Written Answers to Questions
The following answers were received between Friday 17 September and Monday 4 October 2010
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Chalk Streams
Mr Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to protect chalk streams in (a) Winchester and (b) England. [15784]
Richard Benyon: Chalk streams are designated priority habitats in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP). The River Itchen that flows through Winchester is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and as a Special Area of Conservation. These designations require the Environment Agency to review all of the rivers permits.
The UKBAP has set out three priorities for chalk streams:
maintain the characteristic plants and animals of chalk rivers, including their winterbourne (headwater) stretches;
restore water quality, flows and habitat diversity;
identify cost-effective means of restoring damaged river reaches.
To deliver these actions there are already five key programmes:
the water companies all have National Environment Programmes to improve discharges from sewage treatment works;
measures to address diffuse pollution;
the Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme;
projects to restore river habitat; and
works to control the spread on non-native species.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work her Department is undertaking in pursuit of reform of the common agricultural policy. [15888]
Mr Paice: DEFRA Ministers and officials are working, as a matter of priority, with the European Commission, European Parliament, member states and domestic stakeholders to press for an ambitious reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) that delivers good value for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment. DEFRA Ministers continue to discuss reform of the CAP with EU counterparts at the Agriculture Council and the Informal Agriculture Council. EU discussions about the CAP post-2013 are only just beginning and we expect the Commission to publish a Communication by the end of 2010.
Departmental ICT
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which IT contracts awarded by her Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value of each such contract was. [12720]
Richard Benyon: Since the coalition Government was formed on 11 May, DEFRA Network has terminated one contract as a result of the ICT Moratorium. This is Kew Gardens, a DEFRA non-departmental public body, which has cancelled its back office project in preference for a shared solution with other Government bodies. The monetary value of the cancelled work not carried out is £140,000.
In the previous five years, only one further IT contract has been terminated-by the Rural Payments Agency in October 2007. Termination was due to "material default" which was "incapable of remedy". The contract was for the provision of Broadband and associated services. The monetary value of the contract was linked to the number of users and estimated at £870,000.
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what severance payments have been paid to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in her Department who left office after the last general election. [15406]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 16 September 2010]: Details of severance payments given to Ministers was provided to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 55W.
Two special advisers also received a standard severance payment in line with their employment contracts. Full details of severance payments made to special advisers will be published by written ministerial statement from the Prime Minister in due course.
Food: Labelling
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to make information on the quantity of each ingredient listed on food labels more accurate; and if she will make a statement. [15641]
Mr Paice: There are no plans to change the requirements on the labelling of ingredient quantities. There are already requirements in place through provisions on quantitative ingredients declarations (QUID). These rules require information to be provided on the amount of key ingredients highlighted on the label.
The law on food labelling is harmonised at EU level and the scope for individual member states to introduce national rules in this area is rather restricted. Any change to the requirements would require agreement with all EU member states, which would need to be supported by clear consumer evidence to ensure new measures are balanced and proportionate.
Marine Stewardship Council
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has had recent discussions with the Marine Stewardship Council on reform of its fishery certification programme and eco-label scheme. [15546]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not met with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) recently to discuss reform of its fishery certification programme and eco-label scheme. Officials meet with MSC representatives routinely as one of many partners aiming to achieve sustainable fisheries, in recognition of the fact that third-party certification programmes, such as the MSC scheme, have a role to play in supporting efforts by governments to improve the management of our fisheries.
In recent years, staff from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), an executive agency of DEFRA, have provided advice to the MSC on technical matters about the certification of specific fisheries and have participated in stakeholder workshops to address the quality and consistency of the MSC's certification process. However, the MSC is an independent non-profit making organisation and, while DEFRA and CEFAS officials will provide appropriate policy and technical support as requested, management of their scheme is ultimately a matter for the MSC.
Water: Meters
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the effects on people in different (a) income and (b) demographic groups of compulsory water metering. [15612]
Richard Benyon: Ministers and officials regularly discuss issues such as water affordability and compulsory metering with interested parties in the water sector, including Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Consumer Council for Water and water companies.
Anna Walker's independent review of charging for household water and sewerage services also assessed metering and affordability. Her final report is available on DEFRA's website.
DEFRA will consult on key issues in the Walker review later this year, ahead of publishing a Water White Paper early next summer.
Communities and Local Government
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has offered any guidance to local authorities considering the introduction of a minimum price per unit of alcohol. [14147]
Mrs May: I have been asked to reply.
