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7 Jan 2010 : Column 592W—continued
Children: Social Services
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the cost of conducting a serious case review. [307266]
Dawn Primarolo: The costs of conducting a serious case review are not held centrally. It is the responsibility of each Local Safeguarding Children Board to undertake a serious case review where appropriate. The costs will vary considerably depending on the complexity of the case and the cost of the independent overview author.
Christmas
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Christmas trees were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years; what the cost was of those trees in each year; from where the trees were sourced; what account was taken of the sustainability of the sources of the trees; and by what process the trees were disposed of. [305646]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007. Since then four Christmas trees have been purchased from a sustainable source at a total cost of £2,100. This included delivery and installation costs. The supplier has advised that for every tree that is cut down, another is grown. The trees are shredded and recycled.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department budgeted for Christmas trees in 2009. [306148]
Ms Diana R. Johnson [holding answer 10 December 2009]: The Department for Children, Schools and Families budgeted £550 for Christmas trees in 2009.
Departmental Buildings
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many smart meters are in use in his Department's main building; and (a) when and (b) at what cost such meters were installed. [303924]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: At the present time no smart meters are in use in the Department for Children, Schools Families main building. However, funding has been secured from the Department for Energy and Climate Change for the installation of sub-metering which will enable us to identify where the most electricity is being consumed so that it can be targeted in the future.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in his Department's buildings in the last 12 months. [305690]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Expenditure in respect of works and refurbishments to Ministers' offices in the last year was £19,876.00. This follows the appointment of an additional Minister to the Department in June 2009, which required a new office to be created.
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which conferences held overseas have been attended by civil servants based in his Department in the last three years; and what the cost to the public purse was of such attendance at each conference. [305873]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: To provide a response would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Hotels
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expenditure his Department incurred on hotel accommodation in 2008-09. [301388]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was established in June 2007. Expenditure on hotel accommodation during 2008-09 was £1,510,651.
Departmental Meetings
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which (a) individuals other than ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department and (b) organisations he met in an official capacity in the week commencing 9 November 2009. [301165]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: In its response to a report by the Public Administration Select Committee "Lobbying: Access and influence in Whitehall", the Government agreed to publish on-line, on a quarterly basis, information about ministerial meetings with outside interest groups. Information for the period 1 October 2009 to 31 December 2009 will be published by Departments as soon as the information is ready.
Departmental Pay
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses have been paid to officials in his Department in each of the last three years; and what expenditure his Department has incurred on such bonuses in each year. [301302]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The wages/salary bill for 2006-07 was £132.4 million of which non-consolidated performance payments represented 1.7 per cent. All employees are eligible for non-consolidated performance payments, subject to strict criteria in line with the Government's policy on public sector pay. Senior civil service non-consolidated payments are determined as part of a central performance management framework managed by the Cabinet Office. Payments for other grades are subject to the pay remit process and reflect previous pay settlements. Non-consolidated performance payments have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs (e.g. pensions) and are an integral element of the reward package for staff.
The information for 2006/07 refers to the former Department for Education and Skills.
| Number of non-consolidated payments | Expenditure (£ million) | |
The wages/salary bill for 2007-08 was £111.9 million of which non-consolidated performance payments represented 1.9 per cent.
| Number of non-consolidated payments | Expenditure (£ million) | |
The wages/salary bill for 2008-09 was £111.8 million of which non-consolidated performance payments represented 1.9 per cent.
| Number of non-consolidated payments | Expenditure (£ million) | |
Departmental Training
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many overseas training courses were attended by his Department's civil servants in the latest period for which figures are available; how many civil servants attended each course; and what the total cost to the public purse was of each course. [305902]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: We hold records on training provided centrally. In the 12 months to the end of November 2009, one employee attended a training course where an element of it was delivered overseas. This was a leadership development programme at the National School of Government which consisted of six modules of which five were delivered locally in the UK. The total cost was £14,500, with the overseas element of the programme amounting to £4,350.
A number of training courses are agreed locally and a detailed check of those records to see if any involved an element of overseas travel would incur disproportionate cost.
