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2 Dec 2010 : Column 1020W—continued

Employment: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed in the (a) public and (b) private sector in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow and (c) Glasgow East constituency in each of the last five years. [27771]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were employed in the (a) public and (b) private sector in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow and (c) Glasgow East constituency in each of the last five years. (027771)

Public sector employment statistics for local areas can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Table 1 shows the levels and proportions of the resident population employed in the private and public sector in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow City Local Authority and (c) Glasgow East Parliamentary Constituency. Data has been provided for the April to March 2010, the latest period for which data is available, and April to March of the previous four years.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Table 1: Levels and proportions of the resident population of Scotland, Glasgow City Local Authority and Glasgow East Parliamentary Constituency employed in public and private sector
	Scotland				Glasgow City LA				Glasgow East PC
	Level (thousand)		Proportion (percentage)		Level (thousand)		Proportion (percentage)		Level (thousand)		Proportion (percentage)
12 months ending	Private	Public	Private	Public	Private	Public	Private	Public	Private	Public	Private	Public
March 2006	1,728	712	70	29	174	73	70	30	28	11	72	28
March 2007	1,773	717	71	29	173	81	68	32	27	10	72	28
March 2008	1,807	708	72	28	195	72	73	27	21	7	75	25
March 2009	1,793	718	71	29	184	78	70	30	24	8	76	24
March 2010	*1,741	*711	71	29	*178	**75	70	30	***19	****5	78	22
Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below: Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1021W

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition. [27480]

Mr Hurd: The Department does not have any EU directives pending transposition into domestic legislation.

Football: World Cup 2010

Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in respect of (a) the Prime Minister's Office and (b) the Deputy Prime Minister's Office. [27372]

Mr Hurd: Neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Deputy Prime Minister's Office spent any money on entertainment related to the activities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Population: Newham

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his most recent estimate is of the population of the London borough of Newham; and what methodology his Department used to make that estimate. [27630]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the most recent estimate is of the population of the London Borough of Newham; and what methods are used to make that estimate (27630).

The ONS produces annual estimates of the resident population of England and Wales by local authority, as at 30 June each year. The latest available estimate of the resident population of the London Borough of Newham is for mid-2009 and is 241,200 people.

The resident population is defined by the standard United Nations definition for population estimates, and includes people who reside in an area for a period of at least 12 months whatever their nationality. The number of long-term international migrants (people who move into or out of the UK for at least 12 months) is estimated and included in the resident population. Visitors and short-term migrants (people who enter or leave the UK for less than 12 months) are not included as part of the resident population.

ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates are calculated using the cohort component method, which is an internationally recognised demographic method. The method takes the previous year's population estimate, ages the population by one year, adds in the number of births and takes away the number of deaths that have taken place during the year. The method also incorporates estimates of both international migration (moves to and from the UK for a period of at least one year) and internal moves within the UK.

A copy of the annotated flow-chart "Mid-year Population Estimates: England & Wales" providing a detailed summary of the cohort component method as used by ONS, is available in the House of Commons Library.

The local authority mid-year population estimates are published on the ONS website along with details of each of the estimated components of population change.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1022W

ONS is leading the cross-government Migration Statistics Improvement Programme which is developing improved methods for population estimation. Initial methodological improvements were incorporated in the population statistics that were published in May 2010. These represent a real improvement in the quality of the migration and population estimates. They are the result of extensive research by ONS and a large scale engagement programme with users.

Public Sector: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average monetary value was of a Government contract awarded to a (a) small enterprise and (b) medium-sized enterprise in 2009-10. [27641]

Mr Maude: This information is not held centrally. Under Government transparency commitments all Departments will be required to publish their contracts from January 2011. As part of this measure they will be required to state whether the contract has been awarded to an SME.

Education

Academies

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether selective grammar schools in the state sector which become academies may retain their current selective admissions criteria. [18940]

Mr Gibb: The Academies Act 2010 allows existing maintained grammar schools and partially selective schools to become academies and retain their selective arrangements. However, it specifically requires that all other academies admit pupils of all abilities. Academies which were not selective as maintained schools cannot, therefore, introduce selection by ability.

