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9 Nov 2010 : Column 253W—continued
Work and Pensions
Children: Maintenance
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints the Child Support Agency received in each of the last five years; and how many of these were unresolved on the most recent date for which figures are available. [21376]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 November 2010:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints the Child Support Agency received in each of the last five years; and how many of these were unresolved at the latest date for which figures are available. [21376]
The table shows the number of complaints received in each of the last five years and the number of uncleared complaints at the end of each period. It is not possible to track individual complaints on a cohort basis.
| Complaints received | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. From April 2007, the Agency introduced a new complaints resolution process, which simplified the process from three stages to two stages. 3. Figures for 2008-09 include complaints received by the Child Support Agency prior to 1 November 2008, and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from the 1 November 2008. | |
In the year to September 2010, over 99% of complaints were fully resolved and/or had a resolution plan in place within 15 days of receipt. There are currently 1,900 uncleared complaints.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Council Tax Benefits
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioner, (b) working and (c) other households are in receipt of council tax benefit in each local authority area. [21038]
Steve Webb: The information has been placed in the Library.
Departmental Drinking Water
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on bottled water since March 2009. [17545]
Chris Grayling: From March 2009 to August 2010 the Department spent £31,735 on providing bottled water, excluding the cost of water coolers, in its offices. The Department stopped the provision of bought-in bottled water for meetings in July 2008. Since then the Department has been using an on-site system in three large sites, which bottles tap water and uses reusable one litre bottles. Between May 2010 and August 2010, the Department reduced expenditure by 85%.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each of its Ministers in (a) September and (b) October 2010. [21792]
Chris Grayling: No money has been spent by this Department in relation to hospitality events hosted by its Ministers during September or October 2010.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in (a) London and (b) the North West in each of the last five years; [21450]
(2) how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to (a)
London and (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years. [21460]
Chris Grayling: Departmental capital expenditure per head in (a) London and (b) the North West in each of the last five years is shown in table 1.
The proportion of Departmental capital expenditure allocated to (a) London and (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years, and the departmental totals, are shown in table 2.
| Table 1 | |||||||||
| £ | |||||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |||||
| London | North West | London | North West | London | North West | London | North West | London | North West |
| Table 2 | ||||||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | ||||||
| London | North West | London | North West | London | North West | London | North West | London | North West | |
| (1) Capital AME figures relate to net lending on the Social Fund | ||||||||||
Figures are sourced from the Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis, which is a yearly exercise that departments participate in and which allocates departmental spending to regions based on who benefits from that spending, not necessarily where the spending takes place. The exercise culminates in the publication of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses Command Paper (PESA 2010, CM 7890).
Chapters 9 and 10, linked below, contain guidance on what spending is covered and best practice on how departments should allocate spending to regions.
Departmental Redundancy
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the Comprehensive Spending Review; [21559]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the Comprehensive Spending Review in respect of (a) his Department, (b) its non-departmental public bodies and (c) other public bodies which are dependent on his Department for funding; [21560]
(3) what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years. [21561]
Chris Grayling: The impact of the spending review settlement on future staffing levels and the position on the need for any redundancies is complex. While the Department's core budget will be reduced by 26% in real terms over the four years to 2014-15 the Department will receive substantial extra resources to deliver a range of new measures.
This position is likely to result in staffing being reduced in some areas of the Department and increased in others, and at different rates. More detailed work will now be undertaken to allocate the overall settlement to the different parts of our business and assess the resulting staffing levels. This detailed planning will need to take account of likely staff turnover rates and the potential for internal and external redeployment before assessing the need for any redundancies in the Department and its non-departmental public bodies.
All pressures on the Department's budgets were taken into account as part of the spending review and settlements were allocated accordingly. The full costs of any redundancies, should these be unavoidable, will be met from within the Department's departmental expenditure limit (DEL) settlement.
Disability Aids: Care Homes
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department provides guidance to adults living in residential care who have entered into loan agreements to pay for the cost of mobility aids. [22845]
Maria Miller: Disability living allowance is paid to assist people with the extra cost of disability. It is for each individual to decide how to spend their benefit. The Department does not issue any guidance to individuals on how any benefit award should be spent including loan agreements or mobility aids.
