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22 Feb 2010 : Column 306W—continued
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in November and December 2009. [311203]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) paid 99.9 per cent. (which was rounded to 100 per cent. by DWP when they reported on DCSF performance) of invoices to suppliers within 10 days of receipt in November 2009 and 98 per cent. within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.
This is based on information supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions who process invoice payments on behalf of DCSF.
Note:
DCSF moved to a new ERP system under a Shared Services agreement with DWP in November 2009 and special payment arrangements were operated by DWP and DCSF during transition.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by his Department to pay invoices from (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) all creditors in the last 12 months. [315066]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) paid 98 per cent. of invoices to suppliers within 10 days of receipt in December 2009 (This is based on information supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions who process invoice payments on behalf of DCSF).
These figures are for all creditors, including payments to small and medium-sized enterprises. While aiming to pay SMEs as soon as possible, and within 10 days, Departments and their agencies have agreed to bring forward payments to all businesses, given the role of larger businesses in the supply chain. This avoids complicating payment systems and potential competition or state aid issues.
Note:
DCSF moved to a new ERP system under a Shared Services agreement with DWP in November 2009 and special payment arrangements were operated by DWP and DCSF during transition.
Departmental Disclosure of Information
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (a) companies or individuals in the private sector and (b) other organisations. [313219]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Government Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies that have Crown status, make most of their information available for free re-use under PSI Click-Use licence. Additionally, whilst some information is sold as priced publications, none of the Department for Children, Schools and Families' nine executive non-departmental public bodies sells information on a commercial/profit making basis to private sector companies/individuals and other organisations.
Departmental Fines
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what powers (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) have to impose administrative penalties; what the statutory basis is for each such power; and how much (i) his Department and its predecessor and (ii) each of its NDPBs have recovered in administrative penalties in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [309260]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department (like its predecessor) has no powers to impose administrative penalties.
None of the Department's NDPBs has powers to impose administrative penalties.
Neither the Department, its predecessor, nor any of its NDPBs has therefore recovered any sum by way of administrative penalties.
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which websites his Department's staff are prevented from accessing on departmental networked computers. [311469]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The DCSF Corporate IT System accesses the internet via the Government Secure Intranet (GSI) service as provided by Cable and Wireless and complies with the provisions of the GSI code of connection (as required by mandatory requirement 39 of the HMG Security Policy Framework). In order to assist with this compliance, DCSF utilises SurfControl's Web Filter to prevent access to undesirable websites. This software provides a list of categories to be blocked and URLs of sites within the category are updated on a daily basis. There are a small number of casual and contract staff who are not permitted any internet access. However, the majority of DCSF staff are allowed access to the internet subject to the following restrictions:
DCSF blocks access to the following categories:
Adult/Sexually Explicit
Intolerance and Hate
Criminal Activity
Violence
Weapons
Gambling
Spy ware
Hacking
In addition, a small number of individual websites have also been blocked for a variety of technical and policy related reasons.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of his Department and its predecessors in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented. [313831]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The information requested is set out in the following table:
| Department | Numbers reviewed | N umber not meeting required standard | Number unsatisfactory | |
| (1) Figures less than five have been suppressed on grounds of confidentiality | ||||
The Department reviews the performance of staff against their set objectives throughout the year and takes immediate action to address performance or development issues. If performance does not improve dismissal can result. The number for unsatisfactory in the above table only refers to those in grades below the senior civil service (SCS). There is no unsatisfactory mark in the SCS performance management system and poor performance procedures are started immediately.
Staff don't leave automatically as a result of an unsatisfactory marking as the performance improvement measures described above are put in place. Data for the former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for the period 2005-07, is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) works of art and (c) new vehicles in each of the last two years. [312543]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Spend by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor Department, Department for Education and Skills, on new furnishings, and new vehicles in the last two financial years and the current financial year to date is shown as follows.
