| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Jan 2011 : Column 56W—continued
Human Trafficking: Children
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were for offences relating to child trafficking in each year since 2007. [32398]
Damian Green: There is no central record that holds details of the age of the victim in cases of human trafficking that have resulted in a conviction.
Immigration Controls
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that under her proposed changes to the immigration system, only (a) senior managers and (b) key specialists are permitted entry to the UK by means of the intra-company transfer scheme. [32326]
Damian Green: From April 2011, the Government will set a minimum salary requirement of £40,000 for intra-company transferees entering for over 12 months, ensuring that extended transfers are available only to managers and specialists. Other transferees will be able to enter for up to 12 months so long as they are paid at least £24,000.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter sent to her by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 2 November 2010 with regard to Ms N Mahmeed. [30593]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 14 December 2010]: I apologise for the delay in replying. The Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism, my noble Friend Baroness Neville-Jones, replied on 17 December 2010. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Police: Demonstrations
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (1) she has received any representations from (a) the police and (b) other (i) individuals and (ii) organisations on the policing and conduct of the demonstrations held on 24 November 2010; [28511]
(2) she plans to report to the House on the policing of demonstrations in central London and elsewhere on 24 November 2010; [28529]
(3) she has had discussions with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on (a) the containment practices deployed to maintain public order at demonstrations and (b) the MPS's assessment of containment practices on 24 November 2010; [28647]
(4) (a) she and (b) the Minister for Policing have requested a report from the Metropolitan Police Service on the policing of the demonstrations in Whitehall on 24 November 2010; and whether it is her policy to request reports in cases of public disorder as a matter of course. [28648]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office has received a wide range of representations about the policing of the student protest on 24 November 2010. The Home Office also received a short report from the Metropolitan police which covered the use of containment to maintain public order. The Government may seek reports from the police where there has been public disorder in order to respond to public and parliamentary interest and to help inform the development of Government policy. There are no plans to make a statement to the House about the protests on 24 November.
David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to the public purse was of policing the demonstrations in (a) the area around Parliament and (b) other areas of London on 9 December 2010; [31862]
(2) what the cost to the public purse was of policing the demonstrations in the area around Parliament on 24 November 2010; [31863]
(3) what the cost to the public purse was of policing the demonstrations in the area around Parliament on 10 November 2010 (a) before and (b) after the incidents at Millbank Tower. [31864]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information.
Police: Training
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether training is available to police officers to help them recognise emotional distress and anxiety in people who are suicidal; and if she will make a statement. [31472]
Nick Herbert: On joining the police service all police officers undertake a two-year programme called the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP). The IPLDP includes topics that help police officers recognise emotional distress and anxiety in people no matter what the cause.
Special Constables: Greater London
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of deploying special constables as a means of increasing police visibility in London. [31544]
Nick Herbert: The Government are strongly supportive of special constables. Decisions relating to their deployment are the responsibility of chief officers of individual police forces, in accordance with local policing priorities.
Visas: Students
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the removal of (a) the two-year post-study visa and (b) the highly-skilled visa on (i) student numbers and (ii) revenue of universities offering MSc and MBA courses to overseas students. [32562]
Damian Green: The two-year post-study work and highly-skilled visas relate to work in the UK not to study, so there will be no direct impact of changes to these routes on universities.
We are presently consulting on the proposals to reform the student visa route, which will provide an opportunity for education providers to comment on the impact of the proposal to close the Tier 1 post-study work route. International students with a job offer are able to take employment through Tier 2 of the points based system upon graduation.
Visas: TB Screening Programme
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the effectiveness of the TB Visa Screening Programme. [32394]
Damian Green: UK Border Agency and Department of Health officials are undertaking an interim review of the effectiveness of the pilot TB Visa Screening programme. Visa applicants from 15 countries who intend to travel to and remain in the United Kingdom for a period of over six months are screened for TB by the International Organization for Migration. The outcome of the review and any recommendations arising will inform subsequent discussions between Home Office and Health Department Ministers.
Attorney-General
Crown Prosecution Service: Standards
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Attorney-General what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service. [32348]
The Attorney-General: The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recently introduced a system to monitor performance against the CPS core quality standards. The CPS is subject to regular independent inspection by Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), whose reports on thematic topics and on CPS areas are published on their website. Additionally the Solicitor-General and I pay frequent visits to CPS offices throughout the country. I also meet regularly with both the DPP and the Chief Inspector of HMCSPI to discuss CPS performance.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Hywel Williams: To ask the Attorney-General what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on the Law Officers' Departments' annual expenditure. [31192]
The Attorney-General: The departmental spending review settlements for the Law Officers' Departments are set on a tax-inclusive basis, including the increase in standard VAT.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Attorney-General what steps his Department plans to take to seek to increase the conviction rate for offences of (a) domestic violence and (b) sexual assault. [32317]
The Attorney-General: Improving prosecutions and support for victims in violence against women (VAW) cases is a priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS keeps under review its specific policies on prosecuting cases of domestic violence and rape. In January 2011, the CPS will launch a new VAW assurance scheme to help further improve VAW prosecutions. Convictions in domestic violence cases rose from 65% to 72% between 2006-07 and 2009-10. During that period, convictions for rape rose from 54% to 59%; and for sexual offences other than rape, from 68% to 76%.