We are currently examining the proposal to prohibit the sale of alcohol below cost price, and a range of options is under consideration. The alcohol consultation "Re-balancing the Licensing Act" closed on 8 September. We will now make a full assessment of the administrative requirements of the proposal and its impacts on local authorities and businesses.
The Home Office has not offered guidance to any local authorities concerning the introduction of a minimum unit price. We are currently undertaking a review of alcohol taxation and pricing, the outcome of which will help to set the Government's agenda, on which measures will be taken forward in relation to alcohol pricing.
Councillors: Codes of Practice
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bedford (Richard Fuller) of 23 June 2010, Official Report, column 213W, on the Standards Board for England, if he will consider the merits of introducing a power for electors to recall a local councillor. [15545]
Robert Neill: We are developing the provisions of the legislation to abolish the Standards Board regime and devolve greater powers to councils, including considering with local government and other partners what powers might best ensure that the highest standards of conduct continue throughout local government. Our reforms will include introducing criminal sanctions against corruption.
Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions each Minister in his Department has met his Department's chief scientific officer since 6 May 2010. [15433]
Robert Neill: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has met the Department's chief scientific officer once. No other Ministers in this Department have met the chief scientific officer. The chief scientific officer advises the Department, leading the science and engineering profession within the Department and ensuring that science and engineering evidence is commissioned and used effectively in policy development and delivery across the Department.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on newspapers for Ministers and special advisers in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [15043]
Robert Neill: For information on the cost of newspapers and periodicals for ministerial offices in 2008-09, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 7 July 2009, Official Report, columns 702-04W. The total cost of newspapers and periodicals for ministerial offices in 2009-10 was £24,608.43. These costs were in addition to two media monitoring contracts with Durrants and Precise. The new Government consider this expenditure wasteful, and as outlined in my Department's press release of 11 September, we have consolidated seven sets of papers and periodicals for Ministers and special advisers down to one set.
Fire Services
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will halt the introduction of regional fire control centres and retain existing centres; and if he will make a statement. [14434]
Robert Neill: FiReControl, as with all Government projects, is being reviewed to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. We are not going to provide additional public funding to bail out this contract.
The Government are becoming increasingly concerned at the inability of EADS to deliver on its contractual obligations to sufficient quality and time-and we have made this clear to it in no uncertain terms. Products delivered from EADS have consistently been late and of poor quality. Two recent examples are the data toolkit used by Fire and Rescue Services for recording resources and station end equipment in local fire stations. The toolkit cannot capture all the data needed to accurately and reliably route the nearest and most appropriate fire appliance to an incident. The station end equipment-which controls the alerters, doors, bells, etc, in fire stations-failed safety checks at the last minute.
We are looking carefully at the contract and need to decide soon whether EADS can deliver to time, to cost and to quality in accordance with its contractual obligations. The Government are committed to ensuring value-for-money for the taxpayer, improving resilience and stopping the forced regionalisation of the fire service.
Fires: Hoaxes and False Alarms
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to the fire service of hoax telephone calls in (a) Gateshead, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [15788]
Robert Neill: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Housing: Construction
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Eltham (Clive Efford) of 27 May 2010, Official Report, column 290, what the evidential basis was for his statement on the number of houses (a) a local authority and (b) a registered social landlord can construct for a given amount of money. [15715]
Grant Shapps: So long as council housing is in the public sector it will usually be more cost-effective for central Government to fund new social housing supply through the housing association sector.
Housing associations are independent private bodies and can lever in private finance to help fund development reducing the overall cost to the tax payer. This means that Government can assist more households for any given level of public investment.
Local Government: Greater Manchester
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether he plans to include proposals for direct elections in the proposal for a Greater Manchester Combined Authority; [15541]
(2) what plans he has for the future of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority scheme. [15542]
Robert Neill: We are working closely with Manchester and other areas with a view to giving them the freedom and flexibility they need to deliver on their own economic ambitions. Greater Manchester has recently submitted its proposal for a local enterprise partnership, which we are giving careful thought to. We are considering its proposal for a combined authority alongside these wider discussions.
The legislation on combined authorities, as set out in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, includes no provision for direct elections.
Ordnance Survey: Public Relations
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 5 August 2010, if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract and project brief for the work carried out for Ordnance Survey by Mandate Public Affairs; and how much was spent on the contract. [15026]
Robert Neill [holding answer 13 September 2010]: Mandate Communications were contracted by Ordnance Survey to provide consultancy and advice on Corporate Communications and Public Affairs.
