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16 Sep 2010 : Column 1154W—continued
Social Security Benefits: Uprating
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value is of each benefit paid by his Department which is now to be uprated with reference to the consumer price index; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of each in 2014-15 (a) with and (b) without the change in uprating method. [15455]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) on 28 June 2010, Official Report, column 392W.
Tyres
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies take into account rolling resistance as a performance criterion when purchasing tyres. [13549]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
The DWP does not itself consider rolling resistance as a specific performance criterion, but this criterion is taken into consideration within the procurement procedure for new vehicles and for tyre replacements. This procedure also applies to the DWP's agencies:
Jobcentre Plus
The Pensions, Disability and Carers Service
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
(b) DWP non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)
The Health and Safety Executive does not take into account rolling resistance as a performance criterion when purchasing tyres. All other NDPBs do not purchase tyres.
Energy and Climate Change
Electricity Generation: Local Authorities
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to enable local authorities to generate electricity and sell it to the National Grid. [15510]
Charles Hendry: Many local authorities are keen to take forward renewable energy projects. New regulations introduced on 18 August mean that local authorities can now sell electricity and can also benefit from renewables incentives, such as feed-in-tariffs and the renewables obligation.
This new provision gives them the freedom to do so, enabling them to play their part in reducing emissions and meeting national renewable energy targets while also saving money on their energy bills.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department has allocated to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for 2010-11. [15516]
Charles Hendry: Nuclear decommissioning is one of the most important priorities for my Department and we are determined that the Government must show the moral and political leadership to address this issue.
The 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07) settlement provided the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) with £1.7 billion direct Government funding for 2010-11.
Carbon Emissions: Local Government
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with representatives of local authorities on their role in achieving the carbon reduction targets set out in the Climate Change Act 2008. [15512]
Gregory Barker: Becoming the greenest Government ever will involve close cooperation between all levels of Government to achieve emissions reductions. Local authorities have a critical role in showing strong leadership and accountability in cutting emissions.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently invited local authorities to outline how they see local and central government working together. Since then DECC officials have had regular meetings with Local Government Association officials to discuss and develop this offer. We are also working with thirty local authorities taking forward the local carbon frameworks programme.
Carbon Sequestration
Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to promote the development of carbon capture and storage technologies internationally. [15529]
Charles Hendry: The UK plays an active role in promoting the development of CCS technologies internationally. Most recently, in July 2010 the Secretary of State launched a new Carbon Capture-Use and Storage Action Group at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Washington DC, which will develop recommendations on overcoming barriers to CCS deployment-globally.
The UK is involved in a number of key multilateral initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of CCS. These include the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, for which we hosted the ministerial meeting in 2009, the Global CCS Institute, International Energy Agency bodies, the EU Zero Emissions Programme and the North Sea Basin Task Force.
The UK also collaborates with a range of countries to build capacity and understanding of CCS, including the US, China, South Africa and Indonesia. This includes support of the EU-China Near Zero Emissions Coal project.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to promote the development of carbon capture and storage technologies internationally. [15720]
Charles Hendry: The UK plays an active role in promoting the development of CCS technologies internationally. Most recently, in July 2010 the Secretary of State launched a new Carbon Capture Use and Storage-Action Group at the Clean-Energy Ministerial in Washington DC, which will develop recommendations on overcoming barriers to CCS deployment globally.
The UK is involved in a number of key multilateral initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of CCS. These include the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, for which we hosted the ministerial meeting in 2009, the Global CCS Institute, International Energy Agency bodies, the EU Zero Emissions Programme and the North Sea Basin Task Force.
The UK also collaborates with a range of countries to build capacity and understanding of CCS, including the US, China, South Africa and Indonesia. This includes support of the EU-China Near Zero Emissions Coal project.
Committee on Climate Change
Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to respond to the Committee on Climate Change's second annual report. [15528]
Gregory Barker: The Government will be responding to the Committee on Climate Change's second annual progress report no later than 15 October 2010 as required under section 37 of the Climate Change Act 2008.
Departmental Billing
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many payments to suppliers were made by (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies (i) within 30 days of, (ii) over 30 days after, (iii) over 60 days after and (iv) over 90 days after the date of invoice in the latest period for which figures are available. [13938]
Gregory Barker: The number of payments' made to suppliers by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its non-departmental public bodies in July 2010 are as follows:
| Invoices paid within 30 days | Invoices paid over 30 days | Invoices paid over 60 days | Invoices paid over 90 days | ||||||
| Organisation | Total number of invoices | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| (1 )Coal Authority are in legal dispute over one invoice payable in July 2010, which has not been paid yet. | |||||||||
Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to reduce the costs to the public purse of nuclear decommissioning. [15470]
Charles Hendry: In respect of nuclear new build, the provisions set out in Part 3, Chapter 1 of the Energy Act 2008 ("Nuclear Sites: Decommissioning and Clean-up") are designed to ensure that the private sector meets the full cost of decommissioning and their full share of waste management costs.
In respect of sites owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), these are in the public sector and the costs of decommissioning them are therefore met fully from the public purse, from a mixture of commercial income and direct government funding. The NDA was established to bring renewed vigour to decommissioning, using competitions for the management of its sites to drive efficiency and innovation. Together with maximising profits from its commercial operations, this ensures that the cost to the public purse of the mission is kept to the minimum necessary and delivers value for money. The NDA is also actively reducing its own management and administrative costs, through an ongoing organisational effectiveness review.
