Written Ministerial Statements
Thursday 22 October 2009
Children, Schools and Families
Independent Faith Schools
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls): On 9 March 2009, I informed the House that I had asked Ofsted to carry out a survey of independent faith schools' work to promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development. The purpose of the survey was to gather evidence on current practice with a view to considering whether the independent school regulations on SMSC are fit for purpose. The survey focused on practice in faith schools in view of the particular context a faith ethos provides.
Ofsted has today published the results of the survey. It found that practice in all of the 51 schools visited was at least good with pupils demonstrating a strong sense of identity and belonging to their faith, their school and to Britain; and with a clear commitment to promoting the values of good citizenship. Ofsted has concluded that the current regulations are fit for purpose but recommends various ways in which we can work with the sector to improve pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development further and support consistently high standards across the sector.
I very much welcome the report. I asked Ofsted to carry out this survey because some concerns had been expressed about whether all independent faith schools were effectively preparing pupils for life in British society. While we will always take any specific allegations very seriously, this survey shows that the regulatory regime for independent schools is fit for purpose and that provision across the sector is good.
I would like to thank the schools and the representatives of different faith organisations who took part in Ofsted's survey. I look forward to working with them and with other practitioners from across the sector to take forward Ofsted's recommendations and promote excellent opportunities for all pupils.
Ofsted has made recommendations in three areas:
1) Provide greater clarity in the meaning of the five strands of the SMSC regulations.
The independent school regulations are designed to offer flexibility to allow schools to provide a distinctive education in line with their faith ethos while at the same time preparing pupils to lead successful lives as responsible citizens in wider British society. While schools want to retain this flexibility, Ofsted has found that they would welcome greater clarity about what is meant by aspects of the regulations.
I will be setting up a new independent schools practitioners group to work with us on revised guidance to promote consistently high standards right across the sector. This will include encouraging schools to provide
pupils with opportunities to learn about the different cultures and faiths practised in the UK, alongside developing a deep understanding and sense of belonging to their own community.
2) Encourage more interfaith and partnership working between independent schoolsand with the maintained sector.
Ofsted has found that some of the best practice occurs where schools work in partnership with local communities and with other schools to support the professional development of staff and build mutual respect and understanding.
There are lots of excellent examples of good partnership working already taking place. I have asked Pat Langham, Chair of the Independent-State School Partnership Group (ISSP) for that group to consider how the sector could encourage this further.
Around 70 faith schools from the maintained and independent sectors are already embarking on linking projects through the DCSF funded national Schools' Linking Network (SLN). Last week I announced an additional £50,000 support for the national Schools' Linking Network to work in partnership with the Three Faiths Forum to provide high quality advice and training for Local Authorities and schools to encourage successful interfaith linking projects and links between maintained and independent schools.
3) Ensure teaching resources are accurate and unbiased.
Religious Education (RE) has a very important role to play in promoting cohesion through developing understanding of different faiths and cultures and exploring the role faith plays in society, and it is important that teachers have access to high quality and accurate resources. In a minority of the schools visited, Ofsted found that while the pupils' understanding was good, there were examples of inaccurate or biased materials being used to teach about religions.
We know that the availability of high quality resources for RE is an issue in both maintained and independent sectors and I would urge all schools to review the resources they are using. As part of a drive to improve RE provision in all schools, we have commissioned Warwick University to carry out research to look at the RE materials that are currently being used. This work will help to inform work with the RE council, local RE curriculum advisors, teachers and schools to make sure that all pupils have access to high quality learning materials. We will publish this research in the New Year.
Defence
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Review
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Kevan Jones): The Ministry of Defence is entering the next stage of the review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme that was brought forward from 2010, as announced by the Defence Secretary in July of this year.
The terms of reference for the review are as follows:
to examine whether the fundamental principles of the scheme remain valid;
to evaluate how successfully the scheme in its current form gives effect to these principles;
having regard to fairness, feasibility, sustainability and ease of administration, to make recommendations on any modifications that are required to ensure that the scheme is fit for purpose.
The review will be undertaken by the Ministry of Defence under the leadership of an independent chairman, Admiral the Lord Boyce, who will determine the review recommendations. It will report to the Defence Secretary and be published by him, with an indication of the steps which he intends to take as a result of the review.
An independent scrutiny group has been established with representatives of service and ex-service organisations, service families' representatives, and medical, academic and legal experts, from whom the independent chairman and the Department will take advice as the review progresses. It has already held its first meeting.
The aim is for the review to report within a few months.