For the financial year 2009-10 the value of the contract was £35,757. Notice on this contract was served in May 2010.
A copy of the contract, with commercially confidential information redacted, and which includes the Project Brief at Appendix 1, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Rights of Way
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect of new arrangements for access to Ordnance Survey mapping information on the number of right of way claims made by members of the public. [15793]
Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
DEFRA has not made any assessment of the new arrangements for access to Ordnance Survey mapping information regarding potential effects on the number of right of way claims. Nor has DEFRA received any representations from user organisations on any potential impact.
Education
Academies
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have (i) expressed interest in and (ii) applied for academy status; [10250]
(2) which schools have applied for academy status. [10251]
Mr Gibb:
On 26 May 2010, the Secretary of State invited schools to register their interest in becoming an academy. As of the 27 August 2010, 898 primary and
nursery schools and 979 secondary schools had registered an interest. As of 31 August 2010, 170 schools have applied for academy status. A list of the schools that have applied has been published on the Department's website at:
Academies: Durham
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to make a decision on whether to proceed with the allocation of £26 million of funding to build a new academy school in Consett, North West Durham. [11778]
Mr Gibb: The Government announced on 6 August that the capital allocation for this academy will be announced after the comprehensive spending review.
Academies: Gateshead
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in Gateshead local authority area have expressed an interest in becoming academy schools. [13437]
Mr Gibb: The Department has received two expressions of interest in converting to academy status from schools in Gateshead local authority. These were from Cardinal Hume Catholic School and St Thomas More Catholic School.
Academies: Hartlepool
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools in the area of Hartlepool borough council have applied for academy status. [5412]
Mr Gibb: As of 10 September, one school (Dyke House Sports and Technology College) in the area of Hartlepool borough council has applied for academy status. The list of schools which have applied is published on:
It will be updated on a regular basis.
Academies: Pay
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an assessment of the merits of requiring academies to cap the pay of (a) the principal and (b) other members of staff at the salary level of the Prime Minister. [12044]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 September 2010]: Academies are free to set their own staff pay and conditions and invest their allocated budget in pupils' education as they see fit. Academies value this freedom and we intend to retain it. However, academies receive broadly the same funding as maintained schools, so they will clearly have to set staff pay in the light of significantly tighter public finances over coming years.
Academies: Redundancy
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether arrangements for any redundancies of staff at new academy schools will be covered by a redundancy modification order. [9077]
Mr Gibb: The Department meets a proportion of the Academy Trust's costs arising from the inclusion of Academies in the Schedules to the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government) (Modification) Order 1999.
Academies are included in the Redundancy Payments Modification Order and so service in local authority schools and Academies counts as continuous for the purposes of determining entitlement to statutory redundancy pay.
Academies: Salisbury
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in Salisbury constituency expressed interest in adopting academy status. [6419]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 6 July 2010]: As of 10 September 2010, four schools in Salisbury have expressed an interest in converting to academy status. Two lists of schools which have registered an interest in becoming an academy, one containing those schools rated outstanding and the second other schools, have been published at:
These lists will be updated on a regular basis.
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he intends to issue advice to local authorities who may face litigation from contractors as a result of the ending of the Building Schools for the Future programme. [8101]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 14 July 2010]: It is for local authorities to manage their own contractual obligations and to obtain any legal advice they need. The Secretary of State has no plans to issue departmental advice to them on the conduct of their relationship with contractors.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will undertake a public consultation before making a decision on Building Schools for the Future funding for projects at sample schools. [11577]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 27 July 2010]: The review of sample schools is complete and on 6 August, the Secretary of State announced the go-ahead for all sample schools in England. A detailed list can be found on the Department's website:
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) on what date he informed Gateshead metropolitan borough council of the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme planned for the west of the borough.; [12167]
(2) who in Gateshead metropolitan borough council he informed of the cancellation of the planned Building Schools for the Future programme for the west of the borough; [12168]
(3) if he will discuss with Gateshead metropolitan borough council alternatives for the cancelled Building Schools for the Future programme planned for the borough. [12170]
Mr Gibb: The Secretary of State wrote to Mr Roger Kelly, the chief executive of Gateshead metropolitan borough council, on 5 July. In his letter he set out the review of the Building Schools for the Future programme and the future of capital spending in schools more broadly.
The chief executive of Partnerships for Schools also wrote to the Director of Children's Services of Gateshead metropolitan borough council on 14 July to confirm the position for Gateshead's Building Schools for the Future programme.