Academies: Finance

Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding has been allocated (a) for provision to schools of academy conversion expenses grants and (b) for other expenses incurred as a result of schools transferring to academies. [9100]

Mr Gibb: We recognise that schools converting to academies may incur costs, such as obtaining legal advice on the documents necessary for setting up an academy and advice on the process for transferring staff and other costs. As a contribution to these costs, a grant of £25,000 will be made.

Adoption

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have been put up for adoption following contested court hearings in each of the last five years. [26122]

Tim Loughton: Information on the number of children adopted during the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2010 where parental consent had been dispensed with, is shown in the table.

Information was not collected prior to the year ending 31 March 2007.

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2 Dec 2010 : Column 1024W

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1025W

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1026W

Children who ceased to be looked-after during the years ending 31 March by gender, age on ceasing, reason episode ceased, category of need and ethnic origin ( 1, 2, 3, 4) , years ending 31 March 2006 to 2010, England
Number/percentage
	Number					Percentage
	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
All looked-after children who ceased to be looked-after	25,900	25,000	24,500	25,000	25,100	100	100	100	100	100
Gender	25,900	25,000	24,500	25,000	25,100	100	100	100	100	100
Male	14,000	13,600	13,100	13,700	13,700	54	54	54	55	55
Female	11,900	11,400	11,300	11,300	11,400	46	46	46	45	45
Age on ceasing (years)	25,900	25,000	24,500	25,000	25,100	100	100	100	100	100
Under 1	1,400	1,300	1,300	1,300	1,300	5	5	5	5	5
1 to 4	5,500	5,400	5,500	5,900	5,900	21	21	23	24	23
5 to 9	3,800	3,600	3,200	3,300	3,400	15	14	13	13	14
10 to 15	6,900	6,500	5,900	5,600	5,400	27	26	24	23	22
16 and over	8,200	8,200	8,500	8,800	9,100	32	33	35	35	36
Reason episode ceased	25,900	25,000	24,500	25,000	25,100	100	100	100	100	100
Adopted-application unopposed(5)	(10)3,700	1,700	1,700	1,800	1,700	(10)14	7	7	7	7
Adopted-consent dispensed with(5)	(10)-	1,600	1,500	1,500	1,500	(10)-	6	6	6	6
Died	60	70	50	50	50	-	-	-	-	-
Care taken by another LA	240	240	190	170	170	1	1	1	1	1
Returned home to live with parents or relatives	11,000	10,200	9,500	9,500	9,800	42	41	39	38	39
Residence order granted	930	1,000	910	930	1,000	4	4	4	4	4
Special guardianship order made to former foster carers(6)	(10)70	500	770	810	840	(10)-	2	3	3	3
Special guardianship order made to carers other than former foster carers(6)	(10)-	260	360	430	420	(10)-	1	1	2	2
Moved into independent living (with supportive accommodation)	2,400	2,400	2,500	2,200	2,300	9	10	10	9	9
Moved into independent living (with no formalised support)	960	940	1,000	1,000	1,000	4	4	4	4	4
Transferred to residential care funded by adult social services	470	500	480	530	470	2	2	2	2	2
Sentenced to custody(7)	n/a	250	360	350	310	n/a	1	1	1	1
Care ceased for any other reason	6,100	5,300	5,200	5,700	5,500	24	21	21	23	22
Category of need( 8)	25,900	25,000	24,500	25,000	25,100	100	100	100	100	100
Abuse or neglect	12,400	12,000	12,100	12,700	12,800	48	48	50	51	51
Child's disability	850	800	710	770	760	3	3	3	3	3
Parents illness or disability	1,700	1,600	1,400	1,300	1,100	6	6	6	5	5
Family in acute stress	2,800	2,600	2,600	2,500	2,800	11	11	11	10	11
Family dysfunction	3,300	3,300	3,200	3,300	3,600	13	13	13	13	14
Socially unacceptable behaviour	1,500	1,300	1,200	1,100	1,000	6	5	5	4	4
Low income	70	80	50	70	70	-	-	-	-	-
Absent parenting	3,300	3,300	3,100	3,300	3,000	13	13	13	13	12
Ethnic origin	25,900	25,000	24,500	25,000	25,100	100	100	100	100	100
White	19,100	18,100	17,500	17,300	17,300	74	72	71	69	69
White British	17,900	17,000	16,500	16,300	16,300	69	68	67	65	65
White Irish	200	180	130	150	140	1	1	1	1	1
Traveller of Irish Heritage(9)	n/a	n/a	n/a	10	10	n/a	n/a	n/a	-	-
Gypsy/Roma(9)	n/a	n/a	n/a	10	40	n/a	n/a	n/a	-	-
Any other White background	980	940	850	830	810	4	4	3	3	3
Mixed	2,000	1,900	2,000	2,000	2,000	8	7	8	8	8
White and Black Caribbean	730	620	670	690	690	3	2	3	3	3
White and Black African	200	180	190	230	240	1	1	1	1	1
White and Asian	270	290	300	340	270	1	1	1	1	1
Any other mixed background	810	760	810	740	810	3	3	3	3	3
Asian or Asian British	1,100	1,300	1,400	1,800	1,800	4	5	6	7	7
Indian	150	150	160	180	160	1	1	1	1	1
Pakistani	270	310	310	410	430	1	1	1	2	2
Bangladeshi	150	170	180	210	250	1	1	1	1	1
Any other Asian background	580	680	760	1,000	920	2	3	3	4	4
Black or Black British	2,800	2,800	2,700	2,700	2,500	11	11	11	11	10
Caribbean	730	670	700	720	710	3	3	3	3	3
African	1,600	1,600	1,500	1,500	1,400	6	6	6	6	6
Any other Black background	480	480	480	430	420	2	2	2	2	2
Other Ethnic groups	790	970	940	1,100	1,200	3	4	4	5	5
Chinese	120	160	130	120	120	-	1	1	-	-
Any other ethnic group	670	810	800	1,000	1,100	3	3	3	4	4
Other	n/a	n/a	n/a	130	270	n/a	n/a	n/a	1	1
Refused(9)	n/a	n/a	n/a	10	20	n/a	n/a	n/a	-	-
Information not yet available(9)	n/a	n/a	n/a	120	250	n/a	n/a	n/a	-	1
n/a = not applicable. - = negligible. Percentage below 0.5%. (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, and to the nearest 10, otherwise. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. See Technical Notes for more information on rounding. (2) Only the last occasion on which a child ceased to be looked-after in the year has been counted. (3) Figures exclude children looked-after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (4) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (5) Prior to 2006-07, the number of children looked-after who were adopted could not be disaggregated. (6) In 2005-06 the number of children who ceased to be looked-after due to the granting of a special guardianship order could not be disaggregated. (7) 'Sentenced to custody' was first collected in 2007. (8) The most applicable category of the eight "Need Codes" at the time the child started to be looked-after rather than necessarily the entire reason they are looked-after. (9) Ethnic origin classification collected for the first time in 2009. (10) Indicates brace. Source: SSDA 903.