Oils: EU Law
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the cost to (a) householders and (b) the economy of modifications to machinery, engines and oil tanks consequent upon achieving compliance with the increased requirements for the fatty acid methyl ester content of gas oil set in the EU directives on renewable energy and fuel quality. [15420]
Gregory Barker: Neither the renewable energy directive (RED) nor fuel quality directive (FQD) explicitly require that fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) be included in gas oil. However, the directives do require an increase in use of biofuel and a reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of fuels used in transport and non-road mobile machinery. The Department for Transport is carrying out research which will be looking in detail at the barriers associated with increased deployment of all types of biofuels, including infrastructure costs and vehicle capability issues. DFT will be consulting soon on proposals to implement the RED and FQD, which will include draft impact assessments.
Fuel containing FAME has a higher risk of outbreaks of bacterial growth and it is important that good housekeeping practices are adhered to in the storage of fuel, in particular ensuring fuel storage tanks are free from water. DFT is currently discussing the costs of fuel storage tank cleaning/water removal with stakeholders.
The consultation introducing sustainability criteria for bioliquids into the renewables obligation (RO) as required by the renewables energy directive (RED) proposes that fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) should be eligible for support. Work is ongoing to develop costs of this change and will be considered as part of the proposed banding review to determine future levels of support.
As part of the consultation on the RHI last February, the costs of all technologies for which a tariff was proposed were assessed.
Renewable Energy: EU Law
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of renewable energy generation he has informed the EU will be provided for by the generation of renewable heat from the injection of biomethane into the grid under the terms of Article 4 of the EU renewable energy directive. [13446]
Charles Hendry: The UK's National Renewable Energy Action Plan, based on the 2009 Renewable Energy Strategy and submitted to the European Commission in July 2010, estimated that by 2020 biomethane injection into the gas grid could account for around 1.5% of all renewable energy (that is, heat, electricity and transport biofuels).
This "lead scenario" provides one view of the technology mix in 2020. It does not represent a target, nor should it be seen as an upper limit to the UK's ambition. Indeed "The Coalition: our programme for government" commits to promoting a huge increase in energy from waste using anaerobic digestion.
Renewable Energy: Heating
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when an announcement will be made on the timing of the commencement of the renewable heat incentive. [15395]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 14 September 2010]: As set out in the Annual Energy Statement 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 867-869, the Government are fully committed to taking action on renewable heat. We are considering responses to the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation and will set out detailed proposals on how to take forward action on renewable heat through the spending review.
River Severn: Tidal Power
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what date his Department plans to issue its response to the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study. [15242]
Charles Hendry [holding answer 13 September 2010]: We expect to announce the conclusions of the study shortly.
Wind Power: Offshore Industry
Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to take steps to provide support to the offshore wind industry to replace that previously provided through regional development agencies. [13966]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.
Our proposals are for restructuring the delivery landscape for economic development. Replacing the regional development agencies (RDAs) with local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) will ensure that these partnerships better reflect the natural economic geography of the areas that they serve. Reorganising the delivery of economic development will ensure a focused targeted delivery of
policy in areas where it can have the most benefit, allowing those locations which stand to benefit most from offshore wind to focus their attention on supporting the industry.
We are currently considering proposals for LEPs, which were submitted in early September. In the meantime, we are working closely with the RDA network during the transition to minimise the impact on priority programmes including those supporting the offshore wind industry. Growing the offshore wind industry remains a priority for this government and we will act to ensure that both inward investment and domestic firms wishing to move into this area continue to be supported.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for offshore wind site development as part of the spending review. [15499]
Charles Hendry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is in discussion with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer concerning the whole of the Department of Energy and Climate Change budget. Decisions will be announced after the 20 October:
International Development
Burma: Internally Displaced Persons
Dr Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects on internally-displaced people in eastern Burma of the reduction in the level of cross-border aid by the Thailand Burma Border Consortium. [15425]
Mr Duncan: The Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) has indicated that the reduction in its budget for cross-border food aid this year will affect approximately 8,000 internally displaced people in Burma.
The Department for International Development's (DFID's) financial contribution to TBBC has expanded significantly in recent years and now stands at £1.1 million annually. This funding is used to provide assistance to refugees in Thailand and people displaced by conflict inside Burma.
In November 2010, DFID will host TBBC's annual Donor Meeting which will consider the Consortium's budget for 2011.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in July 2010. [14936]
Mr Duncan: The Secretary of State hosted the Department for International Development (DFID) Stakeholder Reception and Launch of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) UK Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Peer Review on 8 July. £306 was spent on non-alcoholic beverages for this event.
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what severance payments have been paid to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department who left office after the last general election. [15407]
Mr Duncan: The value of severance payments made to the outgoing ministerial team after the last general election was £37,646. Severance payments were made in accordance with the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.
The two special advisers received payment in lieu of notice of one quarter of their annual salary, as laid out in their contract of employment with the Department for International Development (DFID). The total value of the payments was in the range £25,000 to £29,999.
Developing Countries: Maternity Services
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health, with specific reference to training (a) midwives, (b) obstetricians and (c) other relevant healthcare workers. [13458]
Mr Duncan: Improving maternal health is a major priority for the coalition Government and we will be supporting the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women and Children's Health at the forthcoming UN summit.
The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to provide emergency obstetric care training to midwives and doctors in five target countries. By March 2012, it is expected that 1,400 additional national trainers will be available to improve capacity to deliver improved maternal and newborn health services.
DFID also funds training for midwives, obstetricians and other health care workers through various channels. This includes direct support to national health sector plans of partner countries, and support to multilateral organisations such as the World Bank; and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM).
DFID is currently developing a new Health Partnership Scheme to enable UK based health workers to support human resources training in partner countries.
Education
Academies: Freedom of Information
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons academies are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [8620]
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to make academy schools subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [11456]
Mr Gibb: Academies are currently not subject to the provision of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000. However, the Academies Act 2010 includes a provision that extends the FOI Act to academy trusts. The FOI Act applies to academy trusts of maintained schools converting to academies from September 2010 and to academy trusts of existing academies from January 2011.