The team conducting the capital review announced by the Secretary of State on 5 July has invited evidence from those with an interest in capital investment in schools. Contributions are welcome from all local authorities and the call for evidence is open until 17 September.
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received from (a) local authorities, (b) trade unions and (c) individuals on the future of the Building Schools for the Future programme. [12520]
Mr Gibb: Since making his announcement on 5 July 2010 which gave details of a review of all areas of DFE capital spending the Secretary of State has received several hundred items of correspondence on this subject.
Representations have been made by several local authorities including Bolton, Coventry, Derby, Ealing, Kent, Liverpool, Luton, Norfolk and Portsmouth.
Correspondence has been received from the General Secretary of the NASUWT.
Pupils, head teachers and governors in areas such as Camden, Durham, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire have also made representations to the Department.
The Department is currently working towards responding to all correspondence received dealing with any specific issues raised.
Building Schools for the Future Programme: Bolton
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the local authority in Bolton on the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme. [11868]
Mr Gibb: The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Bolton local authority on the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme.
Children: Autism
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to assist children with autism. [11909]
Sarah Teather: Support for children with special educational needs (SEN), including autism, is a priority for the Government. Provision for children with autism is made by schools and local authorities and we are supporting local services through the Autism Education Trust. The trust works with schools, local authorities, parents and children with autism to enhance services and promote effective practice.
On 6 July, I announced that we will publish a Green Paper in the autumn on a wide range of SEN issues, which builds on the forthcoming Ofsted review of the SEN framework and also on earlier reviews, such as that undertaken by Brian Lamb into parental confidence in the system. Battling the SEN system can be a source of great frustration for parents of children with autism. We want to ensure the process is more accountable, more transparent and more responsive to parental choice. We are keen to consult widely on the Green Paper, and a Call for Views was launched on 10 September.
Children: Databases
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the savings to be accrued in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Dudley borough as a result of ending the ContactPoint database in each of the next five financial years. [8403]
Tim Loughton: On 22 July I made a written ministerial statement informing Parliament that ContactPoint would be shut down on 6 August. The Department also wrote to local authorities on the same day informing them that grant funding would continue until the end of August to cover the costs of decommissioning ContactPoint.
As from 1 September the Department will save the cost of grant payments to the West Midlands and Dudley borough for the remainder of 2010-11 and in the years thereafter. The response I gave to the hon. Member on 19 July 2010, Official Report, column 97W, gives details of these grant payments. The Department does not have details of any further savings that might accrue locally to the West Midlands and Dudley borough as a result of closing ContactPoint.
Closing down ContactPoint is not about saving money, it is about finding the most proportionate and effective way to help frontline practitioners to protect vulnerable children. We have never believed that such a large database, accessible to hundreds of thousands of people, is the most appropriate way to help vulnerable children.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he plans to allocate to the Common Assessment Framework in each of the next three years. [14600]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 13 September 2010]: Future funding decisions are subject to the results of the Spending Review. The Spending Review settlement will be announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 October 2010.
Children: Protection
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what tasks the Government Office Network has undertaken on the safeguarding of children since 2006. [11925]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 27 July 2010]: In April 2006, Children and Learners Teams were established in Government Offices to provide advice, support and challenge to local areas across all children's services, as well as co-ordinating and managing the Department's other regional activity. At that time, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) was responsible for in-year monitoring of local authority children's social care services as set out in the statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006 ("Working Together"). From 1 April 2007 these monitoring functions also became part of the responsibilities of the Children and Learners Teams based in Government Offices as set out in Local Authority Circular (2007) 25.
"Working Together" was updated in March 2010. It sets out the responsibilities of Government Offices in relation to safeguarding as including:
"giving support and challenge to LSCBs and to Children's Trust Boards in relation to SCR (Serious Case Review) and CDOP (Child Death Overview Panel) activity and implementation. This includes seeking assurance that LSCB and Children's Trust plans are in place and action is being taken to effectively address recommendations".
Both "Working Together" and the Local Authority Circular (2007) 25 have been placed in the House Libraries.
In practice, Children and Learner Teams have discharged their responsibilities in safeguarding by, for example, working with local areas to understand their specific challenges, advising on programmes of available support and good practice, as well as facilitating local networks. These Teams have also sought assurance that statutory action plans are in place and being implemented to address recommendations identified through inspection reports. Where serious case reviews are concerned, these Teams have been responsible for providing support and challenge such as commenting on the quality of the reviews' analysis and recommendations. These Teams have also used local knowledge to alert the Department so as to influence national policy.
"The Coalition: our programme for government" announced the decision to close the Government Office for London and to review the position of the other eight Government Offices. On 22 July, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced the Government's intention in principle to abolish the remaining eight Government Offices. A final decision will be made at the end of the Spending Review in the autumn.
Closing the Government Offices network is in line with the Government's policy on removing administrative layers and simplifying accountability across national and local government, and reducing public expenditure. It will also contribute to delivering the Government's commitment to empower local authorities by removing top down monitoring, support and challenge, freeing them up to focus on their own plans for improvement.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance is given to social workers in court proceedings on child protection cases on discussing with the grandparents of the child in question their role in the proceedings. [13651]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 8 September 2010]: The relevant guidance to social workers is set out in the Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations, Volume 1 Court Orders. This states at paragraph 3.8 that:
'In presenting a care plan to the court in any application for a care order, the local authority will be required to demonstrate
that it has considered family members and friends as potential carers at each stage in its decision making.'
The authority should therefore have assessed the suitability of any possible arrangements and have considered the most appropriate legal status of such arrangements. The appropriate options and the implications for the potential carer of such options should have been discussed before the care plan is submitted to the court.
Children's Centres
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Sure Start children's centres have opened since 1997. [14069]
Sarah Teather: On 31 July 2010, 3,633 Sure Start Children's Centres were open in England, providing access to services to over 2.9 million children under five and their families.
This figure represents the total stock of children's centres on 31 July 2010, and does not include children's centres that may have opened since 1997 and subsequently merged with other children's centres or closed.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children and their families used Sure Start children's centres in May 2010. [14587]
Sarah Teather: Data for the number of children and their families using Sure Start children's centres are not collected centrally.
Classroom Assistants
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department provides to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools on best practice in employment of teaching assistants. [12385]
Mr Gibb: Head teachers are responsible for deploying and managing all teaching and support staff of the school and allocating particular duties to them in a manner consistent with their conditions of employment and the needs of the school. The Training and Development Agency for schools has issued a range of guidance to schools on best practice in employing and deploying teaching assistants. This can be found at:
We are currently reviewing all education policies and we will be setting out our plans for schools in a White Paper in the autumn.
Departmental Billing
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010. [13277]
Tim Loughton: The proportions of invoices paid within 10 days of receipt by DFE during July and August 2010 are: July - 94.37% and August - 95.04%.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 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. [13937]
Tim Loughton: As shown in the following table, the total number of payments made by the Department for Education (DfE) in this financial year within 30 days is 21,804 and represents 98.82% of all payments. Please note that our shared services provider does not monitor payments over 60 and 90 days.
| Number/percentage | |
For non-departmental public bodies, the table shown as follows provides a breakdown of payments made within 30 days and over 30, 60 and 90 days of receipt of invoice.
Please note that the figures for payments over the 60 and 90 thresholds are not available from Becta.
| Number | ||||
| NDPBs | Within 30 days of receipt of invoice | After 30 days of receipt of invoice | After 60 days of receipt of invoice | After 90 days of receipt of invoice |
| (1) Unavailable. | ||||
Departmental Equality
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent (a) in total and (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose. [5921]
Tim Loughton: The civil service like all public authorities is legally obliged to be proactive in promoting equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination for service users and staff in order to comply with the Public Equality Duties (under Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2002; Disability Discrimination Act 2005; and Equality Act 2006).
At the present time 3.6 people are employed by the Department to promote equality and diversity.
The following table details total expenditure for the last three years. However, this work is only a small part of the Department's equality and diversity related activities. Equality and diversity activity is incorporated within all relevant functions of the Department. These activities meet the joint aims of promoting equality and diversity and seeking to eliminate unlawful discrimination. It is not possible to identify a total spend for promotional activity.
| £ | ||
| (a) Total costs of promoting E and D( 1) | (b) Staff costs for promoting E and D | |
| (1) This figure also includes the Department's spend on reasonable adjustments for our disabled members of staff. The yearly spend on reasonable adjustments for the years in question was: 2007-08 £246,000; 2008-09 £237,000; 2009-10 £150,000 | ||
Departmental Furniture
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many chairs his Department and its predecessors purchased in each year since 1997; how much was spent in each such year; and what the five most expensive chairs purchased in each such year were. [12810]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of chairs purchased by the Department and its predecessors prior to 2007/08. However, information is available on the total amount spent on chairs in the following years:
| Purchase of chairs | |
| £ | |
Information is available on the five most expensive chairs purchased in the last three years. All of the most expensive chairs were purchased as part of reasonable adjustments for staff following workplace assessments, enabling the Department to meet its statutory requirements. The information is as follows:
| Purchase of chairs | |
| £ | |
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10109]
Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State and Ministers hosted three briefing events in June 2010 to meet with approximately 75 stakeholders from across the education and children's sectors to outline policy priorities and listen to their views. To keep costs to a minimum the events were hosted in the Department. The total cost was £732.25.