Business: Education

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on funding for enterprise education in schools and colleges; and if he will make a statement. [18819]

Mr Gibb: We have had no discussions to date with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on funding for enterprise education in schools and colleges. Department for Education Ministers are considering the future funding of enterprise education beyond financial year 2010-11 as part of the spending review process.

Children's Centres: Closures

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) Sure Start children's centres and (b) other children's centres in each constituency in (i) Greater Manchester and (ii) Lancashire are (A) proposed for closure and (B) under consideration for closure. [21725]

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1027W

Sarah Teather: Children's centres are at the heart of the Government's vision for supporting families with young children and intervening early to prevent problems from becoming crises. That is why the recent spending review announced that there is funding available to maintain the current network of children's centres.

The Department for Education does not collect data on Sure Start Children's Centres which are proposed for closure or under consideration for closure. However local authorities have duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to consult before opening, closing or significantly changing Sure Start children's centres and to secure sufficient children's centres provision to meet local need.

Children's Centres: Stoke-on-Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much ringfenced funding he has allocated to children's centres in Stoke-on-Trent in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [22836]

Sarah Teather [holding answer 9 November 2010]: The spending review announced that Sure Start funding will be protected in cash terms, including investment in health visitors. This means there is funding to keep the network of Sure Start children's centres as a universal service, whilst ensuring it reaches families in greatest need.

The hon. Member will appreciate that the Department is now working through the details of the spending review announcements. I am unable to confirm an allocation for Stoke-on-Trent at this time. Allocations for all local authorities will be announced in due course.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of those students receiving education maintenance in the (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 bands who would be eligible for financial assistance to undertake a course of study through the discretionary learner support fund in the academic year 2011-12. [26461]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. The Government do not intend to prescribe how many young people should receive support under the new arrangements.

Current discretionary funds support around 200,000 young people each year. The new fund will be around three times greater than current funds.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assistance his Department plans to provide to further education institutions to administer the discretionary learner support fund in the academic year 2011-12. [26462]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: We will work with representatives of schools, colleges and training providers to finalise the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, including how the funding will flow to institutions and what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1028W

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether travel costs for students undertaking a course at a further education institution may be met through the discretionary learner support fund in the 2011-12 academic year. [26463]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: Discretionary support funding may not currently be used routinely for transport to and from college. The statutory responsibility for making the necessary arrangements for transport to enable 16 to 18-year-olds (and 19 to 25-year-olds with a learning difficulty or disability) to attend education and training lies with local authorities.

We will consider this restriction as we develop the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support funding.

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms are in place to ensure that discretionary learner support fund payments will be made available for eligible students at the start of the next academic year; and what penalties will be imposed in respect of institutions which are unable to meet the commitment to fund students at the start of the academic year. [26579]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: We plan to allocate the enhanced funding in line with the timetable for overall funding allocations for schools and colleges, which will be made by the end of March.

We will work with representatives of schools, colleges and training providers to finalise the arrangements for the enhanced fund, including how the funding will flow to institutions and what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanism will be in place to assist an institution which exhausts its discretionary learner support fund allocation and subsequently deems more students to require funding during the academic year 2011-12. [26580]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: We plan to seek the views of education providers as we finalise the details of how the enhanced discretionary learner support fund will operate. We would expect schools, colleges and training providers to use their allocation to target those who most need it to enable them to participate in education.

Arrangements for the current discretionary learner support fund provide for unused funds to be redistributed to providers which indicate they need more resource.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department plans to issue to schools on the allocation of the enhanced discretionary learner support fund. [27288]

Mr Gibb: We will work with representatives of schools, colleges and training providers to finalise the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, including how the funding will flow to institutions and what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1029W

Education Maintenance Allowance

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of people in each (a) socio-economic and (b) ethnic group received education maintenance allowance in each constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [26466]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 29 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 with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Bradford

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students normally resident in Bradford East constituency receive education maintenance allowance. [27291]

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 Bradford East with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in House Libraries.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1030W

Education Maintenance Allowance: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students normally resident in Coventry receive education maintenance allowance; and what estimate he has made of the number who will receive this allowance following implementation of proposals in the comprehensive spending review. [27461]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 December 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 with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in Hansard and the House Libraries.

GCE A-level

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in further education colleges were entered for (a) history, (b) physics, (c) chemistry, (d) media studies and (e) psychology A-levels in each year since 1997; and what proportion this represented of the total number of pupils in such colleges entered for A-levels in each such case. [20231]

Mr Gibb: The information requested is given in the following table:

Number and percentage of students in further education colleges entered for selected A-level subjects, 1997-2010
	History		Media studies		Psychology		Chemistry		Physics
	Number entered for subject	% of those entered for A- levels	Number entered for subject	% of those entered for A- levels	Number entered for subject	% of those entered for A- levels	Number entered for subject	% of those entered for A- levels	Number entered for subject	% of those entered for A- levels
1997	9,653	11.2	5,649	6.6	14,686	17.1	9,182	10.7	6,750	7.9
1998	8,741	10.3	6,662	7.9	14,441	17.0	9,076	10.7	6,789	8.0
1999	7,983	9.7	6,492	7.9	13,376	16.2	8,413	10.2	6,457	7.8
2000	7,992	10.1	6,660	8.5	13,221	16.8	8,079	10.3	5,903	7.5
2001	8,081	9.5	7,265	8.6	12,034	14.2	7,512	8.9	5,851	6.9
2002	7,895	8.2	8,358	8.6	14,336	14.8	6,773	7.0	5,729	5.9
2003	8,309	8.3	9,231	9.2	16,091	16.0	6,679	6.6	5,295	5.3
2004	8,559	9.1	9,268	9.8	17,341	18.4	6,886	7.3	4,950	5.2
2005	8,899	9.9	8,929	10.0	17,728	19.8	7,443	8.3	4,829	5.4
2006	9,339	11.0	9,172	10.8	18,257	21.5	7,813	9.2	4,769	5.6
2007	9,149	11.7	9,287	11.9	18,394	23.6	8,062	10.3	5,059	6.5
2008	9,631	12.1	9,120	11.5	18,314	23.1	8,374	10.6	5,269	6.6
2009	9,893	12.4	9,424	11.8	17,941	22.5	8,741	11.0	5,354	6.7
2010	10,182	12.4	9,267	11.3	18,827	23.0	9,283	11.3	5,746	7.0
Notes: 1. Figures for 2010 are provisional and are subject to change. 2. Percentages are based upon all students sitting A levels in further education college.

GCSE

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what number and proportion of pupils achieving five A* to C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE achieved this by including an equivalent qualification in each year since 1997. [20225]

Mr Gibb: The number and percentage of pupils achieving five A* to C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE by including an equivalent qualification is given below:

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1031W

	Number of pupils achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and mathematics by including an equivalent qualification	Percentage of pupils achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and mathematics by including an equivalent qualification
1997	75	0.0
1998	113	0.0
1999	304	0.1
2000	350	0.1
2001	596	0.1
2002	1,225	0.2
2003	2,221	0.4
2004	1,671	0.3
2005	2,466	0.4
2006	3,849	0.6
2007	6,662	1.0
2008	8,239	1.3
2009	12,170	1.9
2010(1)	22,726	3.5
(1 )Provisional. Notes: 1. Figures counted as GCSEs from 1997 include GCSE short courses. 2. Figures counted as GCSEs from 2004 onwards include vocational GCSEs and GCSE double awards. 3. Figures from 1997 to 2004 relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year. 4. Figures from 2005 onwards are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. 5. The English and mathematics components of the published measures relate to GCSEs only. Therefore the pupils in this answer will have passed an equivalent qualification to make up all or part of the other three GCSEs required.

Geography: Education

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in each local authority were entered for geography (a) GCSE and (b) A level in each of the last three years for which information is available. [22051]

Mr Gibb: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Head Teachers: Powers

Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what powers headteachers have to dismiss poorly performing teachers. [27037]

Mr Gibb: Governing bodies working alongside head teachers are required to establish procedures for dealing with lack of capability on the part of staff at the school and may dismiss staff, including teachers, whose performance is unacceptable.

The current statutory capability guidance overlaps with the mandatory arrangements for the performance management of teachers. We want to make it easier for schools to tackle poor performance. As "The Importance of Teaching-the Schools White Paper 2010" makes clear, we will achieve this by simplifying the current arrangements and removing duplication between the performance management and the capability procedures for managing poor performance. This will allow schools to deal more swiftly and effectively with under-performing teachers.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reduce the attainment gap between pupils from affluent and poor backgrounds in (a) South Thanet constituency and (b) England. [24596]

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1032W

Mr Gibb: Reducing the attainment gap between pupils from affluent and poor backgrounds is at the heart of our policy for school improvement, in South Thanet as elsewhere.

We have made a clear commitment to narrowing attainment gaps between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers through our recently announced £7.2 billion fairness premium. The fairness premium includes a £2.5 billion pupil premium for schools which will target extra funding at the most disadvantaged pupils wherever they live, reducing educational inequalities and ensuring that poorer students receive the support they need to reach their potential.

On 3 November, we also announced a new £110 million education endowment fund which will fund new and innovative ways of raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in underperforming schools. Lessons learned about what works to raise the attainment of disadvantaged children will be made available to all schools on an ongoing basis, to help inform their pupil premium funding decisions.

Pupils: Hearing Impairment

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of teachers of the deaf in the south-west; and what assessment he has made of the merits of steps to improve specialist support services for deaf children. [17175]

Sarah Teather: We do not routinely collect data about the number of teachers of the deaf by region. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that teachers of the deaf possess the appropriate mandatory qualification to undertake the role and it is a matter for local authorities to ensure that they have enough qualified teachers to meet their statutory commitments.

The Government will be publishing a Green Paper on special educational needs and disabilities, which will explore how we can improve support for all children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with hearing impairments. It is a priority to improve the educational outcomes for all children and we recognise the important role specialists, such as teachers of the deaf, play in meeting this goal.

Schools: Admissions

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on social inclusion of school admissions policies. [22403]

Tim Loughton: The Department has not commissioned or evaluated any research looking at the effects of social inclusion on school admissions policy.

However, the Department did commission a research project in December 2009 to look at the effect of changes in secondary school admissions on the social composition of schools. This was published on 30 September 2010 and has been placed in the House Libraries.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1033W

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the role of (a) central Government and (b) local government in the reduction of exclusions from school of children with (i) special educational needs and (ii) autism. [25763]

Mr Gibb: The Government are clear that schools should, wherever possible, avoid excluding permanently any pupil with a statement of special educational needs (SEN). Where SEN, including autism, contribute to behavioural difficulties, those needs should be addressed, wherever possible, before problems arise.

The decision to exclude is one for head teachers to make and head teachers should not be prevented from excluding a child with SEN where that is the necessary and appropriate course of action. In making these difficult decisions, children with SEN should be treated sensitively by schools and the judgment of professionals should be trusted in this matter.

We are also considering options for changing the arrangements for reviewing permanent exclusions and will announce our decisions in due course.

Exclusion from school does not mean exclusion from education and local authorities have the duty to provide suitable full-time alternative education for any permanently excluded pupil of compulsory school age from the sixth day of the exclusion. The Government are currently developing policies to improve the environment in which excluded pupils are educated and to ensure that those organisations with a proven track record in turning young lives round are given the opportunity to expand their provision.

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1034W

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with what frequency payments to students from the discretionary learner support fund will be made in the academic year 2011-12. [26973]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 29 November 2010]: Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. They will have the freedom to determine how frequently payments are made, and for what purpose.

In finalising the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, the Department will consult with schools, colleges and training organisations, including on what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

Teachers: Qualifications

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of unqualified staff teaching lessons in schools in each local education authority area; what assessment he has made of effects of the number of unqualified staff on levels of unemployment among newly-qualified teachers; and if he will make a statement. [23036]

Mr Gibb: The information requested is shown in the following table.

With the exception of some overseas-trained teachers, maintained schools may only employ unqualified teachers as long as no suitable qualified or trainee teacher is available to fill the post. This allows maintained schools to cover exceptional temporary shortages, while ensuring that the employment of unqualified teachers does not affect the employment prospects of qualified teachers.