Rape and Hate Crimes: Prosecutions
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutors specialising in (a) rape and (b) hate crime cases there were in each year since 2005. [31072]
The Attorney-General: We are unable to provide figures for each year since 2005, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has trained and appointed a significant number of prosecutors as specialist rape prosecutors as part of a rolling programme in all 42 CPS areas. The appointment of specialist rape prosecutors is the responsibility of local Chief Crown Prosecutors (CCPs), who appoint specialist prosecutors in accordance with the requirements of their area. By the end of March 2011, all training for 2010-11 will be completed and information on the number of specialists will be available. All prosecutors are trained in and expected to deal with hate crime.
Witnesses: Finance
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General what funding the Crown Prosecution Service plans to provide to witness care units in each year of the spending review period. [32754]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) plans to provide around £2.5 million of funding for witness care units in each year of the spending review 2010 period.
Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Press Freedom
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions his Office has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Office was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Office has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010. [31916]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Deputy Prime Minister has made one Oral Statement to the House, on constitutional reform on 5 July 2010, Official Report, columns 23-25. Publicity around this statement was entirely in line with the Ministerial Code.
The Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office press office follows the Ministerial Code and ensures all important policy announcements are made in the House not the media.
Lockerbie: Bombings
Damian Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) whether the Cabinet Secretary's report of the review of papers relating to the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi will include advice from the British Embassy in Libya in relation to political, commercial and operational consequences of a decision not to release Al Megrahi; if he will place in the Library a copy of that advice; and if he will make a statement; [30256]
(2) what progress has been made in the Cabinet Secretary's review of papers relating to the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi; when he expects that review to conclude; and if he will make a statement. [30255]
Mr Maude [holding answer 14 December 2010]: I have been asked to reply.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given by the Prime Minister on 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 2W and 2 November 2010, Official Report, column 681W.
International Development
Developing Countries: Debts
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the UK's Official Development Assistance will be spent on debt relief in each year from 2010-11 to 2013-14. [32436]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Over the spending review period we estimate that about 2.5% of UK Official Development Assistance will be in the form of debt relief. Due to uncertainties around individual country progress under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative it is not possible to provide a breakdown by year.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the G8 objective to reduce the global average cost of transferring remittances from 10 per cent. to five per cent. over the next five years in respect of developing countries. [32458]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently working with the specialist microfinance organisation CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore and demonstrate ways of using technology, such as mobile phones, to transfer remittances more cheaply, quickly and safely. We plan to conduct at least eight feasibility studies and three pilot projects by 2014.
DFID is also supporting remittances programmes in several developing countries directly. For example, DFID has supported the Bangladesh Government's Remittance Payments and Partnership (RPP) Project, which is helping to drive down transfer costs. The RPP has contributed to reductions of some 50% that have occurred on transfers between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. DFID is also working with the FinMark Trust to reduce the average cost of transferring remittances from South Africa to five other Southern Africa Development Community countries by at least 30% by 2014. In Pakistan, DFID supports the State Bank's Remittance Initiative which is working to facilitate the cheaper and faster transfer of remittances. Going forward, we will continue to explore opportunities to support the G8 cost reduction objective.
Developing Countries: Human Trafficking
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries his Department provides funding for non-governmental organisations combating human trafficking. [32758]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently funds the Salvation Army's Anti-Child Trafficking Project in Malawi. We are also planning a new regional programme aiming to reduce human trafficking in South Asia, which will include work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
As well as working with NGOs, DFID works to combat human trafficking with developing country governments and United Nations agencies. We are a leading financier of social protection programmes, which address short-term and long-term vulnerabilities that can put people at risk of trafficking.
Overseas Aid
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to involve diaspora groups in the UK in development projects in their countries of origin. [32457]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports diaspora groups to contribute to development outcomes in their countries and continents of heritage through the Diaspora Volunteering Programme. So far the programme has supported over 400 volunteers to complete placements in 15 countries including Ghana, Ethiopia and Nepal. Diaspora groups are also able to access other DFID supported volunteering or twinning programmes, such as the Global Community Links programme.
DFID also engages diaspora groups in consultations on the design of our programmes via newsletters, events and through the diaspora media.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to achieve the target of spending 0.7% of gross national income on international aid from 2013. [32479]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
The Government are fully committed to meeting the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) on aid from 2013, and will enshrine this commitment in law. This legislation would make the UK the first G8 (and G20) country to
make a lasting commitment to 0.7%. The financial resources required to meet this target have been clearly set out in the spending review.