There was no departmental expenditure on hospitality for ministerial events during the month of May 2010.
All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Pay
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what average hourly rate his Department has paid to each employment agency for agency staff since its inception. [12710]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was established on 12 May 2010 and uses Hay Office Support and Reed Employment agencies through a Buying Solutions framework agreement.
Since its inception, the average hourly rate that the Department has paid to these employment agencies is set out in the following table:
| Agency | Average hourly rate (£) |
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2010, Official Report, column 260W, on departmental public expenditure, from which youth budgets the savings will be made. [12302]
Mr Gibb: In a letter to the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls) placed in the House Libraries in June 2010, the Secretary of State laid out further details of the £670 million of savings that are the Department's contribution to the £6.2 billion savings package previously announced by the Chancellor and Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
The Department will save £59.9 million across the 14-19 programme budgets. This saving breaks down as follows:
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what processes his Department has established for the award of grant agreements; and whether such awards are subject to competitive tendering. [15962]
Tim Loughton: The Department uses a range of processes for administering grants, consistent with HM Treasury guidance. The main types are:
Grant in Aid (sometimes called "through funding"), which is the main method used to support the Department's arm's length bodies
Formula funded grants, such as the Dedicated Schools Grant, where the amount due is calculated using agreed formulae
Biddable grants, in which potential applicants are invited to bid against funds from a limited pot and the Department makes decisions which bids to support against agreed criteria
Competed grants, in which the Department will invite a number of organisations to submit proposals against the Department's specification before selecting a preferred provider
Direct awards, where the Department will approach a provider directly.
The Department's internal guidance makes it clear that, to ensure the best value for money, some form of competition in the award process is desirable.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many recipients of education maintenance allowance in each constituency receive that allowance (a) as a lone parent, (b) on leaving custody and (c) living away from home. [15582]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Greater Manchester
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many young people received education maintenance allowance in Stretford and Urmston constituency in each of the last three years; and of those how many (a) were lone parents, (b) had previously been in custody and (c) were living away from home; [13436]
(2) how many young people (a) in total and (b) who (i) were lone parents, (ii) had left custody and (iii) were living away from home received education maintenance allowance in Stretford and Urmston constituency in each of the last three years. [14060]
Mr Gibb:
This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written
to the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 17 September 2010:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions that asked:
"How many young people received education maintenance allowance in Stretford and Urmston constituency in each of the last three years; and of those how many (a) were lone parents, (b) had previously been in custody and (c) were living away from home." (PQ 13436)
"How many young people (a) in total and (b) who (i) were lone parents, (ii) had left custody and (iii) were living away from home received education maintenance allowance in Stretford and Urmston constituency in each of the last three years." (PQ 14060)
Information on the number of young people who have received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at local authority level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
EMA take-up for Trafford Local Authority area in the last three academic years is as follows:
2007/08: 2,256
2008/09: 2,344
2009/10: 2,660
The EMA application process does not routinely ask for information of the type requested. In certain circumstances, however, the categories of learner you are interested in can be identified from other supporting information provided, although there might be other learners in the totals above who also fall into these categories.
Within the figures above it is possible to identify:
2007/08: Independent Learners - 19; Parents - less than 5*; Young Offenders - less than 5*
2008/09: Independent Learners - less than 5*
2009/10: Independent Learners - 15; Parents- 6; Young Offenders - less than 5 *
Note:
Independent Learners are those who are in receipt of Income Support.
To protect the confidentiality of the learner, and prevent individuals being identified, the precise number is not shown where there are less than 5 learners shown (marked as *).
Parents include all applicants who state they are responsible for a child. We are not able to differentiate between lone parents and other parents.
Young Offenders are those who applied for EMA whilst in custody under the special arrangements that apply for this group.
Data for the 2008/09 year should be treated with caution due to service delivery issues faced during that year which affected the management information available.
EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 08/09 and 09/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
Education Maintenance Allowance: Lambeth
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many individuals in (a) Streatham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Lambeth have been in receipt of education maintenance allowance in each year since its introduction. [15626]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 16 September 2010]: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance for
the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Streatham with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.