Disability Living Allowance
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people receiving disability living allowance who will have the amount of benefit they receive reduced in each of the next three years. [21979]
Maria Miller: The Budget announced that from 2013-14 we would reform disability living allowance by introducing a new, more objective assessment to ensure support is focused on those with greatest need and distributed on a consistent, transparent basis, while continuing to tackle the inequalities that can arise from severe disability. We are developing the new assessment in collaboration with a group of independent health and disability specialists and representatives of disabled people. We intend to run a formal, public consultation exercise on our proposals in the coming months.
The spending review announced that from 2012 we would withdraw payment of, but not entitlement to, the mobility component of disability living allowance to publicly funded residents in care homes once they have been there for 28 days. Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.
Disability living allowance mobility component recipients in residential care will continue to retain entitlement and payments will be reinstated should they leave residential care, subject to satisfying the normal conditions of entitlement. We estimate there are currently around 60,000 people in publicly funded care homes who are in receipt of the mobility component of DLA.
Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation he undertook with (a) charities, (b) third sector organisations and (c) other disability organisations prior to his decision to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance for those who live in residential care homes; and if he will make a statement. [22842]
Maria Miller: Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.
As part of the spending review all organisations are given the opportunity to contribute to the priorities of the spending review. Across Government, consultation on specific spending review measures was not undertaken. All measures are subject to the parliamentary process, and we are committed to the involvement of charities, third sector organisations and other disability organisations in the ongoing development of policy in these areas.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people living in residential care in Scotland who receive the mobility component of disability living allowance. [22843]
Maria Miller: Information that estimates the number of disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes in Scotland is not available.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment he has undertaken on the likely effects on those living in residential care of the proposed removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance. [22844]
Maria Miller: The equality impact assessment for removing the mobility component of disability living allowance from state-funded care home residents after 28 days is still being completed and will be published shortly. Consideration was given to the equality impacts of the measure when the proposal was being developed. The measure will largely affect disabled people of working age. We anticipate minimal impact on gender, race, sexual orientation and religion/belief.
Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people living in residential care whose mobility costs are met from the public purse who receive the mobility component of disability living allowance. [22846]
Maria Miller: We estimate that approximately 60,000 people who claim disability living allowance and live in residential care currently receive a mobility component in Great Britain. This figure does not include people who are fully self funding their stay in a residential care home.
Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.
Employment and Support Allowance
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the time limit on contributory employment and support allowance payments will apply to claimants who find employment within a year but do not retain it. [20650]
Chris Grayling: As part of the spending review announcement, we propose to introduce a time limit of one year for those claiming contributory employment and support allowance and who are placed in the work-related activity group. All other groups claiming employment and support allowance are not affected by this measure.
We are presently considering the detailed rules that will apply to time limiting contributory ESA, including those around linking rules.
Employment Schemes
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has plans to introduce a financial limit on prime contractors' spending on management and administration costs in contracts under the Work Programme. [22906]
Chris Grayling: As part of the procurement process we will be fully sighted on proposed bidder costs including their proposed management and administration costs. The Department will not be seeking to limit or cap any provider's spending as this may constrain delivery ability/options available to Prime Providers. However, we will be undertaking a detailed evaluation process for each provider's proposal so that we can ensure that contracts are awarded on a value for money basis.
Housing Benefit: Argyll and Bute
Mr Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many tenants in Argyll and Bute broad rental market area were paid local housing allowance in each of the last 12 months; and how much was paid to such tenants in that allowance in each such year. [22847]
Steve Webb: The information is not available at the broad rental market area level. The information for Argyll and Bute local authority is shown in the table.
| Housing benefit recipients in Argyll and Bute local authority | ||
| Housing benefit recipients | Of which, assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements | |
| Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract. Figures reported are as at the second Thursday of the month, and are rounded to the nearest 10 recipients. | ||
Based on the local authority final subsidy returns for the financial year 2009-10, the local housing allowance expenditure in Argyll and Bute was £6,217,918.