In terms of developing plans to meet this commitment, I have initiated three thorough reviews of UK bilateral aid, multilateral aid and humanitarian emergency response programmes. These reviews will determine how we can accelerate progress towards the millennium development goals and achieve maximum value for money for the UK taxpayer. This includes identifying priority countries and sectors where UK aid will have the greatest impact on the world's poor, as well as the most effective mechanisms for delivering aid. The full results of these reviews will be announced in spring 2011 and will form the basis for the Department for International Development's (DFID's) operational plans. These plans will set out how DFID intends to achieve the spending target of 0.7% of GNI from 2013. We will closely monitor and manage progress against the target.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's aid budget in 2014-15 will be spent on Official Development Assistance. [32480]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: We anticipate that 99% of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) total departmental expenditure limit (T-DEL) will be spent on Official Development Assistance in 2014-15. The remaining expenditure will be used to uphold UK Government commitments which do not qualify as ODA, under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) definition.
Tanzania: BAE Systems
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) correspondence, (b) discussions and (c) meetings there have been between (i) Ministers and (ii) officials of his Department and (A) their counterparts in other departments and (B) the Serious Fraud Office on the sale by BAE of an air traffic control system to Tanzania and the subsequent prosecution of BAE; what assessment he has made of (1) the settlement reached between the Serious Fraud Office and BAE in the case and (2) arrangements for the disbursement of the sum to be paid by BAE to Tanzania; and if he will make a statement. [32767]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) Ministers have had no correspondence, discussions or meetings with counterparts in other Government Departments or with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) related to the sale by BAE to Tanzania of an air traffic control system, and to the subsequent prosecution. DFID has not made an assessment of the settlement of the agreement reached between the SFO and BAE in this case, as the decision to settle was entirely a matter for the SFO.
Following the SFO's decision to reach a settlement with BAE, the director of the SFO wrote to the permanent secretary at DFID on 5 February 2010 requesting the Department's advice on ensuring that any money paid by BAE to Tanzania, as a result of the settlement, would be used for the benefit of the people of Tanzania, with propriety and transparency. DFID officials have
had a number of meetings with SFO and the Government of Tanzania to support the development of a proposal by the Government of Tanzania, which would achieve that outcome in a way that is transparent, represents good value for money and delivers specific and measurable results. The final arrangement between BAE and the Government of Tanzania is subject to agreement between BAE and the SFO.
UN Agencies: Finance
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in each of the last five years. [32547]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the past five years is as follows:
| £ | |||
| Calendar year | Core funding | Other funding | Total |
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in each of the last five years. [32548]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) funding to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the past five years is as follows:
| Calendar year | Core funding (£) | Other funding (£) | Total (£) |
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to UNICEF in each of the last five years. [32549]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government's contribution to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in each of the last five years is as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | Core funding | Other funding | Total funding |
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to the UN Development Programme in each of the last five years. [32550]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government's contribution to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in each of the past five years is as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | Core funding | Other funding | Total |
UN Women
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow of 3 November 2010, Official Report, column 828W, on UN Women's Agency: finance, by what means his Department will evaluate how UN Women has delivered and demonstrated value for money in the past, as part of the multilateral aid review. [32478]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) has considered how agencies have delivered value for money using a range of criteria. These include assessing how well the organisation has delivered on the basis of their track record in delivering results, their strategic and financial management, and their fit with the Government's priorities for poverty reduction.
UNIFEM is the largest of the organisations that has been merged to create UN Women. The MAR has assessed UNIFEM using the same criteria that has been applied to other organisations. The Government will take these findings into account when considering financial commitments to UN Women.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on the participation of civil society in the UN Women's Agency. [32526]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I met the Head of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, during the Millennium Development Goal Summit in September last year. The Government continue to encourage UN Women to work closely with civil society. We plan to organise a meeting in London in the next few months that will bring together UK Government officials, civil society organisations and senior UN Women staff to discuss the agency's objectives and priorities.
Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband: Norfolk
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent assessment is of the level of access to broadband in Norfolk; and what steps his Department is taking to increase that level. [31971]
Mr Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK is assessing current broadband provision at community level across the UK in its work to deliver the coalition Government's objective to facilitate universal broadband access of at least 2Mbps.
The Government have committed £530 million up to 2015 to facilitate commercial investment in superfast broadband commencing with the superfast broadband pilots announced earlier this year. In addition, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport announced a further £50 million tranche of funding for the next wave of projects to be announced in May 2011.
Broadband Delivery UK will work with local authorities who should prepare local broadband plans to form the basis of any bid for project funding.
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of households in each parliamentary constituency in Norfolk with access to broadband at speeds of 2Mb or above. [31972]
Mr Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK has modelled the current broadband provision at community level across the UK in its work to deliver the Government's objective to facilitate universal broadband access of at least 2Mbps, but has not made the data public because it is the subject of a non-disclosure agreement with the supplier of the raw data.
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many applications under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme were refused in 2009-10. [32779]
John Penrose: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme makes grants equivalent to the amount of VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings mainly used for worship. In 2009-10, the records show that 1,209 claims were initially rejected with queries, however, it is understood that in most cases claims are subsequently resolved and resubmitted for payment.
Creative Industries
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of creative industries to economic growth. [32385]
Mr Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not produce statistics on the contribution of the creative industries specifically to economic growth. However, we estimate that the contribution of the creative industries to the economy as a whole was 5.6% of gross value added (GVA) in 2008.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many political advisers have been appointed in his Department since May 2010; and at what cost to the public purse. [32271]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: Since May 2010, my Department has appointed two special advisers. Their total costs to the public purse as at 30 November 2010 are £69,821.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many policy advisers have been appointed in his Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of such appointments. [32187]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: Since May 2010, my Department has appointed two special advisors, who provide input on policy, with a cost to the public purse of £69,821 as at 30 November 2010. The Department has not appointed any further new policy advisors.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on ministerial cars since May 2010. [32273]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: The total spend by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ministerial cars from May-November 2010 was £57,348.41. Of this, £2,665.30 relates to charges incurred by current Ministers, and the balance was paid as a result of the early termination of the Government Car Service contracts during the year.
Departmental Procurement
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps (a) his Department, (b) its agency and (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promoting skills through public procurement issued in 2009. [31317]
John Penrose: The promotion of skills through public procurement has mainly been undertaken through the letting of our key contracts; such as our facilities management, IT and mailroom contracts. Through these we have sought to engage with our suppliers to encourage better skills and the use of apprenticeships.
On all major projects submitted by our Arm's Length Bodies, these elements are investigated by the Departmental Investment Committee, which our procurement team forms part of in an advisory role.
I have asked the chief executives of our Arm's Length Bodies to write to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North directly regarding the steps they have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promotion of skills through public procurement. Copies of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Departmental Redundancy
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of redundancies, including the payment of pensions, as a result of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review; [32274]
(2) what estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue to his Department from redundancies during the comprehensive spending review period. [32275]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November 2010, Official Report, column 42-43W, to the hon. Member for Wallasey (Ms Eagle).
Departmental Training
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many residential staff training events his Department has funded since May 2010; and what the cost was of each such event. [32188]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: From May to December 2010 the Department purchased a total of 74 training events and activities, some of which will have been residential, at a cost of £115,729. The Department does not keep a separate record of those training events which are residential.
Departmental Travel
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel since May 2010. [32276]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: The total amount spent by my Department on ministerial travel from May 2010 to the end of November 2010 was £12,840.89.
Internet: Harassment
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of harassment and bullying on social networking sites. [28911]
Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
Tackling bullying, including bullying using new technology, is a top priority for this Government. That is why in our Schools White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", we announced measures to ensure head teachers take a strong stand against bullies and bullying. In addition, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which is chaired by Department for Education and Home Office Ministers and comprises over 170 organisations, is continuing its work with industry, including social networking sites, on self-regulation and good practice sharing, to help to keep young people safe online.
Olympic Delivery Authority: Contracts
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many contracts the Olympic Delivery Authority has been awarded to firms located in (a) Wales, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) elsewhere up to and including 30 November 2010. [31147]
Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is responsible for developing and building the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 games. As of November 2010, over 1,400 businesses, including those directly involved in the construction programme, have supplied the ODA from across all of the devolved Nations and English regions.
The number of the ODA's direct suppliers, by Nation and English region (according to their registered address) can be found in the following table.
| Regional development agency | Number of suppliers |
These figures only account for the contracts awarded by the ODA to its own top tier of contractors (tier one contractors). The figures do not include contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors and not by the ODA. The ODA estimates that tens of thousands of more contracts will be generated throughout its supply chains. More information on businesses that have won games-related contracts can be found at the business section of the London 2012 website at the following link:
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate the Olympic Delivery Authority has made of the number of contracts remaining to be let in respect of the London 2012 Olympics; and what estimate has been made of the monetary value of those contracts. [31148]
Hugh Robertson: As of the end of November, the Olympic Delivery Authority estimate there are 122 contracts remaining, with an estimated monetary value of £202 million. This may be in the form of new contracts or amendments to existing contracts. These direct procurements will in turn generate hundreds more business opportunities in the supply chains.
Olympic Games 2012: Construction
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the monetary value was of London 2012 Olympics construction contracts awarded to companies registered in (a) Wales, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) elsewhere up to and including 1 December 2010. [31146]
Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is responsible for developing and building the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 games. As of 1 December 2010, over 1,400 businesses, including those directly involved in the construction programme, have supplied the ODA from across the devolved nations and the English regions.