The review will look at a range of issues including (but not limited to):
the fundamental principles underlying the compensation scheme;
the overall level of compensation, including for dependants;
what the compensation is for and its relationship with other state benefits;
comparisons with other compensation in the UK and internationally;
issues raised by the Court of Appeal judgment;
the circumstances of injury, illness or death;
the claims and adjudication process;
the burden and onus of proof;
the time limit on claims and the treatment of deterioration;
the compensation paid for mental illness; and
the compensation paid to individuals with multiple injuries.
The membership of the Review's Independent Scrutiny Group is as follows:
UK-Iraq Agreement
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Bill Rammell): I am making a statement on the UK's bilateral agreement with the Government of Iraq on defence training and maritime support. Copies of the text of this agreement were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 July.
The House will be aware that the UK concluded combat operations in Iraq on 30 April, and that our combat forces were withdrawn by the end of July in accordance with our previous arrangement with the Government of Iraq.
As the Prime Minister announced on 18 December last year, the Iraqi Government have requested our continued military assistance, particularly in officer training, naval training and maritime support. The two Governments therefore concluded an agreement concerning naval training and maritime support to Iraqi forces in June. Since then, the agreement has been considered by the Iraqi Council of Representatives and received its Third Reading on 13 October. The agreement will now enter into force once both parties have completed their parliamentary procedures and exchanged diplomatic notes.
My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary wrote to Opposition spokesmen and the Chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee last month to explain our intention to bring the agreement into force as soon as the Iraqi Government are ready. Training of the Iraqi Navy has been paused since June, and it is important to resume this activity as soon as possible to ensure that they quickly develop the capacity to protect their own territorial waters and the offshore oil platforms which are so vital to Iraq's economic revival. A prompt resumption of training would allow our Royal Navy trainers, who have been held at readiness since June, to return to the task that they are so adept at delivering.
The agreement was published as a Command Paper and laid before both Houses on 25 September. However, due to our summer recess, it will not now be possible to allow the agreement to lay for the full 21 sitting day period before exchanging diplomatic notes. Since it is agreed that our training activity should resume as soon as possible, and having kept Parliament informed of progress throughout the recess, the Government intend to notify the Iraqi Government within the next few days that the UK is ready to bring this agreement into force.
Defence Estate Stewardship
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Kevan Jones): The Stewardship Report on the "Defence Estate 2008-09" will be published today. The publication of the report implements the commitment in "The Defence Estate Strategy 2006-In Trust and On Trust" to report annual performance across a range of estate-related strategic aims, and to demonstrate that the Department is discharging its obligations properly and acting responsibly in meeting the needs of the armed forces. The report attempts to balance:
a. the substantial investment made in the estate, the successes over the year, the steps being taken to improve the effectiveness of management and the achievement of value for money;
b. the commitment to provide an account of our stewardship to external stakeholders.
The report continues to set out the progress against the aims and objectives in the Defence Estate Strategy 2006 and demonstrates how the estate is changing as a result. The report is published online and can be found at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DefenceEstateand EnvironmentPublications/DefenceEstates/
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
General Affairs and External Relations Council
The Minister for Europe (Chris Bryant): The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will be held on 26-27 October in Luxembourg. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I will represent the UK.
The agenda items are as follows:
Preparation of the 29-30 October European Council
The GAERC will discuss the Presidency's agenda for the October European Council, which will be dominated by three main topics: institutional issues, climate change and the economic and financial crisis. On institutional issues, the focus will be on how to follow up Czech President Klaus's questions in relation to the Lisbon Treaty. The presidency will look to make progress where it can on implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. It is possible that this may include detailed discussion on the shape of the Commission.
Preparations for the Copenhagen summit on climate change will be a priority as the October European Council offers the last realistic opportunity for the EU to agree a mandate in advance of Copenhagen. The presidency has also scheduled a discussion of the Commission's "Larosiere" proposals on European financial supervision and regulation, focusing on Commission proposals for the creation of a new European systemic risk body (ESRB). The other agenda items are illegal migration, the Baltic Sea strategy and external relations.
The Government broadly support the Presidency's agenda and look forward to a firm EU commitment on climate change ahead of Copenhagen.
There will be a short discussion of the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region. Ministers are expected to agree conclusions on the strategy before it is formally adopted at the October European Council. The strategy aims to make the Baltic Sea region an environmentally sustainable, prosperous, accessible, and secure place, by bringing together a range of existing and planned measures into an integrated overall approach. The Government welcome the strategy as a means of delivering joined-up regional approaches to the issues facing Europe and will be interested to observe the development of actions and the lessons this may have for the management of regional seas.
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