Education: Finance
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to continue to fund Playing for Success education programmes. [7764]
Mr Gibb: Funding to support Playing for Success (PfS) will only be made available until the end of the current financial year. To achieve reductions in the Department's expenditure and contribute to the deficit reduction we have had to make some difficult choices on centrally funded programmes. The Department will work closely with partners to help ensure that the programme, in its final year, supports the creation of networks of self-sustaining PfS centres.
Education: Qualifications
Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in each socio-economic group were entered for (a) diploma, (b) A-level and (c) GCSE qualifications in the latest period for which figures are available. [13618]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 8 September 2010]: The information on qualification entries by socio-economic group is not held by the Department.
However, some information from the Youth Cohort Study and Longitudinal Study of Young People in England on the achievement of GCSEs and A levels by socio-economic group is available from the following links:
Table 4.1.1 and 4.1.2
Table 2.2.1 and 2.2.2
Information on GCSE and A level attainment by Income Deprivation Affecting Children Indices (IDACI) is available from the following links:
Table 18
Table 11.
Family Fund: Finance
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what grants have been provided by his Department to the Family Fund in each of the last four financial years. [14380]
Sarah Teather: The Family Fund Trust (FFT) (England) provides grants to families with severely disabled children or young people under 18. Families are eligible to apply for grants if they have an annual income of less than £25,000 before tax. Over the last four years the FFT has received the following in grant funding from the Department:
| Funding £ (million) | |
Financial Services: Education
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make training in financial capability an obligatory part of teacher training. [12072]
Mr Gibb: Financial capability is already a subject covered by the standards that trainees have to meet in order to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status. Standard Q15 currently requires all trainee teachers to demonstrate a familiarity with the non-statutory Programmes of Study for personal, social, health and economic education relevant to the age ranges they are training to teach. This includes financial capability within the economic wellbeing Programmes of Study for key stages 3 and 4. Teachers of Business Education in the secondary phase will receive training in aspects of personal finance relevant to the 14-19 curriculum.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of teaching of financial literacy in primary schools. [12073]
Mr Gibb: The current non-statutory guidelines for PSHE recommend that pupils in key stages 1 and 2 (between the ages of five and 11) are taught to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
In July, Ofsted published a report on Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in schools based on evidence from inspections of 165 maintained schools in England between September 2006 and July 2009. Inspectors considered economic understanding and financial capability in 72 of the primary schools visited in the final two years of the survey.
Inspectors found that through activities such as involvement with the community, enterprise days and business links, pupils developed the ability to handle money, to react to specific circumstances, to work collaboratively and to take the initiative.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make teaching of financial literacy a compulsory part of the national curriculum in (a) secondary and (b) primary schools from September 2011; and if he will make a statement. [12074]
Mr Gibb: Finance education is currently part of non-statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education at Key Stages 1 to 4.
The Government announced on 7 June our intention to make changes to the National Curriculum. We intend to restore the National Curriculum to its original purpose-a core national entitlement organised around
subject disciplines. In doing so, we aim to slim down the National Curriculum to give schools greater freedom to build on the core statutory requirements to provide a rich educational experience for all their pupils, and to allow teachers to use their professional judgment to decide how to teach and to organise the curriculum. We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest performing countries in the world. Further details will be announced in due course.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess, as part of any review of the mathematics curriculum, the potential for the inclusion of teaching of personal financial skills to contribute to raising attainment in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools. [12076]
Mr Gibb: The Government announced on 7 June our intention to make changes to the National Curriculum. We intend to restore the National Curriculum to its original purpose-a core national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. In doing so, we aim to slim down the National Curriculum to give schools greater freedom to build on the core statutory requirements to provide a rich educational experience for all their pupils, and to allow teachers to use their professional judgment to decide how to teach and to organise the curriculum. We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest performing countries in the world. Further details will be announced in due course.
Free School Meals: Tyne and Wear
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils attending schools in Washington and Sunderland West constituency receive free school meals. [14577]
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 and far fewer of these claim for and take free school meals.
| Maintained nursery, primary( 1) and state-funded secondary( 1,2) schools: School meal arrangements( 3) ,Washington and Sunderland West, January 2010 | |||
| Number on roll( 4) | 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) 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 5 and 15. (4) Includes pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census. | |||
Free Schools
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects the first new free schools to open. [12217]
Mr Gibb: We expect the first Free Schools to open in September 2011.
