sizes
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much funding his Department has allocated to reducing class sizes in schools in (a) Mid Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England schools in each year since 1997; [278582]
(2) how much funding his Department has allocated to employing more teachers for schools in (a) Mid Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England schools in each year since 1997. [278576]
Mr. Coaker: Local authorities are responsible for the distribution of funding (including funding provided through the dedicated schools grant (DSG)) to schools in their area. Each local authority in consultation with their schools forum can choose to include a factor in their funding formula to direct resources to schools with infant classes to enable them to meet the class size duty. The Department does not collect information on how much funding was allocated to employing more teachers for Mid Bedfordshire and eastern region schools.
In 2008-09 the final DSG amount for Bedfordshire was £227.69 million. The 2009-10 final DSG amount for central Bedfordshire are yet to be published.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of invoices his Department has paid within 10 days of receipt in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [278834]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The number and percentage of invoices paid within the Government’s 10 day target over the last seven months for the Department for Children, Schools and Families was as follows:
| Date | Number of invoices | Percentage |
Education Maintenance Allowance
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to extend eligibility for the education maintenance allowance in the 2009-10 financial year to children from households with a projected annual income of less than £30,810; and if he will make a statement. [278806]
Mr. Coaker:
For most young people, eligibility for education maintenance allowance (EMA) is subject to an assessment of their household income based on the financial year prior to the academic year in which they start their course. The assessment will be based on evidence of that income. The upper threshold to qualify for EMA is £30,810. If they meet other eligibility criteria such as being a young person aged 16 to 18 and on a
relevant course, and residency requirements, applicants will qualify for EMA if the income evidence supports that.
A successful assessment provides a young person with a guaranteed entitlement of up to three years of EMA on the same rate, plus a guaranteed minimum level of non-repayable student support should they progress into higher education within three years. It is appropriate that such guarantees for long term support for those who need it are provided on the basis of evidence rather than conjecture.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of those enrolled in an entry to employment programme have received the maximum education maintenance allowance in each month since June 2008. [278854]
Mr. Coaker: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoffrey Russell, the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Castle Point with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Education: Standards
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009, Official Report, column 583W, on education: standards, which qualifications considered for approval by the Joint Advisory Council for Certificates have (a) not been approved, (b) been referred back and (c) been approved; and if he will make a statement. [276889]
Mr. Coaker: The qualifications considered to date by the Joint Advisory Committee for Qualifications Approval (JACQA) are listed in the following tables:
| Table 1: Qualifications considered by JACQA at December 2008 meeting | |
| Awarding organisation | Qualification title |
|
Level 2 NVQ in Specialist Plant Machinery Operations (Lifting and Transferring) | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |