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22 Mar 2010 : Column 96W—continued
GCE A-level
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils not eligible for free school meals achieved three A grades at A-level in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [311636]
Ms Diana R. Johnson [holding answer 22 March 2010]: Pupil level data relating to free school meal eligibility were not collected in 1997. In 2008, 14,431 (10.5 per cent.) pupils not eligible for free school meals achieved three or more A grades at A-level. The percentage is of all pupils not eligible for free schools meals entered for at least one GCE/Applied GCE A level/Double Award in 2008.
The figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only who were eligible for free school meals when they were academic age 16. The figures do not include the achievement of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.
Offences Against Children: Doncaster
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Audit Commission will have access to the full serious case review into the case of Children J produced by Doncaster Safeguarding Children Board during its forthcoming inspection of Doncaster. [314489]
Dawn Primarolo: It is for the Audit Commission to determine the information it needs for the purposes of undertaking a Corporate Governance Inspection and to discuss this with the relevant local authority in each case.
Pre-school Education
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what statutory duties there are on local authorities in England to provide nursery places for three and four year olds; what remedies are available to parents in instances where a local authority fails to fulfil that duty; and if he will make a statement. [317721]
Dawn Primarolo: Section 7 of the Childcare Act 2006, together with the regulations made under it (the Local Authority [LA] (Duty to Secure Early Years Provision Free of Charge) Regulations 2008), place a duty on English local authorities to secure that early years provision is available free of charge for 12.5 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year for every child in its area for the two years prior to their reaching compulsory school age (children reach compulsory school age at the start of the next school term after they turn five). This must be available from a provider who delivers the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should put in place appeals procedures for parents who are not satisfied that their child has received their free entitlement and if a parent is not satisfied with the way in which their appeal has been conducted or believe the local authority has acted unreasonably they may make a complaint to the local authority ombudsman.
A legal challenge by way of judicial review for breach of the statutory duty could also be brought. If the court is satisfied that the LA is in breach of its duty under the Childcare Act it can order that the LA take action to remedy this.
In addition, by virtue of section 15 of the Childcare Act, a parent may also complain to the Secretary of State under section 496, 497 or 497A of the Education Act 1996. The Secretary of State has intervention powers under sections 496, 497 and 497A of the Education Act 1996, for instance to direct that the local authority discharge its statutory duty.
Pre-school Education: Hemsworth
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare places have been created in Hemsworth since 1997. [316612]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of child care places is not available for parliamentary constituencies.
Pre-school Education: Lancashire
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding streams are available for (a) pre-schools and (b) play groups in Lancashire. [321633]
Dawn Primarolo
[holding answer 11 March 2010]: Pre-school settings and playgroups which are Ofsted registered are eligible to receive funding from their local
authority (LA) to deliver the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds to up to 12.5 hours free early learning and child care a week. This will be increased to 15 hours from September 2010. The settings may also receive funding from their LA to deliver free early years places to their most disadvantaged two-year-olds. These settings are eligible for funding from the Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Capital Grant which is also distributed by local authorities, of which £642 million has been made available nationally between 2008-11 to support settings to increase access, quality and inclusion for all children.
Pre-school settings and playgroups are also eligible for funding from other smaller funding streams which are distributed by LAs in accordance with the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant and Aiming High for Disabled Children Grant: 2009 -10 Memorandum of Grant, 20 February 2009.
Schools: Vetting
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what vetting and barring guidance applies to visits to schools by representatives of religious organisations; and how many such representatives have been refused access to schools in accordance with that guidance in each of the last three years. [317168]
Dawn Primarolo: The guidance on the arrangements that schools need to make in relation to visitors from different organisations is contained in 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'. The Department does not collect any information on how many visitors have been refused access to schools. The decision on whether or not to refuse access to a school is made at a local level by school staff and governing bodies, who are best placed to make these judgments.
Support for All: The Families and Relationships
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department allocated for the publication and distribution of the Think Fathers best practice guide referred to in the Green Paper, Support for All: the Families and Relationships in the last 12 months. [318282]
Dawn Primarolo: The funding for the new support for families as outlined in Support for All: a Families and Relationships Green Paper has been allocated from current budgets. In the last 12 months, around £25,000 has been allocated for the publication and distribution of the Think Fathers best practice guide.
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has allocated for the publication and distribution of free parenting support booklets as referred to in the Green Paper, Support for All: the Families and Relationships. [318286]
Dawn Primarolo: The funding for the new support for families as outlined in Support for All: a Families and Relationships Green Paper has been allocated from current budgets.