Academies: Governing Bodies
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether new academy school governing bodies will have powers to alter their articles of association to remove categories of governors from the governing body. [9104]
Mr Gibb: The converting school will be required to set up a new charitable company limited by guarantee, the Academy Trust. The Academy Trust will be required to comply with and adopt DFE's model Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Articles of Association set out the requirements for both the appointment of and the constitution of both the members and directors/governors of the Academy Trust. The Articles of Association can only be amended with the consent of the Secretary of State. Subject to receiving such consent, then it is for the members of the Academy Trust (not the governors) to amend the Articles of Association.
All Saints Academy Dunstable
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when a decision will be taken on funding for the new building for All Saints Academy, Dunstable; and if he will make a statement. [9039]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 19 July 2010]: The Government announced on 6 August that the building work for All Saints Academy, Central Bedfordshire, will continue as planned.
Apprentices
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) level 2, (b) level 3 and (c) level 4 apprenticeships in each subject are available in educational institutions in each constituency for academic year 2010-11. [13945]
Mr Gibb: The number and level of apprenticeships available by training provider and constituency are not currently published. Aggregate information on the number of apprentice starts by level is published regularly through Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Statistical First Releases (SFR) as is information by apprenticeship framework and information by parliamentary constituency. The latest full year data are available for the 2008/09 academic year and provisional in-year data for 2009/10. The latest SFR and supplementary tables are available at:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current/
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his review of Building Schools for the Future programme will be concluded; and if he will make a statement. [2157]
Mr Gibb: The Capital Review team is working to provide advice by September for use in the comprehensive spending review, and complete its work by the end of the calendar year.
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the Building Schools for the Future programmes at (a) Babington Community Technology College, (b) English Martyrs Catholic School, (c) Fullhurst Community College, (d) New College, Leicester, (e) Ellesmere College (Special Education Needs) and (f) West Gate School (Special Education Needs). [3460]
Mr Gibb: Babington community technology college, English Martyrs Catholic schools, Fullhurst community college, New college, Leicester, Ellesmere college, (special education needs) and West Gate school (special education needs) are unaffected by the Secretary of State's 5 July announcement on Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and will continue to be funded via BSF.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on schools in Coventry of his decisions on the Building Schools for the Future programme; [8161]
(2) what estimate he has made of the savings made in Coventry South constituency consequent on his decisions on the Building Schools for the Future programme; [8162]
(3) what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of jobs in the construction industry in the West Midlands of his decisions on the Building Schools for the Future programme; [8164]
(4) what factors he took into account in making his decisions on the Building Schools for the Future programme in respect of projects in Coventry South constituency which were close to financial close. [8165]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 14 July 2010]: On 5 July, the Secretary of State announced the end of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. In local authority areas where financial close has been reached, the initial BSF projects are continuing, as are repeat projects which had outline business case approval prior to 1 January 2010. In a local authority area where financial close has not been reached but where very significant work has been undertaken, to the point of appointing a preferred bidder at close of dialogue, sample projects (the first due to be taken forward) are also continuing. The school-by-school impact of this decision in Coventry and the value of each school's project are set out in the table.
The decision on BSF has not been taken lightly. The Secretary of State is seeking to secure best value for the taxpayer, while recognising existing contractual commitments. This decision will have an impact on schools and on the construction industry, but this is not the end of capital investment in schools. The Secretary
of State announced on 5 July a review of all capital expenditure by the Department for Education. This review will conclude by the end of 2010. Its outcome will help to determine the way in which future capital funding will be invested by the Department.
| School | Status | Allocated cap (ex) (£)( 1) |
| (1) Please note that these schemes would have been delivered through a mixture of design and build and PFI. | ||
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for which school building projects in wave 5 of the Building Schools for the Future programme the outline business case was approved after 1 January 2010. [9355]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 19 July 2010]: The following table sets out the building projects in Wave 5 of the BSF programme where the Outline Business Case was approved after 1 January 2010.
| Local authority | OBC position |
The schools affected are listed in publicly available documents at:
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans there are for the Building Schools for the Future projects at (a) Accrington St Christopher's CE High School, (b) Alder Grange Community and Technology School, (c) Whitworth High School, (d) Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, (e) The Hollins Technology College, (f) Fearns Community Sports College and (g) All Saints Catholic Language College. [10547]
Mr Gibb: The schools listed above were identified in Lancashire local authority's next wave of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) investment. As this wave of schools was not formally in the programme at the time of the Secretary of State's announcement on 5 July to halt BSF, they will not continue under BSF.
The Department has commissioned a comprehensive review of all of its existing capital expenditure to inform decisions about future capital investment. This will include investment in schools that were not prioritised for funding under the BSF programme including those listed above. The review team will provide an interim report in the autumn and a final report by the end of the year.
Building Schools for the Future Programme: Consultants
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the average amount paid to consultants in respect of each Building Schools for the Future project. [8753]
Mr Gibb: The National Audit Office report 'The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme: Renewing the secondary school estate' (HC 135 Session 2008-2009 12 February 2009) estimated that for the first 15 local education partnerships (LEPs) the combined total cost of the local authority's (LA) and the winning bidder's staff time, consultants and legal costs averaged between £9 and £10 million. This total combined cost covers the costs of designing the first few schools, procuring a private sector partner (the LA's staff and consultancy costs) and legal costs associated with setting up the LEP. One individual consultant received £1.35 million in consultancy fees.
This is the best available estimate as there is no central collection of data on costs of consultants.
Building Schools for the Future Programme: Greater London
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what objectives have been set for the outcome of the private finance initiative project proposed for Swiss Cottage School; [7869]
(2) with whom he is discussing a private finance initiative project for (a) UCL Camden Academy and (b) Swiss Cottage School; and what objectives he has set for the outcome of those discussions. [7872]
Mr Gibb: On 6 August, the Secretary of State announced that the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) 'sample projects' including Swiss Cottage School, and selected academies, including UCL Camden Academy, would continue to be funded as part of the BSF programme. His decisions on academy projects were informed by discussions between departmental officials and academy sponsors.