Expenditure on new furnishings was higher during 2007-08 and 2008-09 owing to a total refurbishment programme at Sanctuary Buildings.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families financial system does not hold information on the amount of spend incurred purely for art works. Therefore the information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
| Total new furnishings (desk, chairs, carpets, blinds and curtains) (£) | New vehicles | |
Departmental Telephone Services
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, (b) 0845 and (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [305204]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The DCSF currently operates four telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, two telephone lines with the prefix (b) 0845 and one telephone line with the prefix (c) 0800. The DCSF currently sponsors no telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, four telephone lines with the prefix (b) 0845 and no telephone lines with the prefix (c) 0800. Alternative (geographic 'BT local rate') numbers are available in each case.
The DCSF cannot provide the number of calls received by each number in the last 12 months. The information is not readily available centrally in the Department. To provide the information would involve an extensive information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students received education maintenance allowance in (a) England and (b) Milton Keynes in 2009-10. [311247]
Mr. Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoff Russell, the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Family Learning Impact Fund
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much has been spent on the Family Learning Impact Fund in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement; [314159]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Family Learning Impact Fund; and if he will make a statement. [314160]
Dawn Primarolo: Funding has been provided since April 2008 for the Family Learning Impact Fund. £10 million was made available in 2008-09 and £10 million in 2009-10.
The Family Learning Impact Fund has specific strands to support parents and their children-early years foundation stage, family numeracy, financial capability, digital families (school information for parents using online resources), and a strand looking at improving data collection on the number of parents and children participating.
The FLIF programme has exceeded its year 1 target of reaching 10,500 mothers and fathers, with 13,391 mothers and fathers and 9,700 children enrolling on the programme during 2008-09. In addition, the programme supported the training of 890 new family learning practitioners and helped develop a range of new resource materials to support delivery. The programme is on track to meet its targets for enrolling mothers and fathers (15,000) and children (10,000) on courses in year 2.
Foster Care
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate has been made of the number and proportion of local authorities which have a policy of considering friends and family as a first option when seeking foster placements for looked-after children; and if he will make a statement. [305292]
Dawn Primarolo:
We do not collect data on the number of local authorities which have a policy of considering friends and family as a first option. However,
it is already a principal of the Children Act 1989 that local authorities should support the upbringing of children by their families wherever possible, if it is in the child's best interests. The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 strengthened this requirement. Volume 1 of the revised Children Act 1989 statutory guidance requires local authorities to demonstrate that they have considered family members and friends as potential carers at each stage of the decision making process.
GCE A-level
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many white (a) boys and (b) girls eligible for free school meals achieved three A grades at A-level in 1997. [312062]
Ms Diana R. Johnson [holding answer 19 January 2010]: The information can not be provided as pupil level data relating to ethnicity and free school meals was not collected as far back as 1997.
GCSE: Disadvantaged
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of white (a) boys and (b) girls eligible for free school meals at the end of key stage 4 achieved five A* or A grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in the (i) earliest and (ii) most recent year for which figures are available. [309638]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 11 January 2010]: Pupil level attainment data by free school meal eligibility and ethnicity is only available from 2003 onwards. The information requested is presented in the following table and is for maintained schools only.
| Number of white pupils( 1) eligible for free school meals achieving five or more A* or A grades at GCSE including English and Maths (excluding equivalents) | Percentage of white pupils eligible for free school meals achieving five or more A* or A grades at GCSE including English and Maths (excluding equivalents) | |||
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |
| (1) Figures for 2003 are based on pupils aged 15 and 2009 figures are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4. (2) Figures for 2009 are provisional. Source: National Pupil Database. | ||||
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals attended schools at which fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [311637]
Ms Diana R. Johnson [holding answer 18 January 2010]: In 2009 there were 89,580 pupils eligible(1) for free school meals attending schools at which fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents(2) (includes post 16 pupils).
To provide information for 1997 would incur disproportionate cost.
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