Driving
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms are in place to ensure that staff who drive (a) a vehicle for which his Department is responsible have valid driving licences and (b) their own vehicles in the course of their official duties have valid driving licences and insurance; what guidance is issued to those staff in respect of road safety while carrying out official duties; what steps are taken to monitor compliance with that guidance; what requirements there are on such staff to report to their line managers accidents in which they are involved while driving in the course of their official duties; and whether such reports are investigated. [302171]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has travel policy in place for staff which is accessible via the Department's intranet. This guidance states clear roles and responsibilities for managers and staff. The responses to the questions raised are:
ix(a) Mechanisms are in place to ensure that staff hold valid driving licences for any vehicles the Department is responsible for. (The Department does not own any vehicles.)
(b) Mechanisms are in place to ensure that staff who use their own vehicles for official business must have valid driving licences and insurance. Before using their own vehicles for official travel, staff must complete an application form which, together with copies of their Motor Vehicle Insurance Certificate, MOT certificate (if appropriate) and a business case signed by at least a Deputy Director, is sent to the Professional Services and Commodities Category Unit for approval.
(c) Road safety guidance for staff. The Department has produced a "Safe Driving Policy" booklet (available via the intranet) which provides road safety guidance. It is expected that compliance to the departmental guidelines is observed by staff.
(d) Steps to monitor compliance to the guidance. Staff have the responsibility to ensure compliance with the guidance.
(e) Requirements to report accidents. All accidents associated with hire companies are brought to the attention of the Professional Services and Commodities Category Unit for investigation.
(f) Accident reports are investigated. All notified motor vehicle accidents are thoroughly investigated.
Education Maintenance Allowance
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans his Department has to extend the education maintenance allowance to age groups other than those currently eligible; and if he will make a statement. [307442]
Mr. Iain Wright: The policy intention of education maintenance allowance is to encourage more young people aged 16 to 19 from low-income families to participate in post-compulsory learning. We do not have plans to extend the eligible age group.
Adult learners (aged 19-plus) can apply for the adult learning grant (ALG). This pays up to £30 per week, during term time, to those on low incomes undertaking full-time learning for their first full level 2 or first full level 3 qualification. Young people in receipt of EMA can move on to ALG when they become 19 where they remain in learning.
Educational Institutions: Vetting
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what sanctions will be taken against language schools which use host families for foreign students who have not undergone vetting and barring scheme or Criminal Records Bureau checks; [306472]
(2) how many representations he has received from language schools on the application of the vetting and barring scheme and Criminal Records Bureau checks for host families for foreign children in the last six months. [306473]
Dawn Primarolo: There are currently no requirements on language schools to conduct Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on the individuals they engage to host foreign students.
Acting as host parents for a student at a language school is regulated activity under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. Engaging in regulated activity will normally require registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). However, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 50WS, in his response to the Sir Roger Singleton's report "Drawing the Line" on the vetting and barring scheme, we shall lift the requirement for registration for exchange visits where the student's parents accept responsibility for the selection of the host family, the host parents are unpaid volunteers, and the visit lasts less than 28 days.
Where these conditions are not met, the requirement for registration of the host parents will remain in place. Where the requirement for registration applies, a language school that uses host parents without checking their ISA registration status would commit an offence under section 11 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. Under section 11(9), the maximum penalty for this offence is a fine of up to level 5 on the standard scale (currently £5,000).
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has not received any representations from language schools on this issue during the last six months.
Engagement Programme Funding
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of 14 to 19 engagement programme funding is allocated to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) other organisations in 2009/10; and if he will make a statement. [308178]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Key Stage 4 engagement programme is a locally shaped and managed initiative and local authorities have developed a range of models for delivering the programme in their area. DCSF funding for 2009/10 totals £19,334,000 and this is used in different ways by the 142 local authorities involved. Detailed data breaking down how each local authority is deploying this resource are not kept centrally and therefore it is not possible to provide the overview sought by the hon. Member.
GCSE
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnic group at the end of Key Stage 4 who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals achieved five A* grades at GCSE including English and mathematics, excluding equivalents, in each year since 1997. [309184]
Mr. Coaker: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Home Education
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has received any reports of (a) abuse and (b) poor educational practice in the home educated environment in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [308176]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department collected statistical information relating to safeguarding and educational concerns about home educated children that can be found at
Some reports of specific instances of abuse or poor educational practice were made to Graham Badman and DCSF as part of the background evidence collected for the Review of Elective Home Education in England.
Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on hotel accommodation for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in each of the last five years. [305669]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Expenditure on hotels on behalf on individuals is not held separately. The following table shows the cumulative spend for Ministers, special advisers and civil servants for each of the last five years.
| Financial years | Hotels (£) |
Travel by Ministers, civil servants and special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code and the civil service management code respectively.
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