The objectives for the individual schemes in BSF projects are set by the local authority, in this case the London borough of Camden. These are reviewed by Partnerships for Schools in the final business case, which is due to be submitted later this year.
Building Schools for the Future Programme: Wandsworth
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) on how many occasions officials or Ministers in the Department for Children, Schools and Families met with Wandsworth borough council officers or councillors to discuss Building Schools for the Future projects in Wandsworth prior to 7 May; and how many such meetings were missed or cancelled by Wandsworth; [8724]
(2) on how many occasions officials of his Department have met Wandsworth borough council officers or councillors to discuss Building Schools for the Future projects in the borough since 7 May 2010; [8725]
(3) which deadlines for (a) reports, (b) funding applications and (c) provision of other documents in respect of the Building Schools for the Future programme in its area the London borough of Wandsworth has (i) met and (ii) not met since the programme's inception. [8755]
Mr Gibb: As part of its role as the delivery agent for Building Schools for the Future (BSF), Partnerships for Schools meets with Wandsworth borough council officers on a regular basis to discuss BSF projects. Since 7 May 2010, there were two close of dialogue meetings, one formal project board meeting and one meeting to discuss sample schools. Members of Parliament and councillors for Wandsworth met Lord Hill of Oareford and departmental officials on Friday, 23 July to discuss Wandsworth's BSF projects.
All BSF project milestones have been reached. There was some delay to the original deadline for the Strategy for Change 2 documentation however milestone dates and deadlines recalibrated from that date have been met or exceeded. No partnerships for schools meetings with the local authority were cancelled or missed by either party.
CAFCASS
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how much was paid by (a) the Children and Family Court and Advisory Service (CAFCASS) England and (b) CAFCASS Cymru to self employed contractors in family cases, (i) in total and (ii) for travel expenses in each year from 2002 to 2010; and if he will make a statement; [13196]
(2) what information his Department holds on the average number of years of post-qualification childcare social work experience of (a) children's guardians employed by the Children and Family Court and Advisory Service (CAFCASS), (b) self-employed contractors employed by CAFCASS and (c) independent social workers acting as expert witnesses in family proceedings; and if he will make a statement. [13197]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not hold this information. I have asked Anthony Douglas, chief executive of CAFCASS, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his letter has been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 6 September 2010:
I am writing to you in response to Parliamentary Questions that you tabled recently:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the average number of years of post-qualification childcare social work experience of (a) children's guardians employed by the Children and Family Court and Advisory Service (CAFCASS), (b) self-employed contractors employed by CAFCASS and (c) independent social workers acting as expert witnesses in family proceedings; and if he will make a statement. [ 13197 ]
The average length of post qualifying experience in Social work (Child related) within Cafcass is 9.17 years. This is based on the length of service within Cafcass plus the requisite 3 years post qualifying social work experience needed to become a Cafcass practitioner. The minimum 3 years post qualification rule is strictly applied and most practitioners join Cafcass with approximately 5 years post qualifying experience.
It is difficult to provide a precise figure given the nature and deployment of self employed contractors. We can evidence that every contractor goes through the same pre-employment checks as permanent staff including the post qualification experience (no less than three years required). From this we can confirm that all self employed contractors (currently around 350 available for use) have a least three years post qualification experience in child related social work.
Cafcass does not collect information for independent social workers acting as expert witnesses in family proceedings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was paid by (a) the Children and Family Court and Advisory Service (CAFCASS) England and (b) CAFCASS Cymru to self employed contractors in family cases, (i) in total and (ii) for travel expenses in each year from 2002 to 2010; and if he will make a statement . [ 13196]
Please find below a table showing the total paid by Cafcass England to self employed contractors in each year from 2001/02.
Self employed contractors are responsible for meeting travel, office and all other expenses related to their work; therefore Cafcass does not collect this information.
| Year | Total spent on self employed contractors (£ million) |
Children in Care: Immigrants
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children of failed asylum seekers or illegal immigrants have been taken into care because their parents have absconded in each of the last two years; and how many of these children have subsequently been reunited with their families. [13220]
Tim Loughton: Information on the numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children entering care is collected and published annually, but this does not include a breakdown of whether they came into the country alone or their parents absconded and abandoned them.
Children: Databases
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the Government plans to replace ContactPoint. [11460]
Tim Loughton: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement issued on 22 July 2010, Official Report, columns 30-31WS.
We are exploring the practicality of an alternative national signposting service which would help practitioners find out whether a colleague elsewhere is working, or has previously worked, with the same vulnerable child. The approach would particularly take account of the needs of children who move between local authority areas or who access services in more than one local authority. Social workers in particular, and potentially other key services like the police or accident and emergency departments, may need this information very quickly and any new approach would seek to strengthen communication between these areas.
Critical to the success of any new service must be that it provides a modern, effective tool that supports the frontline and supports the broader aims of Eileen Munro's review to improve child protection and social work practice. It is also important that we keep the information held on any new service to the minimum necessary to allow effective identification of the individuals involved. We would also seek to keep development and implementation costs to a minimum and deliver a service that can demonstrate greater value for money than ContactPoint. We will continue to draw on the views, experience and expertise of frontline staff and managers to assess the feasibility and affordability of such an approach.
Children: Deaths
Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether local safeguarding children boards have a duty to investigate all unexpected sudden child deaths related to (a) asthma and (b) allergy and to share their findings with relevant health and other professionals. [12088]
Tim Loughton: In accordance with the Children Act 2004, Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) are required to review the deaths of all children in their area. The reviewing of all deaths became mandatory in April 2008, although LSCBs have been able to do this since 2006.
