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3 Dec 2009 : Column 914W—continued
The collection for the year ending 30 September 2009 will be the final year that the OC2 return will be used to collect this data. From next year, a new data source using data matched from the children looked after database (collected via the SSDA903 return) and the national pupil database will be used. A 'Bridging Series' publication outlining the move to this new data source will be published at 9.30 on 25 November at:
Faith Schools: Islam
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what all-Muslim girls' boarding schools there are in England; and how many pupils attend each one; [301880]
(2) how many (a) boys' and (b) mixed-sex Muslim boarding schools there are; and how many pupils attend each. [301867]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The information requested is as follows:
| List by number of pupils all Muslim girls boarding schools in England | ||||
| Local Authority Name | School Name | Total pupils | Total girls | Total boys |
Further Education: Finance
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to establish the mechanism for applying for capital project support funding for sixth form colleges through the Learning and Skills Council; and if he will make a statement. [303755]
Mr. Coaker: Pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1403W, I restate that we have made our intention clear to bring sixth-form colleges within the scope of the Building Schools for the Future programme. That remains our position. We will make the details clear as soon as we are able.
My officials are working with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Partnerships for Schools to establish the arrangements. They will be up and running to be used for any new expenditure from April 2011. The only projects that the LSC is currently approving are those which colleges fund themselves.
Schools: Biometrics
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools use biometric data collected from their students; and if he will make a statement. [303862]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department does not collect the information requested.
Schools: Finance
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what measures are in place to encourage schools to use their allocation of devolved capital in the Devolved Financial Management to Schools Scheme; [303443]
(2) how many (a) schools and (b) schools in Coventry used all their allocation from the Devolved Financial Management to Schools Scheme in academic year 2008-09; [303444]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Devolved Financial Management to Schools Scheme; [303445]
(4) what guidelines have been issued to schools on the use of devolved capital by them under the Devolved Financial Management to Schools Scheme. [303446]
Mr. Coaker: Schools are required to use their allocation of Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) within a period of three years and five months, the year of allocation counting as year one. In a few cases, allocations may be accumulated for a longer period for specific projects. Where expenditure does not take place within this period, funds are liable to reclaim.
Records of individual school spend are kept at local authority level. Accordingly, no record is maintained centrally of how many (a) schools and (b) schools in Coventry have used all their DFC allocation relating to the academic year 2008-09.
No formal assessment has been carried out on the effectiveness of the DFC programme. The funding is intended to enable schools to meet their own priorities.
Guidelines to schools on the use of DFC, including a technical note, have been published on Teachernet. The weblink is
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's aid to Afghanistan in the last 18 months; and if he will make a statement. [304028]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) latest Afghanistan Country Programme Evaluation was published in May 2009 and is available on the DFID website:
Caparo Group
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Angad Paul in each of the last three years. [302871]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: This information is not held centrally by the Department for International Development (DFID). Compiling this information would incur disproportionate costs.
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many external consultants work for his Department. [303234]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) enters into contractual arrangements with supplier organisations to deliver consultancy services. The number of individual consultants involved in each contract is not recorded centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to collate.
Departmental Domestic Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions he visited (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [303489]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development has joint headquarters in Scotland and London. I have travelled to Scotland in an official capacity nine times and to Wales once in the last 12 months.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent press officers (a) are employed by and (b) work for his Department. [303602]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The White Book, published by the Central Office of Information (COI) every six months, contains details of the Department for International Development's (DFID) press team.
Departmental Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date he last travelled by (a) bus and (b) taxi in the course of his official duties. [302723]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: I last travelled by taxi on 6 November 2009 during a regional visit.
Developing Countries: Education
Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle barriers to education faced by adolescent girls in developing countries, with particular reference to parental expenditure on education for female children and prioritisation of education over early marriage. [303261]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to achieving the education millennium development goals of universal primary education and gender parity in education by 2015 and is spending at least £8.5 billion over the period 2006-15 in support of education in poor and developing countries. DFID regards supporting girls' education as a priority.
DFID's Strategy for Girls' Education published in 2005 highlighted that costs of education was a major barrier for the attendance of girls from the poorest families and we are taking steps to address this barrier. For example, in Yemen, DFID has committed £20 million to a multi-donor Secondary Education and Girls Access Programme (DEDGAP) which includes a number of measures such as stipends to increase the participation of girls in secondary schools. In Nigeria, DFID funds UNICEF to implement the Girls Education Project in selected Northern Nigerian states. This project has already increased girls' enrolment by 15 per cent. and includes
advocacy and community mobilisation initiatives which are vital to tackle the wider social and cultural causes of girls' lack of progression through schooling, such as early marriage.
Developing Countries: Health Services
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department takes to facilitate pharmaceutical companies assisting in the development of (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) tuberculosis, (c) malaria, (d) maternity and (e) other health programmes in developing countries. [303537]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is engaged in a number of activities which facilitate pharmaceutical company involvement in a range of health programmes in developing countries. DFID;
supports the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) to which GlaxoSmithKline plc also contribute.
works with the William J. Clinton Foundation which helps manufacturers, mainly in India, to improve production processes of antiretrovirals for treatment of HIV/AIDS and antimalarial combination drugs.
supports public-private partnerships for the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and drugs to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other neglected tropical diseases.
works with Sun Pharmaceuticals in India, through the Concept Foundation, to bring to market a drug combination for safe medical abortion at low cost in developing countries.
has recently launched the Industry Government Forum on Access to Medicines (IGFAM) which aims to facilitate a structured dialogue with industry and other stakeholders as to how industry policies could better promote access to medicines in developing countries.
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