The parenting booklet for parents of teenagers will be taken forward next financial year and consequently no money has been spent on it to date. Around £150,000 has been allocated for their publication and distribution for 2010-11.
Teachers: Complaints
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has updated its study of 2003-04 entitled Allegations Audit. [315519]
Dawn Primarolo: Similar data to these collected in the 2003-04 Allegations Audit were collected in 2004-05, and less detailed data on allegations were collected in 2007. The data collected in 2004-05 were used to inform the development of guidance on handling allegations of abuse made against those who work with children and young people, but were not published as a data set. The data collected in 2007 were used to inform the review of implementation of guidance on handling allegations. The analysis of these data were included within the report of the review published in May 2009 and is available to download from the Every Child Matters website.
Olympics
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for the Government Olympic Executive. [322580]
Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) reports to me as Minister for the Olympics through the Permanent Secretary to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Results for GOE will be included in the DCMS results for the October 2009 staff survey. This will be published on the DCMS website in April 2010 and following publication a copy will be placed in the Library.
Culture, Media and Sport
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club: Travel
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the All England Lawn Tennis Club on the provision of transport for tennis players, officials and VIPs for the 2010 All England Tennis Championships by a company that is not licensed under the 1998 Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998; and if he will make a statement. [323365]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There have been no such discussions with Ministers or officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
This is a matter for the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Coastal Areas: Regeneration
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made on the final round of funding for the Sea Change project; and if he will make a statement. [322498]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 16 March 2010]: The final round of Sea Change funding was announced on 16 November, with £8.8 million being allocated. This means a total of £38 million has been allocated to 32 resorts over the three waves of the programme.
Cricket: Public Participation
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have played cricket over the last five years; [322685]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people who regularly play cricket in England. [322693]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Active People Survey commissioned by Sport England shows that 207,500 adults are taking part in at least one moderate intensity, 30 minute session of cricket each week. In addition, 428,400 people played cricket at least once a month in 2009-10.
The Active People Survey was first run in 2005-6. The number of people who have played cricket over the last five years is set out in the table.
| Number | |
The latest information on cricket participation can be found on the Sport England website at the following link:
Culture: Databases
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many applications to attend his Department's Rewired Culture event on 27 March 2010 have been received; [323265]
(2) how many Rewired State events were held in 2009; how much each cost; and how many people attended each such event. [323266]
Margaret Hodge: 70 people had signed up so far for the Rewired Culture event.
Rewired State is a not for profit company. Rewired Culture is the first Rewired event that has been organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, although the Department was a sponsor of Young Rewired State in 2009 along with Central Office of Information, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Chief Information Officer Council.
Departmental Food
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department and its non-departmental bodies are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme. [323067]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has no canteen facilities which use meat or fresh dairy products. We advise our non-departmental public bodies on best practice in food procurement, drawing on relevant guidance provided by DEFRA and the Office of Government Commerce.
Departmental Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to deter theft from within the Department. [322643]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department's buildings are covered by CCTV and have 24 hour security guarding. Security is kept under review and the Department follows best practice on physical security set out in the Cabinet Office Security Policy Framework.
The Department will be implementing 'hot-desking' at the end of March in its main building, which will include a clear desk policy. This will provide an additional security measure to prevent thefts.
Sports: Finance
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been provided for (a) cricket, (b) football and (c) rugby by his Department in 2009-10. [322683]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England invests in the national governing bodies of cricket, football and rugby through the Whole Sport Plans (WSP), which run for a four-year period (2009 to 2013).
The table shows the funding provided for 2009.
| 2009 investment (£) | |
Sport England also invests £15 million Exchequer funding each year to the Football Foundation to support projects including kit, safe goalposts, all weather pitches and floodlights.
Energy and Climate Change
Boilers: Carbon Emissions
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the efficiency ratings are in respect of the Standard Assessment Procedure for the calculation of carbon emissions of domestic boilers using B30K oil. [322830]
Joan Ruddock: The Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) commissioned efficiency trials which compared C2 kerosene, BS 2869 and B30K in the same boiler and the results are indicated in the following table. While this is a small sample, the results suggest there may be a marginal difference in efficiency from using B30K compared with kerosene alone.
Nonetheless, manufacturers of those boilers that have been modified to burn B30K have yet to submit information on boiler efficiency for inclusion in the Boiler Efficiency Database. This database is the repository of boiler efficiency information that underpins the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and can be accessed at:
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