The statutory guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010)" sets out the process by which the Child Death Overview Panel, set up under the auspices of the LSCB, reviews child deaths to identify lessons and make recommendations so that prompt actions might be taken to prevent future such deaths where possible.
The LSCB has responsibility for disseminating the lessons to be learnt to all relevant organisations, in order for these organisations to act on any recommendations to improve policy, professional practice and inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children in their area.
Children: Protection
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many families with children on the child protection register are housed in the private rented sector. [10022]
Tim Loughton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Children: Social Services
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he expects the Government to meet its target of ensuring local authorities implement the sufficiency guidance relating to the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 by April 2011. [13225]
Tim Loughton: The "sufficiency duty" requires all local authorities and their partners to be in a position to secure, where reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation for looked after children in their local authority area. Local authorities are expected to have a local strategic plan for meeting the identified needs of looked after children in their area. There is no national or local target attached to the duty.
I am however considering ways of corresponding with all local authorities shortly to make sure they are up to speed with their plans.
Departmental Assets
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which former (a) buildings and (b) land owned by (i) his Department and (ii) (A) non-departmental public bodies and (B) agencies for which his Department is responsible have been sold since May 2005; what the sale price of each was at the time of sale; and to which body the funds from the sale accrued in each case. [12350]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has sold:
(a) four buildings since May 2005
| Building | Date sold | Sale price (£) |
(b) The Department has not sold any land.
In all cases the money was retained by the Department but the Treasury reduced the cash allocation by the same amount.
(ii) (B) The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has sold:
(a) one building since May 2005
| Building | Date sold | Sale price (£) |
(b) Ofsted has not sold any land.
Ofsted retained £600,000, but their capital allocation was reduced by this amount, and paid £700,000 to Treasury as a Consolidated Fund Extra Receipt.
(ii) (A) The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) has sold:
(a) three buildings since May 2005
| Building | Date sold | Sale price (£) |
| Date sold | Sale price (£) | |
CAFCASS retained the sales proceeds.
It is not possible to give current prices without incurring disproportionate costs of engaging surveyors to value the properties now.
Departmental Buildings
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much office space per employee his Department and its predecessors occupied in each year since 1997. [13011]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has occupied the following space per employee since 2007. Information prior to this date is not available.
| Total NIA (M( 2) ) | FTE | M( 2) per FTE | |
Space occupied per person is expected to significantly reduce in 2010-11 as a consequence of the Department disposing of its largest building (Moorfoot in Sheffield) and acquiring a far smaller building as part of its estates rationalisation programme. This will reduce the Departments occupied space by 7,119 square metres and more than double the density of occupied space in Sheffield.
Departmental Consultants
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) average and (b) highest daily rate paid to consultants by his Department has been since its inception. [12660]
Tim Loughton: The Department does not keep a record of the daily rates paid to individual consultants, and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Empty Property
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its predecessors spent on vacant properties in each year since 1997. [13030]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has spent the monies shown in the table on vacant properties over the last five years.
| £ | |
Information prior to 2005 is not readily available and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain.
Departmental Motor Vehicles
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the expenditure on vehicles of (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which he is responsible in each region of England was in the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is in each case for 2010-11. [12439]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was created on 12 May 2010 as a result of the machinery of government changes. Prior to this it was the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) which was created in June 2007, and before this it was the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
The Department has not owned nor sold vehicles since 2005. There is no planned expenditure for 2010-11.
The Department holds no figures for non-departmental public bodies nor executive agencies.
Departmental Operating Costs
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department to date. [9603]
Tim Loughton: The Department embarked on shared service arrangements which saw us outsourcing our back office transaction processing to DWP and beginning to use their Oracle Resource Management (RM) system to facilitate improvements in our working practices and generate savings of £8 million per year.
The RM system enables the Department for Education (DfE) staff to carry out many more finance, procurement and HR tasks on-line, and this has resulted in both a substantial reduction in the size of the Department's central functions (and therefore a net reduction in costs) and improvements in the speed and quality of our corporate services provision.
This work is clearly a significant foundation in our drive towards greater efficiency which will over time allow us to focus on achieving our aim of providing world class services to children, schools and families within a tighter fiscal regime.
In addition the Department has rationalised our property usage and holdings, including moving our Sheffield operations into smaller, more efficient (and cheaper to run) buildings and increasing the density of use of the London and Runcorn buildings (by sharing the space with OGDs and arm's length bodies).
We have implemented policies across the Department to reduce costs still further, for example in areas such as travel (where the DfE board has made a commitment to travel standard class, and encouraged all staff to travel
standard class. In addition the board has asked staff to review the need to travel for meetings rather than utilising other communication media.
DfE is also working with the Department for Transport and its Government car and despatch agency to effect the transition to new arrangements detailed in the Ministerial Code published 21 May 2010 to reduce the number of ministerial cars within the Department.
In addition, the Department is reviewing its consultancy, procurement and marketing policies to identify other potential savings.
Departmental Pay
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10. [9895]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was created on 12 May 2010. In the predecessor Department for Children, Schools and Families, £135 million was paid as remuneration to civil servants in 2009-10. This includes pay, employer pension contributions and national insurance payments, as well as any taxable benefits and non-consolidated performance related payments.
Departmental Pensions
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which he is responsible in each of the English regions in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2010-11. [12437]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education (DfE) was created on 12 May 2010 and pension contributions for the financial year 2010-11 are estimated to be £20 million. In the predecessor Departments: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF 2007-10) and Department for Education and Skills (DfES part 2007) the pensions contributions for the financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 were £19.4 million, £19 million and £20.8 million respectively.
