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15 Jun 2009 : Column 128W—continued
Warm Front Scheme: Winchester
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many pensioners resident in Winchester constituency (a) were eligible for and (b) have received a grant from the Warm Front scheme in each year since its inception. [260716]
Joan Ruddock: Eaga does not record or estimate the number of eligible households at any given time.
The following table presents the total number of households assisted in this constituency in each year since the scheme's inception in 2000. It also provides details of the number of households assisted with a resident over 60 years of age.
| Scheme year | Over 60 | Total number of households assisted |
Children, Schools and Families
School Playing Fields
8. Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the number of secondary schools that do not have their own sports playing fields. [279166]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department does not hold an estimate of the number of secondary schools that do not have their own playing fields.
Whether or not schools have their own playing fields, which may not be possible in urban settings, they are required to have access to team game playing fields proportionate to their pupil numbers and type.
Primary Capital Programme
9. Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he has allocated to the Primary Capital Programme in Blackpool for the next three years. [279167]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Following approval to Blackpool's revised Primary Strategy for Change, my officials wrote to the authority on 13 May confirming additional funding allocations of £3 million for 2009-10 and £5.38 million in 2010-11 to support local delivery of the Primary Capital Programme. Decisions about funding for future years will be taken in the context of the next spending review.
Literacy Teaching
11. David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve the teaching of literacy in schools. [279169]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Primary literacy standards are the highest levels ever, and GCSE English pass rates are rising. The National Strategies support schools across England to strengthen the quality of literacy teaching, including phonics, and disseminate good practice. In particular, the ‘Every Child a Reader’ and ‘Every Child a Writer’ programmes support the neediest pupils' literacy development. We work closely with the Training and Development Agency to ensure that Initial Teacher Training providers offer the best possible training.
Autism
12. John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children diagnosed with autism are not excluded from mainstream education. [279170]
Ed Balls: I have made it clear that schools should actively avoid permanently excluding children with SEN other than in the most exceptional circumstances. This includes children with autism whose disability often results in challenging behaviour. We have reduced exclusions of children with SEN because schools are intervening early and providing targeted support and we have accepted all Sir Alan Steer's recent recommendations to support and challenge local authorities with disproportionate high exclusions of children with SEN including those with autism.
Permanent Exclusions
13. Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children of school age who have been permanently excluded from school are without schooling. [279171]
Mr. Coaker:
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide suitable full-time education from the sixth school day of a permanent exclusion. A recent Ofsted
report commissioned by DCSF found eight of 18 local authorities surveyed did not fully comply with the legal requirements. We accept Ofsted's recommendations and will work with them and with the National Strategies to provide support and challenge in improving access to alternative provision.
Secondary Schools
14. Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of educational standards in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement. [279172]
Ed Balls: In 2008, 129,000 more pupils achieved 5+ A*-C GCSEs than in 1997, an increase of 19.7 percentage points; the corresponding figure including English and maths is 76,500 pupils—an increase of 12 percentage points.
Careers Advice
15. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to improve careers advice for school pupils; and if he will make a statement. [279173]
Mr. Iain Wright: Through the Education and Skills Act 2008 statutory duty on schools to deliver careers education impartially and the statutory guidance to be published this autumn, we are placing clear expectations on schools for the provision of high quality information on all 14-19 learning options. We also have a clause governing advice on apprenticeships in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill and we will set out further measures in our information, advice and guidance strategy later this year.
School Buildings: Expenditure
17. Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to bring forward spending on school buildings to 2009-10. [279175]
Ed Balls: £939 million of school capital funding allocations to schools and to 121 local authorities are being brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10. These will be spent on school buildings, ICT and other capital items.
It is disappointing that 27 local authorities did not take up the offer of bringing forward a possible £183 million.
Children's Social Care
18. Mr. Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve standards of children’s social care; and if he will make a statement. [279176]
Dawn Primarolo: We are taking a number of steps to improve children’s social care. We are improving the skills and capacity of the work force, supported by an extra £73 million and have set up the Social Work Task Force.
We have accepted all the recommendations in Lord Laming’s report on safeguarding and have published a detailed action plan to implement these.
We are also implementing our “Care Matters” programme to improve the support given to children in care.
Schools: Halifax
19. Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans there are to renew and refurbish the fabric of schools in Halifax. [279178]
Mr. Coaker: Decisions on which schools to invest in are a matter for the local authority. Halifax primary schools will benefit from Calderdale’s Primary Capital Programme allocation of £8.67 million over the next two years. Halifax secondary schools will be renewed and refurbished when Calderdale joins the BSF programme. I am aware that my hon. Friend met the former Schools Minister to discuss Halifax’s BSF project. I am considering the matters that were raised.
Language Teaching: Secondary Schools
20. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of language teaching in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement. [279179]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Ofsted’s languages report published in July 2008 found that a third of schools surveyed showed considerable strengths in languages teaching. Teaching observed was rated satisfactory in a further 50 per cent. of schools. Strengths included thorough planning, a variety of activities and good questioning of students to ensure comprehension. Weaker features included insufficient practice in the language and over-reliance on course books and memorisation of words and phrases.
Primary Schools
21. Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of standards of educational achievement in primary schools. [279180]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Standards in primary schools have never been higher. In 2008 Key Stage 2 results show 81 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved level 4 or above in English and 79 per cent. achieved level 4 or above in mathematics.
There have been consistent and significant improvements in our primary schools over the past decade. Compared to 1997, over 113,000 more 11-year-olds achieved the target level for their age in reading, writing and mathematics in 2008.
Care Homes
22. Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will increase his Department's funding for local authority provision for vulnerable children in care homes. [279181]
Dawn Primarolo: Local authority expenditure on services for looked after children has increased from £1.3 billion to approximately £2.2 billion in 2007-08. In addition, for 2007-08 and through the spending review period, almost £300 million extra has been provided by Government to help Care Matters reforms.
It is essential that the residential sector provides good quality care. As part of this aim we are piloting social pedagogy and working with the Children’s Workforce Development Council to improve standards.
CRB Checks: Teachers
23. Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the retention of information on the outcomes of Criminal Records Bureau checks on teachers. [279182]
Mr. Coaker: I am aware of representations made to the CRB in January 2009 by Southend-on-Sea borough council. The question concerned the retention of risk assessment information made by recruiting managers, including cases where an individual is appointed to a post after a CRB disclosure has been provided which includes relevant information. The CRB responded to the question, and DCSF officials undertook to consider the issue in the context of planned revisions to the Department’s “Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment” guidance.
Standard Assessment Tests
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to ensure the timely marking of standard assessment tests in 2009; and if he will make a statement. [279168]
Mr. Coaker: Marking of this year’s National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests in 2009 is well under way and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) advise that they are currently on schedule to deliver results to schools by 7 July.
The Department is monitoring delivery closely, and Ministers are receiving regular updates on progress.
Apprentices
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has allocated to apprenticeships for young people aged 16 to 18 years in 2010-11. [279183]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planned national expenditure on 16 to 18 apprenticeships for 2010-11 will be published in the LSC's Annual Statement of Priorities in autumn 2009, and confirmed in March 2010.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) assistance and (b) funding his Department provides to people under 18 years old undertaking an apprenticeship. [279788]
Mr. Iain Wright:
The Department, with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, created the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) which has end-to-end responsibility for apprenticeships and has been fully
operational since April this year. Supporting 16 to 18-year-olds is one of the NAS’s key priorities for 2009/10. The NAS works with employers across the country to develop apprenticeship opportunities, and works with Connexions and other agencies to ensure that young people have the information and support they need to access them. From the beginning of this year the on-line apprenticeship vacancy system has been operating, providing a free service for employers and providers to advertise apprenticeship vacancies, and allowing potential apprentices to register and apply for vacancies. Young people can also access apprenticeship opportunities through their local 14-19 Prospectus, a user-friendly, fully searchable directory of education and training available in their area at entry level through to NVQ level 3.
The Department fully funds the training element of apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds. The apprenticeships budget for 16 to 18-year-olds is £628 million for 2008-09 and £675 million for 2009-10.
In addition, earlier in the year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a £140 million package to provide 35,000 extra apprenticeship places in the coming year.
Apprenticeship starts increased from 65,000 in 1996/97 to 225,000 in 2007/08, up 22 per cent. on the year before. Since 1996/97 over 2 million people have started an apprenticeship.
Departmental Data Protection
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made. [278751]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Under the mandatory requirements of the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008, the Department for Children, Schools and Families is required to give a summary report on data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner in its annual resource accounts.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has reported on personal data breaches in the 2007-08 annual resource account and this can be found at:
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