The spend to date by the ODA, by nation and English region (based on their registered address on the supplier invoice), can be found in the tables.
| Nation | Total contract value (£) |
| English Region | Total Contract Value (£) |
These figures only account for the contracts awarded by the ODA to its own top tier of contractors (tier one contractors). The figures do not include the values of contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors and not by the ODA. For example, the steel for the aquatics centre was provided by Rowecord in Newport, a contract worth millions of pounds, Cardiff-based Euroclad have won contracts on both the Olympic stadium and the media centre, whilst Vannplastic from Saltney produced decking boards for the new facilities at Weymouth and Portland, where the sailing events will take place in 2012. The ODA estimates that the total value of supply chain contracts to the regions runs into hundreds of millions of pounds, but these are not public procurements and so the full value of contracts won across the UK is not captured by the figures provided. The ODA estimates that overall up to 50,000 contracts will be generated throughout its supply chains.
UK Film Council: Wales
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what projects in Wales the UK Film Council has supported in each of the last five years. [31149]
Mr Vaizey: The table lists both lottery and grant in aid (GIA) awards made to Wales in the last five years. It should be noted that while the table identifies UK Film Council (UKFC) supported projects in Wales, there are numerous cases where Welsh projects benefited from UKFC funds which were not allocated directly to Wales.
| Org | Type | Organisation name | Disposition date | Grant amount (£) | Project title |
In addition to the awards listed in the table, the UK Film Council has made grant in aid awards to Film Agency for Wales (formerly SGRIN), who make subsequent awards to a range of exhibition, education and development projects:
| £ | |
Film Agency for Wales also received lottery funding from film 21st Century Literacy Strategy of £30,000 in 2009-10 and £20,000 in 2010-11.
It should be noted that Arts Council Wales has responsibility for support film in Wales through the Lottery.
Education
Academies
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether (a) the local education authority and (b) any body other than the Secretary of State will have a formal role in academy school dispute resolution procedures. [9488]
Mr Gibb: Academies are required by the independent school standards regulations to have a complaints procedure which must be available on request to parents. The procedure must provide for complaints to be managed within clear timescales. If initial informal consideration does not resolve the complaint, then the procedure must also include steps to escalate a complaint through both a formal written stage and, if necessary, a hearing before a panel that includes at least one member who is independent of the academy.
If the complaint cannot be resolved at school level the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) will be the next route of redress. The YPLA will review the evidence provided by the complainant and the academy to determine if the academy has followed its own complaints procedure or is in breach of a contractual or statutory obligation. If the academy has not followed its procedures or obligations it will be asked to do so to rectify any failings.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Coventry, (b) West Midlands and (c) England had registered an interest in becoming an academy school on the latest date for which figures are available. [27459]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 December 2010]: The list of primary and secondary schools within England that have registered an interest in academy status is available at:
This will be updated on a regular cycle. As of 14 July 2010, there were (a) 10 schools in Coventry, (b) 179 schools in West Midlands, including Coventry, and (c) a total of 1,907 schools in England, including the west midlands.
Alternative Education
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of pupils who drop out of mainstream education in the latest period in which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [28515]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 December 2010]: Information on pupils dropping out of schools is not collected, nor can it be accurately derived from the data currently collected on pupils.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of providing alternative education to pupils who have dropped out of mainstream schooling; and if he will make a statement. [28516]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 December 2010]: For the financial year 2008-09 the net current expenditure by local authorities in England on "Education out of school" was £530 million. This total was taken from the local authority outturn statements and may be found in the "Outturn Summary-2008-09" report (line 75 column (m)). The figure provided, and other details on local authority budgets and spending, are available on the Department's section 251 website at:
Education out of school includes provision for pupils who because of exclusion, illness or other reasons receive education outside school settings, in particular: expenditure on the provision of education at pupil referral units as defined in 'section 19 of the Education Act 1996'; pre-schoolers not in nursery school or maintained schools not including those at private or voluntary institutions; the implementation of behaviour support plans; home-tuition; individual teaching of sick children in hospital; education in social service establishments.
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms will be in place to assist those schools whose project funding was reduced or cancelled in the Building Schools for the Future capital spending review in respect of capital funding for projects in the Spending Review period. [27384]
Mr Gibb: On 5 July 2010 the Secretary of State announced a review of the Department for Education's capital spending. The Capital Review, led by Sebastian James, will inform future capital investment in schools to ensure that the £15.8 billion of capital funding announced in the recent spending review is used to benefit the maximum number of children and young people.
The review will make recommendations on appropriate mechanisms for delivering capital investment and consider the roles of the bodies involved. The review team is expected to complete its work by the end of the calendar year and the Secretary of State will announce decisions about capital funding, in the light of the review, as soon as possible in the new year.
