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12 Nov 2009 : Column 979W—continued
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff in his Department and its predecessor were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to his Department in each year since 2005; and how much was spent on the management of such requests in each such year. [299136]
Mr. Coaker: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Manpower
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many officials were employed by his Department in each month since July 2007. [297045]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Employee information (on a total headcount and full-time equivalent basis) for the Department is published regularly on the Office for National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk= 2899&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422
Departmental Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in his Department in 2008-09. [299290]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Postal Services
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of postal services for his Department and its agencies were provided by (a) Royal Mail and (b) other postal service providers (i) in 2007, (ii) in 2008, (iii) between 1 January 2009 and 1 July 2009 and (iv) after 1 July 2009. [298803]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007. Since 28 June 2007, all post has been delivered by Royal Mail either directly or via Prolog, the Department's publications storage and distribution provider. We are unable to provide similar information for agencies.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which providers his Department had a contract to provide postal services in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) between 1 January 2009 and 1 July 2009 and (d) since 1 July 2009. [299434]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which Minister in his Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in his Department; whether his Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and if he will make a statement. [289746]
Mr. Coaker: My hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Ms Diana R. Johnson), the Under-Secretary of State for schools has taken on responsibility for the Department's value for money (VfM) remit, which will include oversight of our CSR07 VfM programme and the additional operational efficiency programme (OEP) efficiencies agreed at Budget 2009.
Both of these programmes are managed by a value for money team who co-ordinate activity across the Department, throughout its NDPBs and within the sectors in which they operate.
Progress towards targets set for the CSR07 efficiency programme and the operational efficiency programme (OEP) will be stated in the 2009 autumn performance report in December 2009.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2009, Official Report, columns 1937-38W, on schools: finance, which individual programmes and corresponding allocations were aggregated under the items listed in the answer as (a) literacy and numeracy, central driving and (b) curriculum. [292054]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Further to the information provided on 9 September 2009, a more detailed breakdown of the Literacy and Numeracy, Central Driving and Curriculum programmes is provided as follows.
| (b) Curriculum | |
| Notes: 1. Children and Young People's Culture This funds a range of projects (including Sing Up, Find Your Talent and Music Partnership Projects) ensuring pupils have quality experiences in arts and culture. 2. Languages and Geography This supports the implementation of the National Languages Strategy: to improve teaching and learning and on widening participation. The Action Plan for Geography promotes this subject as one relevant to the 21st century, and supports teachers to enable pupils' success. 3. Science Technology Engineering and Maths The science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) programme aims to improve attainment and engagement in science subjects. This programme also aims to provide skills suitable for the workplace and employers. | |
Departmental Statistics
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of the statistical datasets collected by his Department is published. [299673]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Travel
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on (a) car hire, (b) train travel, (c) hotels and (d) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years. [289976]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The data requested were for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). DCSF was established under the machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, therefore the response covers its predecessor the Department for Education and Skills (DFES).
Spend for Rail Travel and Hotels is inclusive for both Ministers and Staff and is shown in the following table for each of the last five years. Car Hire costs for Ministers and Staff are shown separately.
The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) supply car hire for Ministers they are only able to supply data for the latest financial year 2008/2009. Data for earlier years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
Restaurant meals for Ministers and Staff within the DCSF cannot easily be extracted. Accounting records are not readily available and the information required to obtain data at this level of detail for a five year period would incur disproportionate costs.
Expenditure, however, has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of 'Managing Public Money' and the Treasury handbook on 'Regularity and Propriety'.
| Financial years | Car hire | Train travel | Hotels | Ministerial car hire |
| (1) = Not known. | ||||
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many miles (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department and its predecessors travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997. [298545]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will review the terms of the education maintenance allowance to take into account the circumstances of households with triplets in 14 to 19 education. [298904]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 9 November 2009]: The number of children in a household is not taken into account during the income assessment for the Education Maintenance Allowance and we do not currently have plans to change this policy.
Other mechanisms exist to help with the costs of supporting young people aged 16 to 19 in learning. Child Benefit provides support for parents regardless of income, and Tax Credits are designed to tailor support to current circumstances and to be responsive to changing needs. Child Tax Credits also offer increased support for families with more children.
In addition to the support provided to families, discretionary learner support funds are made available via the Learning and Skills Council to colleges and local authorities. This funding is provided to enable schools and colleges, using their discretion, to help individual learners who may otherwise experience financial hardship or barriers to continuing in learning.
Education: Young Offender Institutions
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many hours of education (a) juvenile and (b) young female offenders received on average per week in the most recent period for which figures are available. [295914]
Mr. Coaker: Figures collected by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Youth Justice Board (YJB) for September 2008 to August 2009 indicate that in Prison Service YOIs, young people in juvenile YOI accommodation received an average of 27.5 hours per person per week of education, training and personal development. The data also indicate that young female offenders in juvenile Prison Service YOIs received an average of 30.1 hours of education, training and personal development activity per person per week during the same period. These figures encompass a range of education and constructive activities. From October NOMS have implemented new data collection systems which, along with data returns from the LSC will allow greater accuracy and detail in reporting on education, training and constructive activities in the future.
The YJB report that in private YOIs, young people received an average of 33.9 hours of education, training and personal development activity per week during August 2008 to September 2009. Female offenders are not currently held in private YOIs.
In Secure Children's Homes (SCHs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs) the YJB report against the number of young people who received a minimum of 30 hours of provision per week. Data indicate that between September 2008 and August 2009, 91.3 per cent. of young people in SCHs received a minimum of 30 hours of provision and in STCs this was 99 per cent. of young people. The YJB do not collect the information broken down by gender in STCs and SCHs.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets his Department has set for the educational (a) provision and (b) performance of young offender institutions; and what progress has been made towards meetings these targets. [295933]
Mr. Coaker: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissions the National Offender Management Service to deliver 25 hours of education, training and personal development to each young person per week in Prison Service YOIs. This includes education and training delivered by Learning and Skills Council providers, as well as training and personal development activities provided or commissioned by the Prison Service.
Figures for September 2008 to August 2009 indicate that in Prison Service YOIs, young people in juvenile YOI accommodation received an average of 27.5 hours per person per week of education, training and personal development. These figures encompass a range of education and constructive activities. From October NOMS have implemented new data collection systems which, along with data returns from the LSC, will allow greater accuracy and detail in reporting on education, training and constructive activities in the future.
For young people in private YOIs, YJB data shows that young people received an average of 33.9 hours of education, training and personal development activity per week during August 2008 to September 2009.
For young people in Secure Children's Homes (SCHs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs) the YJB require that 90 per cent. of young people receive a minimum of 30 hours of education, training and personal development activity per week. The YJB figures available indicate that between September 2008 and August 2009, 91.3 per cent. of young people in SCHs received a minimum of 30 hours of provision and in STCs this was 99 per cent. of young people.
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