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2 Dec 2010 : Column 1039W

2 Dec 2010 : Column 1040W

Full-time equivale nt regular teachers (excluding occasionals) in local authority( 1) maintained schools by phase, local authorities and Government office regions, January 2010, England
	Nursery and primary			Secondary
	Qualified	Unqualified( 2)	Total	Qualified	Unqualified( 2)	Total
England	197,000	3,860	200,860	201,240	9,020	210,260
Gateshead	760	-	770	830	10	840
Newcastle upon Tyne	950	10	960	990	20	1,010
North Tyneside	630	10	640	910	10	920
South Tyneside	530	-	530	670	10	680
Sunderland	1,260	10	1,280	1,100	40	1,140
Hartlepool	410	-	410	410	20	430
Middlesbrough	660	-	660	380	-	380
Redcar and Cleveland	560	20	570	640	30	660
Stockton on Tees	780	10	790	770	20	790
Durham	1,910	10	1,920	2,020	70	2,090
Darlington	400	-	410	350	10	360
Northumberland	880	10	890	1,590	30	1,610
North-east	9,730	90	9,810	10,640	280	10,920
Cumbria	1,930	20	1,950	2,020	30	2,060
Cheshire East	1,280	10	1,280	1,460	10	1,470
Cheshire West and Chester	1,200	10	1,210	1,320	20	1,340
Halton	510	-	510	510	10	520
Warrington	840	10	850	930	20	950
Bolton	1,100	10	1,110	1,120	40	1,170
Bury	750	10	760	720	10	730
Manchester	1,920	50	1,970	1,380	70	1,450
Oldham	1,040	20	1,060	1,100	30	1,140
Rochdale	910	10	920	840	50	890
Salford	890	20	900	680	30	710
Stockport	1,090	10	1,100	930	10	930
Tameside	910	10	920	800	20	820
Trafford	840	10	840	990	20	1,010
Wigan	1,200	10	1,200	1,340	10	1,350
Lancashire	4,510	30	4,530	4,590	80	4,670
Blackburn with Darwen	710	-	720	600	20	620
Blackpool	590	10	590	530	10	530
Knowsley	670	-	680	570	20	590
Liverpool	1,800	10	1,810	1,970	30	2,000
St Helens	670	-	680	730	-	730
Sefton	1,030	10	1,040	1,300	30	1,320
Wirral	1,180	10	1,190	1,610	30	1,640
North-west	27,560	260	27,820	28,050	610	28,650
Kingston upon Hull, City of	1,010	40	1,040	770	100	870
East Riding of Yorkshire	1,200	10	1,210	1,410	60	1,470
North East Lincolnshire	600	-	600	420	20	440
North Lincolnshire	600	10	610	570	30	600
North Yorkshire	2,140	30	2,170	2,570	70	2,650
York	580	10	590	700	20	720
Barnsley	830	10	830	770	20	800
Doncaster	1,200	20	1,220	1,170	60	1,230
Rotherham	1,090	10	1,100	1,340	30	1,370
Sheffield	1,900	40	1,940	1,760	100	1,860
Bradford	2,520	20	2,540	2,020	70	2,090
Calderdale	750	100	850	720	230	940
Kirklees	1,730	20	1,750	1,700	40	1,740
Leeds	2,860	20	2,890	2,830	30	2,860
Wakefield	1,230	20	1,250	1,250	50	1,300
Yorkshire and the Humber	20,250	340	20,590	19,990	940	20,930
Derbyshire	2,760	20	2,790	3,120	80	3,210
Derby	970	20	990	980	30	1,010
Leicestershire	2,300	40	2,340	2,740	130	2,870
Leicester	1,360	20	1,380	1,180	70	1,240
Rutland	120	-	130	140	-	140
Lincolnshire	2,410	70	2,470	2,940	220	3,160
Northamptonshire	2,740	40	2,780	2,580	120	2,700
Nottinghamshire	2,790	60	2,840	3,200	150	3,360
Nottingham	1,070	10	1,090	650	40	700
E ast m idlands	16,530	270	16,800	17,530	840	18,370
Herefordshire	640	-	640	650	20	660
Worcestershire	1,940	10	1,950	2,400	70	2,460
Shropshire	920	10	930	1,080	40	1,120
Telford and Wrekin	620	10	630	580	20	600
Staffordshire	2,910	60	2,970	3,730	150	3,880
Stoke on Trent	890	20	920	890	40	920
Warwickshire	1,880	20	1,900	2,120	90	2,210
Birmingham	5,420	120	5,540	4,500	460	4,960
Coventry	1,300	10	1,310	1,330	90	1,420
Dudley	1,320	10	1,330	1,310	30	1,340
Sandwell	1,350	10	1,350	1,040	10	1,050
Solihull	900	10	910	860	30	900
Walsall	1,190	10	1,200	1,150	50	1,210
Wolverhampton	1,080	10	1,090	1,070	60	1,120
West midlands	22,350	310	22,670	22,720	1,150	23,870
Cambridgeshire	2,170	30	2,200	2,050	140	2,190
Peterborough	760	20	770	570	40	610
Norfolk	2,870	80	2,950	2,960	220	3,180
Suffolk	2,220	10	2,230	3,280	120	3,390
Bedford Borough	480	10	490	940	50	1,000
Central Bedfordshire	900	30	930	1,450	50	1,500
Luton	930	30	960	660	50	720
Essex	4,940	90	5,030	5,160	330	5,500
Southend on Sea	650	50	700	820	140	960
Thurrock	620	30	650	380	50	430
Hertfordshire	4,550	100	4,650	5,260	280	5,540
East of England	21,080	470	21,560	23,540	1,470	25,010
London	30,370	1,460	31,830	27,630	1,720	29,350
Camden	570	40	610	750	20	770
City of London	10	-	20	-	-	-
Hackney	940	50	990	450	20	470
Hammersmith and Fulham	460	30	490	340	30	370
Haringey	1,000	40	1,040	830	60	900
Islington	740	50	790	490	20	510
Kensington and Chelsea	380	50	430	230	20	260
Lambeth	1,140	50	1,200	660	30	690
Lewisham	930	20	950	740	60	800
Newham	1,560	60	1,620	1,280	50	1,330
Southwark	1,100	100	1,210	390	40	430
Tower Hamlets	1,220	100	1,320	1,130	70	1,200
Wandsworth	970	50	1,020	740	50	790
Westminster	600	50	640	420	30	450
Inner London	11,630	690	12,320	8,440	520	8,960
Barking and Dagenham	840	40	880	870	70	930
Barnet	1,300	120	1,430	1,380	170	1,550
Bexley	850	-	860	1,050	30	1,080
Brent	1,060	40	1,110	1,040	90	1,120
Bromley	1,100	20	1,120	1,440	110	1,550
Croydon	1,360	50	1,400	1,010	70	1,080
Ealing	1,210	60	1,270	1,100	50	1,150
Enfield	1,400	60	1,460	1,380	60	1,440
Greenwich	1,060	20	1,080	970	70	1,040
Harrow	930	60	980	720	40	760
Havering	880	20	900	1,050	100	1,140
Hillingdon	1,180	30	1,210	1,130	70	1,190
Hounslow	900	20	920	1,130	40	1,180
Kingston upon Thames	580	20	600	650	30	680
Merton	670	40	710	400	10	410
Redbridge	1,100	70	1,170	1,390	100	1,490
Richmond upon Thames	630	10	650	450	20	470
Sutton	690	20	710	1,110	30	1,150
Waltham Forest	990	50	1,040	920	50	960
Outer London	18,750	770	19,510	19,190	1,200	20,390
Bracknell Forest	420	10	420	400	20	420
Windsor and Maidenhead	430	10	440	650	50	700
West Berkshire	650	10	660	830	50	880
Reading	530	10	540	380	20	390
Slough	580	30	620	620	50	670
Wokingham	610	10	620	730	20	740
Buckinghamshire	2,020	30	2,050	2,050	100	2,150
Milton Keynes	1,090	30	1,120	990	70	1,060
East Sussex	1,630	40	1,670	1,660	80	1,740
Brighton and Hove	800	10	810	790	20	820
Hampshire	4,750	20	4,770	4,500	50	4,550
Portsmouth	680	-	690	540	40	580
Southampton	810	-	810	600	20	620
Isle of Wight	310	10	330	710	40	750
Kent	5,530	90	5,620	5,790	470	6,260
Medway	1,110	20	1,130	1,170	90	1,260
Oxfordshire	2,320	40	2,360	2,250	110	2,360
Surrey	3,750	40	3,780	3,680	140	3,820
West Sussex	2,810	40	2,850	2,570	50	2,630
South-east	30,840	450	31,290	30,910	1,480	32,400
Isles of Scilly	30	-	30	-	-	-
Bath and North East Somerset	600	-	600	730	10	740
City of Bristol	1,500	20	1,520	830	50	880
North Somerset	710	-	720	830	10	840
South Gloucestershire	1,000	-	1,000	1,020	10	1,030
Cornwall	1,870	60	1,930	2,080	110	2,190
Devon	2,590	10	2,600	2,690	50	2,740
Plymouth	870	10	880	1,050	40	1,090
Torbay	430	10	440	550	10	560
Dorset	1,240	10	1,250	1,910	40	1,950
Poole	490	-	490	570	10	580
Bournemouth	460	10	470	600	40	640
Gloucestershire	2,140	20	2,150	2,750	40	2,790
Somerset	1,770	20	1,790	1,960	50	2,010
Wiltshire	1,730	30	1,770	1,970	30	2,000
Swindon	850	10	860	670	40	710
South-west	18,290	200	18,490	20,230	530	20,760

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