Housing Benefit: Landlords
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that the full monetary value of housing benefit paid to tenants is received by landlords; and if he will make a statement. [20827]
Steve Webb: Housing benefit in the private rented sector is normally paid to the tenant but there are safeguards in place to ensure that they do not lose their tenancy if they fall, or are at risk of falling, into arrears.
If the tenant has rent arrears of eight weeks or more the local authority should make payments to the landlord unless it is in the tenant's overriding interest not to do so.
For tenants whose benefit is assessed according to the local housing allowance rules, the local authority can make payments to the landlord if it considers the customer is unable or unlikely to manage their rental payments.
Other tenants in the private rented sector and those who have tenancies with registered social landlords can choose to have their benefit paid to the landlord. The local authority can also decide to make payment to the landlord if they consider it to be in the customer's best interests.
For local authority tenants housing benefit takes the form of a rebate against their rent account.
Industrial Health and Safety
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used to make the assessment of a low hazard business in respect of health and safety. [22346]
Chris Grayling: Lord Young's report to the Prime Minister of the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of the compensation culture includes recommendations aimed at low hazard business. It points to offices, shops and classrooms as examples of workplaces which can be of lower risk on the basis that the risk of injury or death is minimal. The latest figures show that only around 3% of all workplace injuries in Great Britain involve offices and that no office workers died as a result of accidents at work in 2009.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed guidance and example risk assessments primarily aimed at lower risk businesses. HSE has been guided by the definition of risk as a concept embodying a combination of likelihood and consequence. Therefore, low risk activities are those that have a low likelihood and minor consequences.
Mental Health
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of recommendations relevant to his Department's policy responsibilities contained in the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being by the Government Office for Science; if he will ensure that his Department takes steps to promote well-being; if he will ensure that his Department's policy development process takes account of psychological research into subjective well-being; and if he will make a statement. [22909]
Chris Grayling: The expertise and vision of the Foresight report has informed our approach to health and work. The relationship between health, work and well-being is right at the heart of the welfare reforms we are implementing, which is why we have designed the new Work Programme to allow employment support providers to tailor help to individual needs, and foster self efficacy and mental capital.
Because promoting and protecting well-being goes beyond the remit of one Department, DWP also contributes to a cross-Government programme of action to promote well-being and improve health at work. It is in all of our interests to stop people falling out of work and onto benefits through ill health. Failure to act results in heavy costs to individuals, employers, the economy and society and can contribute to working-age ill health, avoidable sickness absence and job loss through ill health.
As announced in the June Budget, the Cabinet Office and ONS are taking work on measuring societal well-being forward-in particular regarding the lessons for the UK from the Stiglitz, Sen and Fenoussi report. We have in the past supported the use of subjective well-being measures in research on deprivation and its impact on individual. The DWP is working closely with other Departments on exploring how to take account of subjective well-being in specific policy interventions and measuring overall economic performance.
National Insurance
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual national insurance numbers there are. [22048]
Chris Grayling: The latest available figures (2010) show a total of 82.13 million national insurance number (NINo) records on the Department's Customer Information System (CIS). These consist of:
62.98 million Live NINo Accounts
19.15 million NINo Accounts with a date of death applied.
Note:
The figures provided are from the Customer Information (Live) Database in April 2010 and are subject to rounding. The figures are Management Information (MI) collected for the purpose of managing DWP Business, and therefore have not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance that is applied to DWP official statistics.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's publication Tackling Fraud and Error in the Benefit and Tax Credits Systems, October 2010, what factors other than previous convictions for fraud would lead to an application for a benefit being considered particularly at risk of being fraudulent or in error. [22013]
Chris Grayling:
The Department's new joint strategy with HMRC for tackling welfare fraud and error contains a wide range of measures to: prevent fraud and error from entering the system in the first place; detect and correct mistakes where they do happen; deliver tough
punishments for those who defraud the system; and deter those who would try to abuse the system in the future.
With regard to factors other than previous convictions for fraud which could identify cases at risk of being fraudulent or in error, we will develop these through analysis of common characteristics in past fraud and error cases alongside application of the most effective risk profiling techniques used within and outside Government.
Veterinary Services: Regulation
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues on the application of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to veterinary surgeons working in (a) pig and poultry abattoirs and (b) meat cutting plants. [22497]
Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published generic guidance, both written and web-based, on the application of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and on a proportionate approach to managing health and safety risks.
HSE has worked closely with a number of organisations representing the veterinary profession in recent years, including the British Veterinary Association (BVA), including by:
Providing speakers on a wide-range of relevant health and safety topics for training courses;
Assisting in developing a health and safety manual for the veterinary profession; and
Writing articles on issues such as zoonoses, cattle handling and risks to pregnant workers for the BVA's journal 'In Practice'.
HSE has also contributed to the development of guidance by other organisations relevant to the work of veterinary surgeons, such as the British Meat Processors Association's Guidance Notes on 'Safety when handling cattle in slaughterhouses', 'Q fever' and 'Personal protective equipment in the meat industry'.
Vocational Training: Merseyside
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed people received employment training and advice from contracted service providers in each local authority area in the Merseyside sub-region in each of the last five years; and how many of these found employment within (a) one month, (b) three months and (c) six months of receiving such services in each such year. [20012]
Chris Grayling:
Information to answer the full request is not available. The Department offers a range of contracted employment provision to support jobseekers in finding employment. It is not possible to identify participants on all of the contracted provision offered by the Department due to the wide range of support available and the ways in which starts to these programmes have been recorded. However, we can identify individuals who have been recorded by DWP computer systems as participating on contracted provision offered through the following schemes: New Deal for Young People,
New Deal for the Long Term Unemployed, Private Sector-Led New Deal, Employment Zones, Flexible New Deal, Programme Centres, Jobcentre Plus Support Contracts, Backing Young Britain, Young Person's Guarantee and the 6 month offer. These represent the majority of provision aimed specifically at jobseekers.
The information can be found in the following tables:
| Tables 2: Of those who started at least one spell of contracted employment provision, the number who found employment within one month, three months and six months of first start on provision in each of the last five years | |||||
| Table 2a: Knowsley | |||||
| Started employment | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ( 1) 2010 |
| Table 2b: Liverpool | |||||
| Started employment | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ( 1) 2010 |
| Table 2c: St Helens | |||||
| Started employment | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ( 1) 2010 |
| Table 2d: Sefton | |||||
| Started employment | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ( 1) 2010 |
Welfare State: Reform
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what disability impact assessment he plans to undertake of the proposals for welfare reforms contained in the spending review. [21770]
Maria Miller: The Government are strongly committed to the principle of promoting equality. We take our duty to consider the impact of policy decisions on different groups of people very seriously.
The Department for Work and Pensions assesses the equality impacts of any new policies or changes to existing policies and practice. To that end, there is a well established set of processes to help policy makers develop equality impact assessments based on a strong evidence base.
The welfare reform measures contained in the spending review that require primary legislation will be included in the forthcoming welfare reform Bill. Alongside the publication of the Bill my Department will publish a full equality impact assessment of its contents, which will include an assessment of the impact of the Bill measures on disabled people.
Education
Academies
James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on enabling secondary schools rated as good by Ofsted to apply for academy status. [18640]
Mr Gibb: We have received a great deal of interest from schools in converting to become an academy. The Department's website contains a list of schools, both those judged outstanding by Ofsted and otherwise, which have registered their interest. Currently, only schools judged outstanding overall can apply, but we are keen to extend the benefit of academy status to many more schools. An announcement will be made shortly about when the next group of schools will be invited to apply.
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) in respect of which Building Schools for the Future projects classified as (a) stopped and (b) under discussion damage has been caused to existing school buildings as a result of (i) fire and (ii) flooding in the last 24 months; [8496]
(2) in respect of which Building Schools for the Future projects classified as (a) stopped and (b) under discussion one or more (i) classrooms, (ii) dining facilities, (iii) staff common rooms and (iv) offices in the school are housed in temporary or pre-fabricated accommodation. [8497]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 14 July 2010]: This information is not held centrally, nor is it readily available, and to gather it would require a detailed review by Partnerships for Schools (PfS) of each local authority's plans for its Building Schools for the Future investment. It would not be possible for PfS to gather this information in a form that is fully comprehensive without incurring disproportionate cost. We are aware that Campsmount Technology College in Doncaster and Carleton High School in Wakefield, were both damaged by fire. Both of these schools will no longer proceed under the Building Schools for the Future programme. However, the independent Capital Review team is working with building companies on a pilot proposal to rebuild Campsmount Technology College in Doncaster. There is a good prospect that the new school could be rebuilt ahead of the original schedule as the accelerated procurement timetable has been met, and cost savings are being identified by the private sector through the bidding process.
Children in Care
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many section 51 (Children Act 1989) refuge beds are available for children under the age of 16 years. [21427]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 4 November 2010]: Local authorities are responsible for deciding on the provision of refuge beds in the light of local need. We do not collect information centrally on the number of beds available.
Children: Databases
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what function the reformed ContactPoint database will have in respect of vulnerable children which is not undertaken by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that only details of children already identified as being at risk are stored on the database. [20900]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 1 November 2010]: In line with our longstanding policy commitment, ContactPoint was switched off on 6 August 2010. The database is in the process of being permanently decommissioned and the data securely destroyed. Accordingly, the ContactPoint database is not being reformed. We are however exploring the feasibility of an alternative approach to help key professionals support and protect our most vulnerable children, particularly when these children move areas or access services in more than one area. Wherever practicable, we will seek to re-use investment made to date. We will provide an update in due course.
Children: Human Trafficking
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account his Department takes of the requirements of the Council of Europe Convention on Human Trafficking in determining the level of support provided to guardians of child victims of human trafficking. [21739]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 4 November 2010]: Responsibility for the care, protection and accommodation of child trafficking victims rests with local authorities under their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children, and in accordance with the Council of Europe Convention on Human Trafficking. Separated and vulnerable children from abroad have the same entitlements as UK born or resident children.
Where a child is assessed as trafficked and becomes looked after by a local authority, a social worker will be
responsible for putting in place an individualised care plan covering the full range of the child's needs. The social worker will also make an assessment of the type of placement which best matches the needs of the child, including the need to safeguard them from contact with traffickers.
Colchester Academy
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to make an announcement on funding for a new building for the Colchester Academy, formerly Sir Charles Lucas Arts College. [21191]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 2 November 2010]: The Secretary of State is currently reviewing the capital funding position for Colchester Academy and aims to confirm this no later than the end of this year.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in his Department have been (a) subject to disciplinary action, (b) removed from post, (c) transferred to another position and (d) dismissed for matters relating to their (i) disciplinary record and (ii) performance in each year since 1997. [18751]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was formed on 12 May 2010. The information covers its predecessors, The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
Staff may be the subject of formal disciplinary and capability procedures (i) without the imposition of any penalty or (ii) with the imposition of a penalty (such as a written warning, downgrading, and dismissal). Data held on formal disciplinary action taken by the Department against its employees is available from 2005/06 and is set out as follows. Information before this time can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Information where the number of employees is less than five has been suppressed on the grounds of confidentiality.
| Discipline (misconduct and poor attendance) | ||||
| Number of employees subject to formal disciplinary action | Number of employees removed from post due to disciplinary action | Number of employees transferred to another position due to disciplinary action | Number of employees dismissed from the Department due to disciplinary action | |
| (1) Fewer than 5. | ||||
| Capability (poor performance) | ||||
| Number of employees subject to formal capability action | Number of employees removed from post due to capability action | Number of employees transferred to another position due to capability action | Number of employees dismissed from the Department due to capability action | |
| (1) Fewer than 5. | ||||
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what severance payments have been paid to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department who left office after the last general election. [15403]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 16 September 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 55W.
The Government are committed to publishing annually the total cost of special advisers in the form of a written ministerial statement by the Prime Minister. The total cost of severance paid out to special advisers who left office after the last general election will be published in due course.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what eligibility criteria he plans to use for the education maintenance allowance, or its replacement, in 2011-12; and whether the criteria will vary depending on the number of children in a family unit. [20049]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 28 October 2010]: The education maintenance allowance scheme will close at the end of the 2010/11 Academic Year and no new applications will be processed from 1 January 2011. It will be replaced by an enhanced Discretionary Learner Support Fund. Decisions about which young people should receive financial support from the Discretionary Learner Support Fund will be made by schools, colleges and training providers, who are in a better position than Government to determine the needs of individual students. They will target support to those young people who most need it to continue in learning.
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what changes he plans to make to the operation of education maintenance allowance in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [20145]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 28 October 2010]: No new applications for the education maintenance allowance will be processed from 1 January 2011 and the scheme will close at the end of the 2010/11 academic year.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Kingston Upon Thames
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of 16 to 18-year-olds in receipt of education maintenance allowance in Kingston upon Hull East constituency who will no longer receive payments as a result of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review. [21192]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 2 November 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 Kingston upon Hull East with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Rotherham
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students normally resident in Rotherham receive education maintenance allowance. [18427]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) which operates the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Rotherham with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Sunderland
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) Houghton and Sunderland South constituency and (b) Sunderland claimed education maintenance allowance in each year for which figures are available. [22907]
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 for Houghton and Sunderland South with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Education: Internet
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on online schooling communities; and if he will make a statement. [18657]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 21 October 2010]: The Department has no specific policy on online virtual schooling, but recognises that it can contribute to pupils' education.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the merits of online schooling communities; and if he will make a statement. [18840]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 21 October 2010]: Models of Innovation in Learning Online was a Government funded evaluation from 2008. The main finding from this was that students are positive about online education but not enthusiastic about schooling that is entirely based online.
Educational Psychology
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what statutory duties educational psychologists perform for local authorities. [21353]
Sarah Teather: Local authorities are required by statute to seek the written advice of an educational psychologist in order to make an assessment of a child's special educational needs.
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department's review of special educational needs services will include training and funding arrangements for educational psychologists; and if he will make a statement. [21355]
Sarah Teather: Educational psychologists make an extremely important contribution to services for children and families. They play an important part in the special educational needs system, in relation to the existing statementing process and also in relation to the support for parents and schools.
We will consider the role of educational psychologists, and the arrangements for funding their training, within the context of the forthcoming Green Paper on special educational needs and the Government spending review.
Free School Meals: Tottenham
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils at each (a) primary and (b) secondary school in Tottenham constituency is eligible for free school meals. [20596]
Mr Gibb: The requested information is shown in the table.
Free Schools
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications to open free schools in the academic years (a) 2011/12 and (b) 2012/13 his Department has received; what proportion of such applications are from religious and faith-based group; and if he will make a statement. [22454]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 8 November 2010]: The Department for Education has received over 130 free school proposals from a variety of different proposers, including religious and faith-based groups. Of these, most are aiming to open in September 2011. Others give a range of hoped for opening dates, so a precise breakdown is not possible. On 5 November, the names of the first 25 Free School proposals approved to progress to the business case and plan stage were published on the Free Schools website. Of these, eight have a religious dimension, although they have not necessarily been proposed by faith groups.
GCE A-level
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many students identified as (a) Black African, (b) Black Caribbean, (c) Black Other and (d) White British gained (i) three A* grades or more, (ii) three A grades or more and (iii) 2 A and 1 B grade or more at A-level in each year since 1999; [17076]
(2) when he plans to answer question 17076, on A-level results, tabled on 8 October 2010. [20887]
Mr Gibb:
A* grades for A-levels were first awarded in 2010 and these results have not yet been matched to pupil characteristics and so are not provided. The figures
requested for three A grades or more and two A and one B grade or more are in the following tables. Figures matching A-level attainment in year 13 to ethnicity, recorded in year 11, are not readily available prior to 2005.