Freedom of Information
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Minister in his Department is responsible for ensuring that responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are made within the required timescale. [15489]
Tim Loughton: The Minister within the Department with particular responsibility for Freedom of Information matters is my noble Friend Lord Hill of Oareford. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has ultimate responsibility for the business of the Department.
GCE A-level
Jon Trickett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what A-Level courses are offered by each
(a) sixth form college and (b) further education college in each (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area for academic year 2010-11; [13946]
(2) what A-Level courses are available in educational institutions in each constituency in academic year 2010-11. [13947]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.
GCSE
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of young people in the 10 local authority areas with the (a) highest and (b) lowest scores on the 2007 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE in each year since 1992. [15414]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 14 September 2010]: The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) is not available at local authority level. The overall Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), which includes income deprivation, is available for county councils and other upper tier local authorities and has been used to identify the 10 local authority areas with (a) the greatest and (b) the least average scores in the 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
| The percentage of pupils( 1,2 ) in the local authorities with the 10 greatest( 3) (lowest ranked) average IMD scores achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent between 1991-92 and 2008-09( 4) | |||||
| Ranking | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Local authority | Liverpool | Hackney | Tower Hamlets | Manchester | Knowsley |
| The percentage of pupils( 1,2) in the local authorities with the 10 lowest( 3 ) (highest ranked) average IMD scores achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent between 1991-92 and 2008-09( 4) | |||||
| Ranking | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 |
| Local authority | Wiltshire | South Gloucestershire( 5) | Richmond upon Thames | Buckinghamshire | Bracknell Forest( 5) |
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils achieved at least five GCSEs, including English and mathematics (a) in total, (b) in schools where fewer than 5 per cent. of children were eligible for free school meals and (c) in schools where more than 50 per cent. of children were eligible for free school meals in each of the last five years. [15415]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 14 September 2010]: The information requested for 2009 is presented in the following table:
Head Teachers: Length of Service
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an assessment of the merits of term limits for the post of head teacher. [4914]
Mr Gibb: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the merits of term limits for head teachers and has no plans to do so.
Ofsted: Contracts
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) which companies Ofsted sub-contracts to conduct inspections of local authority secure units and secure training centres; [14281]
(2) which companies Ofsted sub-contracts to conduct inspections of schools. [14282]
Mr Gibb: These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and copies of her letter have been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 8 September 2010:
Your recent parliamentary questions have been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
Ofsted awarded contracts to three companies to carry out inspections of schools from September 2009. The three companies deliver inspection services in the following geographical areas:
North: CfBT Education Trust
Midlands: Serco Education & Children's Services
South: Tribal Education Ltd.
Ofsted does not sub-contract the inspections of local authority secure units or secure training centres. These inspections are carried out by Ofsted-employed inspectors.
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.
Outdoor Education
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to the Sixth Report of the Children, Schools and Families Committee of Session 2009-10, HC 418, on Transforming Education Outside the Classroom. [7868]
Mr Gibb: The Government responded to the report on 20 September.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which directorate of his Department has responsibility for the (a) formulation and (b) implementation of its policy on (i) sexual and reproductive health education and (ii) personal, social and health education; how many officials in his Department at each pay band are employed in each such directorate; what other posts in his Department each such official has held; and if he will make a statement. [5436]
Mr Gibb:
Formulation and implementation of policy on abortion and sexual and reproductive health is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health. Within the Department for Education Personal, Social, Economic and Health Education is one of the
responsibilities of the 71-strong Curriculum and Pupil Well Being Group in the Education Standards Directorate, liaising with other Groups in the DfE. Specific PSHE responsibilities are spread across a number of grades. The current postholders have all served in a variety of other posts in the past.
Primary Education: Capital Investment
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in which year the rebuilding of Selby Park primary school under the Primary Capital Programme will commence. [12407]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 6 September 2010]: Nottinghamshire local authority was allocated £16.7 million Primary Capital funding for 2008-11. Decisions on investment priorities and delivery timescales are determined locally.
Primary Education: Languages
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on requiring primary schools to include modern languages in the curriculum. [15413]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 14 September 2010]: We have announced that we will be reviewing the National Curriculum so as to return it to its intended purpose as a core national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. We will be announcing details of that review in the autumn. The position of languages in both the primary and secondary National Curriculum will be considered as part of that review.
We believe that language skills are important to both the educational development of children and the social and economic future of the country. We know that the great majority of primary schools are already offering some language teaching to their seven to 11-year-olds and we want primary schools that are teaching languages to continue to do so.
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