Bullying
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to encourage schools to work together with local community groups, social services and health authorities to prevent bullying in (a) schools and (b) the wider community. [24798]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: Schools have the central role in tackling bullying and should decide when they need to access support from other agencies. Local authority leadership will also help influence the anti-bullying policies of other organisations in the community through the commissioning of services such as transport, care provision and voluntary sector support.
On Tuesday 9 November I met with eight organisations that have an interest in tackling bullying to discuss the coalition Government's approach to tackling bullying. They were:
Anti-Bullying Alliance;
Diana Award;
Schools Out;
Council for Disabled Children;
Mencap;
Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH);
Stonewall; and
Beatbullying.
I have asked each of them to submit their ideas on how we can work support schools in tackling bullying.
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many families were referred to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2009-10. [31752]
Tim Loughton: CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) received a total of 56,824 referrals to their services in 2009-10. This information is set out in CAFCASS's annual report, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries.
Children: Domestic Violence
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with representatives of child victims of domestic violence on the funding of services for those children. [30307]
Tim Loughton: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education have had specific discussions with representatives of child victims of domestic violence about funding for services for those children. I do, however, continue to have a dialogue with relevant groups through a violence against women advisory group and this has been a topic of discussion in various child safeguarding policy groups.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for future funding of organisations supporting child victims of domestic violence. [30308]
Tim Loughton: The voluntary and community sector receives government funding through a variety of routes including direct funding, funding through arm's length bodies, through local authorities and from services commissioned by schools. Organisations supporting the child victims of domestic violence may access funding through one or more of these routes.
In terms of direct national funding, the Department published a prospectus on 22 November 2010 seeking expressions of interest for a range of grant funded activities which have national significance. No decisions have been made yet about future direct DfE funding to individual organisations, including those supporting child victims of domestic violence, as it is expected that applicants will be notified of the outcomes of the first expression of interest stage by 22 December, and final decisions on grant awards will be made by 25 February 2011.
Departmental Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [30749]
Tim Loughton: During the period from December 2009 to November 2010, DWP as a provider of shared services has processed 67,517 invoices (of which 1,630 related to Government Procurement Card (GPC) transactions) on behalf of the Department for Education and its predecessors. A breakdown of these figures is shown in the following table:
| Number | |
Discretionary Learner Support Fund
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people aged between 16 and 18 received assistance from the Learner Support Fund in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) the 2010-11 academic year to date; and how many such young people he expects to receive assistance from that fund in 2011-12. [28028]
Mr Gibb: The Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) has operational responsibility for discretionary learner support funding. YPLA figures are currently only available for the 2008/09 academic year. For 2008/09, a total of 293,906 awards were made to learners aged 16-19 covering 216,948 students.
From 2011/12, decisions regarding the enhanced discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the proportion of young people entering an institution of further education in the 2011/12 academic year who will receive assistance under the new arrangements.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he plans to allocate to the discretionary learner support fund in 2011-12. [28448]
Mr Gibb: The level of the enhanced discretionary learner support fund for each of the years covered by the spending review has yet to be confirmed.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he plans to provide to schools, colleges and training organisations on levels of financial support to students through the discretionary learner support fund following the ending of the education maintenance allowance. [28449]
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.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people he expects to receive grants from the Discretionary Learner Support Fund in its first full year of operation. [28481]
Mr Gibb: 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. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the proportion of young people entering an institution of further education in the 2011-12 academic year who will receive support under the new arrangements.
Discretionary Learner Support Fund: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what allocation each school and college in Warrington North constituency will receive from the Discretionary Support Fund in the financial year 2011-12. [28087]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 2 December 2010]: The enhanced discretionary learner support fund replacing EMA will enable schools, colleges and training providers more effectively to target those young people who actually need the support to enable them to participate in learning.
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.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial assistance will be available to young people not already in receipt of education maintenance allowance who start a course in further education after 1 January 2011. [26431]
Mr Gibb: Where young people not already in receipt of, or assessed as eligible for, education maintenance allowance (EMA) who start a course in further education after 1 January 2011 are facing financial barriers to participation, schools and colleges will be able to agree whether they should benefit under the existing arrangements for discretionary learner support funding.
From September 2011 the enhanced learner support fund replacing EMA will be administered by schools and colleges, enabling them to support those young people who face a real financial barrier to participation.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warrington North of 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 593W, on education maintenance allowance: public expenditure, when he expects funding for education maintenance allowance in academic year 2011-12 to be available to students; which agency will be responsible for the administration of that funding; and if he will make a statement. [27755]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 December 2010]: The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. Young people who are currently receiving the EMA, irrespective of how much of their course they have completed, will continue to receive it to the end of this academic year only. No funding will be allocated to EMA in the 2011/12 academic year.
Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider. The new funds will be available from the start of the 2011/12 academic year.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warrington North on 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 593W, on education maintenance allowance: public expenditure, how many students (a) in schools, (b) in further education colleges and (c) with training providers will have access to the funding allocated to education maintenance allowance in the academic year 2011-12. [27858]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 December 2010]: The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. Young people who are currently receiving the EMA, irrespective of how much of their course they have completed, will continue to receive it to the end of this academic year only. No funding will be allocated to EMA in the 2011/12 academic year.
Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much of the funding currently provided for education maintenance allowance will be allocated to the (a) Enhanced Learner Support Fund and (b) National Scholarship Fund; and if he will make a statement. [28026]
Mr Gibb: The level of the enhanced discretionary learner support fund for each of the years covered by the spending review has yet to be confirmed.
None of the funding currently provided for education maintenance allowance will be allocated to the National Scholarship Fund, which is a matter for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to permit those students currently receiving an education maintenance allowance of £30 per week in the first year of their post-16 study to continue to receive that allowance in their second year. [28027]
Mr Gibb: The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. Young people who are currently receiving the EMA, irrespective of how much of their course they have completed, will continue to receive it to the end of this academic year only.
Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider.
Bridget Phillipson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of students currently receiving education maintenance
allowance in (a) Sunderland, (b) the North East and (c) England who will not qualify for the proposed pupil premium. [28029]
Mr Gibb: The pupil premium will support the attainment of disadvantaged pupils up to the age of 16 and incentivise good schools to take on pupils from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The ending of education maintenance allowance (EMA) will have no impact on which pupils attract the pupil premium, as EMA is solely for young people post 16. EMA will be replaced with targeted support for those who face genuine financial barriers to participation post 16.
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has commissioned on whether there is a deadweight cost associated with education maintenance allowance. [28656]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 December 2010]: Evaluation evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence he has evaluated in determining whether there is a deadweight cost associated with education maintenance allowance. [28657]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 December 2010]: We have considered the evaluation evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research. This evidence suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning of 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 640, on education maintenance allowance, what evidential basis he evaluated in determining that 90 per cent. of education maintenance allowance costs were deadweight. [28658]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 3 December 2010]: Evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what method he used to assess the effects of ending the education maintenance allowance system on the number of young people remaining in post-16 education in (a) England and (b) the Brighton and Hove local authority area; and if he will make a statement. [28759]
Mr Gibb: In reaching the decision to end the education maintenance allowance (EMA) we have looked closely at evaluation evidence and other research, which indicates that the scheme does not effectively target those young people who need financial support to enable them to continue in education. The evidence suggests that around 90% of the young people who receive EMA would still have continued in education if the scheme was not available.
From September 2011, EMA will be replaced by an enhanced learner support fund that will be administered by schools and colleges themselves, targeting those young people who face a real financial barrier to participation.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria he uses to determine which questions on education maintenance allowance and its successor fund are answered by (a) Ministers in his Department and (b) the Chief Executive of the Young People's Learning Agency. [29396]
Mr Gibb: The Department for Education funds and has policy responsibility for the education maintenance allowance (EMA) and other learner student schemes, including the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, and will respond to questions on matters of policy.
The Young People's Learning Agency has operational responsibility for these schemes. We have agreed with the YPLA that they will respond to questions seeking operational details, for example, numbers of young people in receipt of EMA at a given time.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what equality impact assessment he undertook before making the decision to abolish the education maintenance allowance; and what the outcome was of any such assessment. [30223]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 13 December 2010]: Discussions on distributional impacts, including impacts on equality, informed the process for Spending Review discussions and decisions, and this Department has worked closely with HM Treasury to assess the impact on different sections of society.
A full equality impact assessment for the introduction of the discretionary learner support fund will be published in due course as arrangements for the operation of the funding are being developed in consultation with schools, colleges and stakeholders.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the evidential basis was for his conclusion that 90 per cent. of recipients of education maintenance allowance would have stayed on in education after the age of 16 years without receiving such allowances. [30224]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 13 December 2010]: We have considered the evaluation evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research. This evidence suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what use he made of the report of the National Foundation for Educational Research in reaching his decision to abolish the education maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement. [30247]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 13 December 2010]: Evidence from the recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research, working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, in addition to evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots, suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA. This evidence informed the basis upon which the Government took the decision to end EMA.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Public Expenditure
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warrington North of 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 593W, on education maintenance allowance: public expenditure, whether young people who receive education maintenance allowance and will have completed 50% of their course by the start of academic year 2011-12 will continue to receive education maintenance allowance for the remainder of their course. [26589]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 25 November 2010]: The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year, with no young people receiving EMA in the 2011/12 academic year.
Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help with costs may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Stoke-on-Trent
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people resident in each local authority ward in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency are in receipt of education maintenance allowance. [26989]
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 Stoke on Trent Central with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 1 December 2010:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions PQ26989, PQ26990 and PQ26991 that asked:
"How many young people resident in each local authority ward in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency are in receipt of education maintenance allowance."
"How many young people resident in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency have received education maintenance allowance since its creation."
"How many young people resident in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency receive education maintenance allowance."
Information on the number of young people who have received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency or ward level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
The table below shows the number of young people in receipt of EMA for Stoke-on-Trent Local Authority area.
| Academic year | Take-up |
| (1 )At 31 October 2010. | |
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 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
Education: Assessments
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to bring forward proposals to reduce the expenditure of schools on examinations. [25770]
Mr Gibb: The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) has a statutory objective to secure efficiency and value for money in the provision of regulated qualifications. Ofqual is currently consulting on their approach to economic regulation, and Ministers support this important work. We have also asked Ofqual to look at the effects of recent changes to A levels and GCSEs, making it clear that we would support approaches that lead to fewer, more rigorous, exams which allow more freedom to teach and reduce the time and money spent on the examination process.
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he made of the average cost (a) per maintained secondary school, (b) per pupil in the maintained secondary sector and (c) to the maintained secondary sector of public examinations in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 2009-10. [27594]
Mr Gibb: The Department did not collect figures on public examinations until 2002-03. The available information on how much was spent for each maintained secondary school, for each pupil on public examinations is contained in the following table. The Department is currently undertaking validation checks on the s251 outturn data for the 2009-10 financial year. The information will not be publicly available until early January when it will be published as Official Statistics.
| Spend by maintained secondary schools on examination fees | |||
| £ | |||
| Spent by maintained secondary schools | Per school | Per pupil | |
| Notes: 1. The financial information used in the answer to this PQ is taken from the Department's former section 52 data collection. Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children, and Learning Act 2009 now replaces section 52 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 in England. 2. Examination fees includes the costs of test and examination entry fees, and any accreditation costs related to pupils (including GCSEs, A/AS levels, GNVQs); administrative costs, e.g. external marking. 3. Pupil numbers used in the calculations include all FTE pupils attending maintained secondary or middle-deemed secondary schools in England in the financial years given. 4. The pupil numbers used are from the 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009 January school census (with a ?-?weighting applied to give financial year figures). 5. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 29 November 2010. | |||
Educational Underachievement
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the rate of educational underachievement. [26623]
Mr Gibb: The Schools White Paper 2010 "The Importance of Teaching" defines a new minimum or "floor" standard which we expect all schools to meet. For secondary schools, a school will be below the floor if fewer than 35% of pupils achieve the "basics" standard of 5 A*-C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics, and fewer pupils make good progress between key stage two and key stage four than the national average. Based on 2009 GCSE results, 437 secondary schools were below this floor standard.
For primary schools, a school will be below the floor if fewer than 60% of pupils achieve the "basics" standard of level four in both English and mathematics and fewer pupils than average make the expected levels of progress between key stage one and key stage two. Based on 2009 key stage 2 results, 1,631 primary school were below this floor standard.
Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding from the ethnic minority achievement grant was allocated to each (a) Black Caribbean, (b) Black African, (c) Black Other, (d) Bangladeshi, (e) Pakistani, (f) Gypsy, (g) Roma and Traveller and (h) mixed heritage group in the latest period for which figures are available. [29305]
Mr Gibb: Currently each local authority receives an ethnic minority achievement grant based on an agreed formula. In 2010-11, ethnic minority achievement grant funding amounted to £201 million overall. The funding formula takes account of the number of minority ethnic pupils from underperforming groups and those with English as an additional language. The Department does not collect information on how much of a local authority's individual allocation supports each group of pupils mentioned in the question.
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much ethnic minority achievement grant funding each local education authority in London received in the last year for which figures are available. [29306]
Mr Gibb: The amount of ethnic minority achievement grant allocated to each of the London authorities in 2010-11 is listed in the following table.
| LA number | LA name | Ethnic minority achievement grant (EMAG) (£) |
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the (a) ethnic minority achievement grant and (b) list of eligible groups in receipt of that grant; and if he will make a statement. [29307]
Mr Gibb: For 2011-12, funding to raise the attainment of underperforming minority ethnic pupils and support those with English as an additional language, will be included in the main schools budget, as part of the Government's aim to reduce the number of funding streams going to schools. It will be for local authorities, in consultation with their School Forum, to decide how to take account of the previous levels of ethnic minority achievement grant when making local decisions on the level of 2011-12 allocations to schools.
Ethnic minority achievement grant allocations take account of the number of: Black Caribbean; White and Black Caribbean; Black African and White and Black African; Black Other; Pakistani; Gypsy/Roma and Traveller; White Other pupils; and those with English as an additional language attending an individual authority's schools.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |