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26 Jun 2009 : Column 1186W—continued
Pupils: Health
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the experience in schools of children with long-term medical conditions. [281247]
Ms Diana R. Johnson:
The Department has not commissioned any research into this subject. However, the Department is currently in the process of revising our guidance “Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings”. The new guidance will include clear statements of expectations of those involved in supporting pupils with medical conditions, such as schools and primary care trusts. Importantly, this work will be done in collaboration with the Department of Health and other expert organisations, such as Diabetes UK, and will also involve: lobby groups; school and head-teacher
representatives; as well as parents and children representatives. The new guidance will be subject to public consultation before being published early next year.
Schools: Buildings
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the (a) requirement for and (b) cost of school building repairs in (i) Essex and (ii) Castle Point in the next three years. [282066]
Mr. Coaker: The Department relies on local authorities to assess the requirement for and cost of school building repairs as part of their asset management plans. It does not maintain central records, and allocates devolved capital resources to local authorities and schools on a formula basis, taking into account pupil numbers.
Capital funding, allocated by the Department and available locally, must be used to finance work which results in the enhancement of assets including new building. Revenue funding is used for work which maintains existing assets to their original state, although it can also be used for capital improvement work.
Schools: Religion
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent guidance his Department has issued to schools on accommodating minority (a) religious and (b) cultural beliefs. [280484]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Government are committed to ensuring that pupils receive a balanced and inclusive curriculum and that schools take account of pupils’ religious and cultural beliefs in all aspects of school life. The National Curriculum includes a detailed statutory inclusion statement, which sets out ways in which teachers should help all pupils to take part in the National Curriculum and to achieve the highest possible standards. Religious Education, which is a statutory part of the basic school curriculum, should be taught like any other subject in the curriculum, in an objective and inclusive way.
Schools are subject to equalities legislation and the Department advises that they should be sensitive to pupils’ religious and cultural needs in developing their policies. For example, School Governors must ensure that their uniform and appearance policies are fair and reasonable in accommodating cultural diversity. The Department’s procurement guidance encourages schools to take account of the needs of the local community, so that when writing a specification for a contract for school food, for example, the needs of minority ethnic, cultural and religious diets should be considered.
The School Admissions Code and related legislation, revised in February 2009, sets out a robust framework, clearly showing the statutory requirements that schools and local authorities must comply with to ensure fair access for all.
In order to prepare pupils for active participation in a diverse society the Education and Inspections Act 2006 placed a duty to promote community cohesion on the governing body of maintained schools in England from 1 September 2007, with guidance on the duty issued in July 2008.
Standard Assessment Tests
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what representations he has received on changes to announced dates for Key Stage 2 standard assessment tests; and if he will make a statement; [281909]
(2) on what dates in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 it is proposed to hold the Key Stage 2 standard assessment tests. [281926]
Mr. Coaker: The Government have accepted the recommendation of the Expert Group on Assessment that the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests should be administered in the middle of June, rather than in May. This change will be introduced as soon as is practicable.
The dates of the 2010 tests will be confirmed to schools before the end of the summer term 2009. Arrangements for future years will be announced in due course.
Justice
Departmental Official Hospitality
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on (a) conference services and (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years. [274501]
Maria Eagle: Expenditure on conference services by the Ministry of Justice, comprising headquarters and Executive agencies (the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Her Majesty’s Courts Service, the Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian), since its inception is as follows:
| Financial period | £ |
The amounts above exclude expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts within NOMS as this information is held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
The Ministry’s predecessor Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), incurred the following expenditure on conference services:
| £ | |
The DCA was a smaller department which did not include the National Offender Management Service or the Office for Criminal Justice Reform which were part of the Home Office prior to 2007-08.
The growth in expenditure on conferences reflects the increasingly cross-cutting nature of government policy. Conferences represent an effective mechanism for bringing together stakeholders in the government, private and voluntary sectors to promote a joined up approach to the delivery of front line services.
Bookings for conferences and related expenditure must be made through designated contractors employed by the Ministry of Justice to identify venues and accommodation that offers best value for money.
The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Constitutional Affairs have no record of any expenditure on banqueting services in the last five years.
Probation
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many high-risk (a) male and (b) female offenders in each age group there were in the Hampshire probation area in each of the last five years. [281378]
Maria Eagle: The following table sets out the number of male and female offenders assessed by the Hampshire probation area as presenting a high or very high risk of serious harm. The assessment of risk of serious harm is made through the Offender Assessment System (OASys). Figures are presented for the past four years (2005-2008) as the electronic OASys system was still being implemented in 2004. The number of Hampshire assessments used to produce the figures increased from 4,822 in 2005 to 8,189 in 2008, reflecting an increase in the proportion of offenders entered onto the system as new cases join existing cases. The data are drawn from administrative IT systems and are subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale assessment and recording system.
| Age | Gender | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
Probation: West Midlands
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the net change in numbers of trained probation officers in West Mercia was between 2002 and 2007. [282642]
Maria Eagle: Prior to 2003, information was not collected that enabled the extraction of data for a specific probation area or job group. The following table shows the number of trained probation officers in West Mercia in 2003 and 2007 and the net change in numbers over that time:
| Probation officers( 2) | |
| (1) Figures taken as at 30 June 2009. (2) Includes senior probation officers, senior practitioners, probation officers and professional development assessors. Note: Figures shown as full time equivalents. | |
Prime Minister
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Prime Minister if he will assess the merits of transferring responsibility for tourism to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. [281275]
The Prime Minister: I have no current plans to do so.
Electoral Systems
Mr. Drew: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to establish a Royal Commission to report and make recommendations on electoral reform; and if he will make a statement. [281775]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 10 June 2009, Official Report, columns 795-99. The Government will set out proposals on taking the debate forward.
European Commission
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what criteria he plans to use to decide on his next nominee for the post of European Commissioner; [281436]
(2) what criteria he plans to use in deciding on the UK’s preferred candidate to be the next President of the European Commission. [281437]
The Prime Minister: The treaty establishing the European Community requires that Commissioners shall be chosen on the grounds of “general competence”. The Prime Minister nominates a candidate to become the UK Commissioner who has the right skills to be able to do an excellent job as a Commissioner. I have made clear that the UK supports Jose Manuel Durao Barroso in his candidature to become European Commission President for a second term. Mr. Barroso has been an excellent Commission President since 2004.
Iraq Conflict
Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the (a) costs and (b) benefits to the United Kingdom of its participation in the Iraq war and occupation. [281454]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 15 June 2009, Official Report, columns 21-24.
Iraq Conflict: Inquiries
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister whether the committee of inquiry into the Iraq war will be required to publish the oral and written evidence taken during its inquiry with the report of its findings. [280887]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 15 June 2009, Official Report, columns 21-24.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what remuneration each member of the committee of inquiry into the Iraq war will receive; from which budget such remuneration will be drawn; and what secretariat will be provided for the committee. [280888]
The Prime Minister: The inquiry will be supported by the Cabinet Office.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister whether witnesses called to give evidence to the committee of inquiry on the Iraq war will be required to give evidence on oath. [280889]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to my letter of 17 June 2009 to the right hon. Sir John Chilcot GCB and to his reply of 21 June 2009. Copies of both have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
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