There are no Executive Agencies in DfE or in the predecessor DCSF and DfES and pension contribution information on the various NDPBs reporting to the three Departments between 2007-08 and 2010-11 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Rents
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was paid by his Department in rent for properties in (a) total and (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK in each of the last five years. [12351]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education paid rent on properties as follows:
| £ | |
| £ | |||||
| Yorkshire and Humberside | North West | West Midlands | South East | East of England | |
The Department for Education only has properties in England therefore the figures under (a) total, apply.
| £ | |
Departmental Trade Unions
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its predecessors has paid to trade unions in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of facilities provided by his Department and its predecessors for use by trade unions in each year since 1997. [11697]
Tim Loughton: The Department does not give money to the trade unions it recognizes-the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS); Prospect; and First Division Association, in 2009-10 there was one full-time member of staff supporting the trade union secretary and three full-time members of staff who work and represent all three unions. The total wage for the four officials employed on union work that year was £118,000. The equivalent information for each year since 1997, and the value of the facilities they used, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many paid manpower hours civil servants in his Department and its predecessors spent on trade union-related duties and activities in each year since 1997; [11698]
(2) how many civil servants in his Department and its predecessors spent the equivalent of (a) five days or fewer, (b) five to 10 days, (c) 10 to 15 days, (d) 15 to 20 days, (e) 20 to 25 days and (f) 25 days or more on trade union-related activities or duties while being paid salaries from the public purse in each year since 1997. [11699]
Tim Loughton: In 2009-10, four officials worked over 25 days on trade union-related activities for all three recognized trade unions-the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS); Prospect; and First Division Association. A breakdown of the equivalent information for each year since 1997 and a calculation of the hours or how many days other civil servants spent on trade union related activities, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Education: Finance
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement of 5 July 2010, Official Report, columns 47-50, on education funding, if he will publish for each local authority, (a) the end-year flexibility local authority specific grant allocations in force prior to the Statement and (b) the changes to such allocations. [10142]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 20 July 2010]: Revised capital grant allocations by authority, where available, were published on 14 July on the Department for Education's website at:
Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Education by how much education funding in England has been reduced in-year in 2010-11. [11491]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 27 July 2010]: The Department made reductions in its 2010-11 baseline of £650 million as part of the Budget last year and further reductions of £670 million as part of the £6.2 billion reductions across Government announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In addition, the Department has agreed to reduce its claim on end year flexibility (EYF) by £1 billion in line with the Government's plan to reduce the deficit. The Department expects to be able to manage most of this through better financial management and tighter controls. Because of the size of the reduction, however, the Department will have to make £156.5 million savings from capital budgets where commitments are no longer affordable.
EYF is a mechanism whereby departments may carry forward unspent departmental expenditure limit (DEL) provision into later financial years.
Foster Care
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many foster parents informed his Department of a decision not to continue as foster parents because of inability to control children in 2009. [9345]
Tim Loughton: Information about a carer's decision not to continue fostering is not collected centrally. A foster carer wishing to withdraw from fostering needs to inform their fostering service provider, who is responsible both for their approval as a foster carer and for any decision to terminate that approval.
Foster carers care for some of society's most vulnerable children and often face challenging child behaviour. The Department for Education is funding a national roll out of the "Fostering Changes" programme, which is specifically designed to support foster carers in managing such behaviour and in building positive relationships with the children in their care.
Free Schools
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what legislative changes are required to implement his policy on free schools. [9229]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 19 July 2010]: Free schools will be set up using the same legal framework as academies and no new legislation is currently required for free schools to be established.
The Government want to make it easier for a diverse range of people and organisations to set up new schools, and we will continue to review whether legislation could be amended or removed to make it easier for local communities to set up new schools.
As part of this work, the Government will shortly be consulting on changing regulations to make it easier for schools to be set up in buildings which currently have other uses.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Minister authorised his Department's guidance to parents wishing to set up a new school. [11975]
Mr Gibb: The guidance provided by the Department for Education to parents and organisations wishing to set up a free school is available at:
and was approved by the Secretary of State for Education and Lord Hill, the Minister responsible for free schools.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with (a) Rachel Wolf and (b) Dominic Cummings since 6 May 2010. [12029]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 6 September 2010]: Rachel Wolf and Dominic Cummings have regular meetings with officials and Ministers.
Free School Meals: West Midlands
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Dudley borough and (c) Dudley North constituency received free school meals in the academic year 2009-10. [12519]
Mr Gibb: Information on free school meal eligibility is shown in the table. This includes full-time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part time pupils aged 5 to 15.
Information on the take up of free school meals has not been provided because it is not possible to exclude pupils who are below or over compulsory school age for take up information-far fewer of whom claim for and take free school meals-from the total number of pupils taking a free school meal.
| Maintained nursery, primary( 1) and state funded secondary schools( 1, 2) : School meal arrangements( 3, 4) January 2010 | ||||||
| Nursery and primary schools( 1) | State-funded secondary schools( 2) | |||||
| Number on roll | Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals | Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals | Number on roll | Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals | Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes all full-time and part-time pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarders. (4) Pupils eligible for free school meals who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. Pupils are recorded as eligible only if a claim for free school meals has been made by them or on their behalf by their parents. Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10 Source: School Census | ||||||
Free School Meals: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were in receipt of free school meals in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Peterborough local education authority area in each year since 2001. [11191]
Mr Gibb: Information on free schools meals is shown in the table.
For nursery and primary schools both take up and eligibility have been provided. For state-funded secondary schools eligibility of those of school age (or below) has been provided. Take up information has not been provided because it is not possible to exclude pupils who are over compulsory school age-far fewer of whom claim for and take free school meals-from the total number of pupils taking a free school meal.
| Maintained nursery, primary( 1) and state funded secondary( 1,2 ) schools: Peterborough local authority: School meal arrangements- January each year | ||||||||
| Nursery and primary schools( 1) | State funded secondary schools( 1,2) | |||||||
| Number of pupils of the relevant population( 3) | Number of pupils taking free school meals( 4) | Percentage taking free school meals | Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 5) | Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals | Number of pupils of the relevant population( 3) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 5) | Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals | |
| n/a= Not available. Information not collected. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) includes sole and dual (main) registrations. (4) Number of pupils taking a free school meal on the day of the census. Those eligible may choose not to take up their offer of a free school meal for various reasons e.g. through preference or through non-attendance on the day. (5) Full time pupils eligible and claiming for free school meals and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census | ||||||||
Music: Education
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he intends to take to promote the teaching of music in schools following the end of the Standards Fund in 2011. [12529]
Mr Gibb: A solid, knowledge-based music education for all children and young people is very important to this Government. We also believe that every child should learn to play a musical instrument and to sing. No decision has been taken on funding for music education beyond March 2011 as the spending review continues. Following the review we will set out how we plan to promote the teaching of music and the development of musical talent in schools.
Parenting Orders
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parenting orders have been issued for (a) truancy and (b) other offences in (i) Doncaster, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England since their introduction. [12706]
Mr Gibb: The Department has collected data from local authorities in England on parenting orders granted by the Courts following (a) successful truancy prosecutions since 2004. The number of parenting orders issued between September 2004 and August 2009 in:
(i) Doncaster was 58
(ii) South Yorkshire was 129
(iii) England was 2,444
The Youth Justice Board has collected data on the number of parenting orders granted by the Courts following (b) other offences since their introduction in 1998. The following figures show the number of parenting orders awarded when a juvenile was convicted and received a court order. The data only include parenting orders imposed in other circumstances such as antisocial behaviour orders for 2000/01 to 2003/04 because Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) were not always involved in applying for these and therefore the data were incomplete. The number of these parenting orders issued between 1998 and 2008 in:
(i) Doncaster was 15
(ii) South Yorkshire was 117
(iii) England was 9,617
Public Expenditure
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 July 2010, Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on public spending control, what the breakdown by (a) budget area and (b) local education authority area is of the £1 billion reduction in expenditure to be made from his Department. [7032]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 12 July 2010]: Work is still ongoing to identify the budget areas where the £1 billion reduction in End Year Flexibility (EYF) will be taken from, and we will be working on the implications as part of our work on the Spending Review.
£156.5 million of savings have already been identified from capital budgets in the following areas:
EYF is a mechanism whereby departments may carry forward unspent departmental expenditure limit (DEL) provision into later financial years.
Pupils: Behaviour Disorders
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department provides to (a) parents and (b) foster parents on disciplining children with behavioural problems. [9343]
Tim Loughton: This Department has not issued any guidance to parents on disciplining children with behavioural problems, although guidance issued by the Department to local authorities has encouraged local commissioning of parenting programmes. These have been shown to help parents adopt proven strategies for disciplining their children including children with behavioural problems.
Legislation makes clear that foster carers must not use corporal punishment, or any measure of discipline which is excessive or unreasonable. Fostering service providers have a statutory duty to prepare and implement a written policy on acceptable ways of disciplining children placed with foster carers.
To support foster carers to manage challenging child behaviour effectively, the Government are supporting the national roll-out of the Fostering Changes programme
and piloting the KEEP programme. These programmes help foster carers develop the skills to manage challenging behaviour by forming positive relationships with the children they look after. Feedback from foster carers about these programmes has been extremely positive.
The Government are also piloting multi-dimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) for foster children with particularly challenging behaviour. This evidence-based programme helps foster carers to reduce children's behavioural and emotional difficulties.
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the average funding per pupil from his Department in (a) academy and (b) other maintained schools in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [1212]
Mr Gibb: The indicative figures for academy funding for 2010-11 will not be available until the end of this calendar year.
Final allocations of the Dedicated Schools Grant for 2010-11 are available and can be found on:
We cannot confirm what the education funding settlement will be for academies or maintained schools for 2011-12 in advance of the next spending review but we are committed to ensuring that academies are funded on a comparable basis to other local schools, taking into account the additional responsibilities that academies have.
Schools: Discipline
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 7 July 2010, Official Report, column 11WS, on behaviour and discipline in schools, (1) whether he proposes that (a) teaching assistants, (b) clerical staff, (c) catering staff and (d) premises staff are to be given anonymity in respect of accusations made by pupils; [12600]
(2) in respect of which offences he proposes that teachers facing accusations from pupils are to be given anonymity; [12601]
(3) whether teachers are to be given anonymity in respect of accusations made by pupils at (a) the school at which they are employed and (b) other schools; [12602]
(4) whether teachers are to be given anonymity in respect of accusations made by pupils relating to incidents (a) on and (b) off school premises; [12603]
(5) what restrictions on the publication of the names of teachers against whom accusations have been made by pupils his Department plans to introduce. [12611]
Tim Loughton:
The details of this commitment from our coalition programme are still under consideration. I want to ensure teachers are protected against false allegations, but I also need to consider the impact on other school staff and on those working in the wider children's workforce. All allegations need to be taken seriously, regardless of the alleged offence, whether it takes place in the school they are employed in, at
another school or off the school premises. While it is an imperative that we continue to safeguard children, it is also the case that some allegations are false and maliciously intended. The impact of such allegations on teachers' careers and even their lives can be devastating and I am determined to afford those affected the best protection possible. I will announce my plans and further details of how we intend to improve anonymity for teachers facing allegations in due course.
Schools: Governing Bodies
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many members of the New Schools Network have served as school governors. [10240]
Mr Gibb: The Department does not hold the information requested.
Schools: Standards
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has evaluated on the effects in other countries on levels of integration of pupils of different (a) socio-economic, (b) race, (c) ability and (d) other groups of free market competition in the provision of schooling. [9689]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 19 July 2010]: The Department has evaluated a range of research in these areas. Analysts have reviewed research evidence on the effects on levels of integration of pupils of different groups (including socio-economic status, ethnicity and ability) of free market competition in diversified school systems in other countries.
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has evaluated on the effects on educational standards in other countries of free market competition in the provision of schooling. [9690]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 19 July 2010]: The Department has evaluated a range of research in these areas. The Department has reviewed research evidence on the effects on educational standards of free market competition in diversified school systems in other countries. Some of these countries have schools with a great degree of autonomy, such as the Free Schools in Sweden, and Charter Schools in the US and the Canadian province of Alberta.
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements Ofsted makes to exclude from its assessment of a school's performance factors outside a school's control, with particular reference to attendance records affected by (a) extended holidays taken by families of pupils and (b) large transient populations. [9967]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her response has been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 22 July 2010:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
There are considerable variations in attendance rates for schools in similar, challenging contexts, with high levels of pupil mobility, and these are often related to the quality of their strategies to reduce absence and promote regular attendance. Regular attendance is a critical factor in ensuring that pupils are able to learn effectively, make good progress and stay safe. While there is a clear statistical link between attendance and levels of social deprivation, it is important that this does not detract from the school's determination to secure good attendance however difficult the circumstances.
Inspectors exercise professional judgement when considering the extent to which overall attendance rates are affected by the poor attendance of a transient group of pupils. Inspectors evaluate the impact of the school's efforts to improve the attendance of pupils who are frequently absent and this is likely to be reflected in their judgement about the quality of the care, guidance and support provided by the school.
Many parents take extended family holidays during term time. Inspectors cannot ignore this type of absence and there are wide variations in how well this is managed by schools. When schools have built strong and productive partnerships with parents which help them to support their children's learning, holiday absence is less likely to be a serious problem. Positive and proactive action on the part of the school may then reflect favourably on the judgement about the school's leadership and management, including the specific judgement about the effectiveness of its engagement with parents and carers.
Inspectors are sensitive to the particular circumstances of schools which include the children of service personnel. It is Ministry of Defence practice to grant a two-week period of rest and recreation for personnel returning from active deployment. For those with young families, this usually means them wanting to take their children out of school for all or part of this. Inspectors take account of the impact these arrangements when making a judgement on attendance in such schools. They also take account of unusual weather conditions, such as the prolonged periods of snow experienced in some areas during December 2009 and January 2010.
Detailed guidance on judging attendance is available on the Ofsted website at:
A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Sixth Form Colleges: Building Schools for the Future Programme
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to include sixth form colleges in any future review of the Building Schools for the Future programme; and if he will make a statement. [4520]
Mr Gibb: On 5 July, the Secretary of State announced a comprehensive review of all of its capital programmes. Capital investment in sixth-form colleges is within the scope of the review.
The Capital Review team will be providing advice to Ministers for use in the comprehensive spending review, and complete its work by the end of the calendar year.
Social Work Task Force
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take in response to the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force report. [11459]
Tim Loughton:
The Government have announced their commitment to meeting and building upon the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force. It is important that the Social Work Reform Board's progress
in implementing those recommendations is maintained. I attended the Reform Board's 9 July 2010 meeting. The minutes of this meeting, once agreed by the Reform Board, will be made available on their website, at
The Secretary of State for Education has also confirmed the following funding to support social work reform:
A £23 million Local Social Work Improvement Fund will be available to local authority children's services in 2010-11.
The continuation of Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) programmes to support recruitment and retention of social workers.
Funding to support the establishment of an independent College of Social Work.
Continuation of pilots of Social Work Practices.
The Department for Education is building on the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force to ensure that further improvements can be made in children's social work practice. To this end, on 10 June 2010, the Secretary of State for Education announced the Munro Review of Child Protection which, building on the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, will focus on identifying the barriers that need to be removed to enable frontline children and families' social workers to practise effectively. Professor Munro will make her final report in April 2011.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take to ensure the views of young people are taken into account on proposals for changes to youth services in accordance with the provisions of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. [13442]
Tim Loughton: We are currently developing our proposals for the future of youth services and on new approaches to giving young people a voice and strengthening youth scrutiny over national policy. I have taken action to ensure that young people are integral to the wider consultation process through a range of events, including one I hosted at the Department with around 20 teenagers from different parts of the country. Officials from my Department, with colleagues from Communities and Local Government, are working to assess the impact of current approaches to youth empowerment and democratic engagement and are drawing on the mechanisms and experience of youth organisations to involve young people directly in this work. Both Departments are also working with the Office for Civil Society to support the National Citizen Service programme and we are currently drawing up plans to ensure that young people are fully involved in the development of this.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer question (a) 8162, (b) 8165, (c) 8164 and (d) 8161, tabled on 7 July 2010 for answer on 14 July 2010, on the Building Schools for the Future programme. [14763]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 13 September 2010]: A response has been sent to the hon. Member today.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Departmental Manpower
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff his Department employs to consider (a) departmental and (b) national strategy; what output such staff are required to produce; and if he will make a statement. [15597]
Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expects all senior staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to make an appropriate contribution to the strategy of the FCO and of the UK, and to co-ordination through the National Security Council (NSC), within the strategic framework set by the Government. 15 staff are currently employed in the Central Policy Group, which co-ordinates the FCO's relationship with the NSC and facilitates high-level strategic discussion within the FCO.
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what severance payment was made to each (a) Minister and (b) special adviser in his Department who left office after the last general election. [14662]
Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 55W.
The Government publishes annually the total cost of special advisers in the form of a written ministerial statement by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. The total cost of severance paid out to special advisers to the previous Government who left office after the last general election will be published in due course.
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