| Year 13 students( 1) from selected ethnic groups( 2) who achieved three A grades or more at A-level, 2005 to 2009 | ||||||||
| Black African | Black Caribbean | Black Other | White British | |||||
| Number achieving | Number of A-level students | Number achieving | Number of A-level students | Number achieving | Number of A-level students | Number achieving | Number of A-level students | |
| Source: National Pupil Database. | ||||||||
| Year 13 students( 1) from selected ethnic groups( 2) who achieved two A and one B grade or more at A-level, 2005 to 2009 | ||||||||
| Black African | Black Caribbean | Black Other | White British | |||||
| Number achieving | Number of A-level students | Number achieving | Number of A-level students | Number achieving | Number of A-level students | Number achieving | Number of A-level students | |
| (1) Students in maintained schools and FE colleges are included. (2) Ethnicity as recorded for those who were in maintained schools in year 11. Source: National Pupil Database. | ||||||||
New Schools Network
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations his Department has received from applicants to the free schools programme on the (a) quality and (b) timeliness of the service provided by the New Schools Network; and if he will make a statement. [22452]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 8 November 2010]: The Department for Education has received positive feedback about the New Schools Network from free school proposers, in relation to both the quality and timeliness of the service it provides.
Ofsted: Inspections
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps he has taken to reduce the level of administration associated with Ofsted inspections; [18591]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Ofsted inspections as a means of evaluating education outcomes. [18592]
Mr Gibb: Inspection is most effective where it is sharply focused on core issues and targeted at the schools, colleges and other children's services in most need of improvement. We intend, through our reforms, to reduce inspection related burdens and enhance the contribution that inspection makes to accountability and improvement. In terms of school inspection, we plan to streamline and re-focus arrangements around the core areas of achievement; teaching; leadership; and behaviour and safety, and free up outstanding schools from routine inspection. We have already signalled that the self-evaluation form, which presents a significant administrative burden on schools, will be removed from the end of this academic year. Further details on this programme of reform will be provided in the forthcoming education White Paper.
Primary Education: Teachers
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of (a) recruitment levels and (b) retention rates of male primary school teachers in each year since 2000. [21383]
Tim Loughton: Tables 1 and 2 give the numbers of full and part-time male entrants to local authority maintained primary (and nursery) schools in each year since 2000(1).
Table 3 shows the retention rates of male primary (and nursery) school teachers in local authority maintained schools in England. The retention rates are based on the percentage of teachers entering service, in maintained nursery and primary schools, in a particular year who are still in service a number of years later.
Information on the recruitment and retention of teachers is available from the Database of Teacher Records (DTR). Please note that the DTR is maintained primarily for the administration of teachers' pensions. Although all teachers should be included on the DTR, some records are missing; in particular, part-time teachers are undercounted by around 15%. The most recent data is for the year 2009 as the DTR has a one year time lag.
(1) This information is published annually in the School Workforce in England statistical first release, additional table C1.
| Table 1: Full-time qualified teacher entrants( 1) in local authority maintained nursery and primary schools by gender and type of flow: Year 31 March 2000/01 to 31 March 2008-09, Coverage: England, Teacher flows (inflow) | ||||||||||
| 199900( 1) | 2000-01( 1) | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007/08 | 2008-09 | |
| (1) Rounded to the nearest 10 except in 1999/00 and 2000/01 where totals have been rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Teacher qualified in the previous year. (3). Teacher has no known service in the English maintained schools sector, and qualified before the previous year. (4) Teacher was not in service in the previous March, but has previous service in the English maintained schools sector. (5) Does not include joiners from part-time service. It does include joiners from the FE, HE and independent sectors and Wales. (6) Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding. Note: 2008-09 provisional estimates. Source: Database of Teacher Records | ||||||||||
Pupil Exclusions: Violence
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what number and proportion of fixed-period exclusions in maintained schools were for acts of violence in each year since 1997. [20227]
Mr Gibb: The available data, on the number and proportion of fixed period exclusions for physical assault against both pupils and adults, are shown in the table.
Reasons for exclusion were collected for the first time for the school year 2003/04 via the Termly Exclusions Survey. In 2005/06 data were collected via the School Census for secondary schools only. From 2006/07 the collection was extended to include primary and special schools.
Any violence against school staff is totally unacceptable. Head teachers may decide that permanent exclusion is appropriate in some cases, but opt to use a fixed-term exclusion or other disciplinary penalty for less major incidents such as obstruction or jostling.
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