Japan: Overseas Aid
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is giving to the Japanese Government after the recent earthquake in that country. [47388]
Mr Jeremy Browne: As the Prime Minister said in a statement to the House on 14 March 2011, Official Report, column 25, the UK Government deployed a 63-strong UK Search and Rescue team, which included medical personnel, on 13 March. They worked alongside US and Chinese rescue workers in Ofunato, clearing a large industrial district and residential area. The team returned from Japan on 19 March. The first UK aid of over 3,000 tents reached the disaster region on 20 March. We have also offered Disaster Victim Identification, humanitarian assistance and nuclear expertise to the Japanese Government. The Government stands ready to offer further humanitarian and other assistance as required.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions he has had with the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority on the authority's commitment to ending incitement to violence against Israel; [48078]
(2) what reports he has received of cash awards made by the Palestinian Authority to the family of an individual who sought to kill Israeli soldiers in December 2010; [48079]
(3) what reports he has received on the naming of a youth football tournament in the West Bank in honour of Wafa Idris. [48081]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of the reports that my hon. Friend refers to. As I mentioned in my letter of 23 March 2011, the UK condemns all violence and any incitement to violence. It follows that we are strongly opposed to any payments of cash linked to violence.
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Palestinians: Diplomatic Relations
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the practical consequences of his decision on 7 March 2011 to upgrade the diplomatic status of the Palestinian delegation to the UK. [47763]
Mr Hague: As I set out in my joint press conference with President Abbas on 8 March 2011, the upgrade of the Palestinian General Delegation in London is in recognition of the significant progress that Prime Minister Fayyad and the Palestinian Authority have made, under the leadership of President Abbas, to build the foundations of a viable Palestinian state in line with their road map commitments.
The change includes upgrading the Palestinian Delegation to the status of a Mission and the position of the Head of Delegation to that of Head of Mission, a ceremony hosted by a Minister for new Heads of Mission, simplified visa arrangements for officials who work at the Mission and additional car parking. The upgrade does not require any amendment to the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 or the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987.
Palestinians: Economic Situation
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the economic situation in Gaza; what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Government of Israel, (b) the Palestinian Authority, (c) the Government of Egypt, (d) the Arab League, (e) the Government of Jordan, (f) his EU counterparts and (g) the United Nations Secretary General on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [47694]
Alistair Burt: According to International Monetary Fund figures, economic growth across the Palestinian Territories was 6.8% in 2009. The west bank’s economy grew at 7.2% in 2009; however, much of this growth was derived from higher Government spending and international aid rather than from exports, which fell in that period. The west bank’s economy continues to be constrained by a number of factors, including movement and access constraints on goods and people, and poor investment confidence.
Gaza’s economy grew at 5.4% in 2009 from a very low base after the damage incurred in Operation Cast Lead. We are concerned that Israeli access restrictions continue to stifle sustainable economic recovery in Gaza, and we look forward to the full implementation of Israel’s commitments to allow Gazan exports to international markets, and to increase the flows of goods into the territory.
UK Ministers and officials regularly discuss the economic situation in the Palestinian Territories with the Palestinian Authority, Israel, regional countries, UN agencies, other donor countries and organisations.
Peacekeeping Operations
Richard Drax:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of future levels of demand by his Department
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for assistance from the armed forces for
(a)
evacuation of UK nationals abroad and
(b)
assistance to foreign government in civil emergencies; and if he will make a statement. [47555]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We are reviewing the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s arrangements for leading the evacuation of British nationals in a crisis, which includes the option of military operations to evacuate British nationals. The review will be published once it has been considered by Ministers. Assistance to foreign governments is normally provided through civilian mechanisms, for example civilian search and rescue teams were deployed to both New Zealand and Japan after the earthquakes, and a civilian Disaster Victim Identification team was also deployed to New Zealand.
Saudi Arabia: Politics and Government
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on political freedoms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [47762]
Mr Hague: We have a full and frank dialogue with our Saudi partners across a range of issues. We welcome the news, announced earlier this week, that the number of municipal councillors will be doubled and that the postponed municipal elections will now take place in September. On Tuesday 22 March, I had lunch with HRH Prince Saud Al Faisal in London where we exchanged views on regional issues of concern and developments in the Kingdom.
Work-based Stress
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place in his Department to (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress. [48207]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work and to offer support to those affected, including an e-learning package on stress and access to an employee assistance programme. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and includes advice and practical help on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
Taliban: Arms Trade
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had in the UN Security Council on (a) the supply of weapons to the Taliban and (b) the application of international pressure on Iran to prevent such supply; and if he will make a statement. [49097]
Alistair Burt: We are deeply concerned by the latest evidence that elements in the Iranian system continue to supply the Taliban with weaponry, which is at odds with Iran's claim to support stability and security in Afghanistan.
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This was most recently discussed in the UN Security Council on 22 March 2011, where we made clear our concerns and called for the UN Iran Sanctions Committee to investigate.
We will continue to push for full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions which prohibit such weapons transfers and support the Sanctions Committee pursuing and investigating sanctions violations. We have also made clear to the authorities in Tehran that such behaviour is completely unacceptable and should cease immediately.
UN Security Council: Reform
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken on reform of the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement. [48333]
Mr Hague: We remain supportive of the need for UN Security Council reform and are working with international partners on how to take this forward. As I said at Georgetown University on 17 November 2010. “we are ardent advocates of ... the reform of international institutions, including a more representative UN Security Council.” At the last round of negotiations in New York on 2 March 2011, we welcomed the continuing work of Ambassador Tanin and called on all member states to engage constructively in the process of reform.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Programme
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts he expects to award for delivery of the Access to Work Programme. [48041]
Maria Miller: The Secretary of State expects to award seven contracts to deliver Access to Work assessments. These will be split in to geographical groups, as follows:
Scotland
North East England;
North West England;
Central England;
London and Home Counties;
Southern England;
Wales.
In addition, there will be seven further contracts to deliver mental health support services to Access to Work customers, based on the same geographical groups.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to award separate contracts to deliver the Access to Work programme in England, Scotland and Wales. [48042]
Maria Miller: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions intends to award separate contracts to deliver the access to work assessments and mental health support services in the following geographical groups:
Scotland
North East England
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North West England
Central England
London and Home Counties
Southern England
Wales.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on allowing prospective prime contractors for the new Access to Work contract to require small charities to sign exclusivity clauses when seeking to participate under the tender. [48043]
Maria Miller: The Secretary of State does not have a policy regarding prospective prime contractors requiring small charities to sign exclusivity clauses when seeking to participate in the Access to Work tender.
The Department for Work and Pensions encourages the use of small and medium enterprises in delivering our contracts wherever possible.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to require contractors for the Access to Work Programme to promote assistance for people with (a) a mental health condition and (b) a learning disability; and if he will make a statement. [48044]
Maria Miller: It is our objective to promote employment opportunities for all disabled groups including people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities, including through Access to Work. Both groups feature in the contracting framework for external assessment for Access to Work.
Children: Day Care
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing child care support to lone parent households where the youngest child turns five and the parents become subject to work search requirements in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14; [47733]
(2) how many additional lone parent households he estimates will require wraparound child care after work search requirements are extended to parents where the youngest child turns five in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [47734]
Maria Miller: The June 2010 Budget announced that the requirement for lone parents to prepare for and seek work as a condition of receiving benefits would be extended from those with a youngest child aged seven or over, to those with a youngest child aged five or over. We estimated in the recent impact assessment ‘Conditionality Measures in the 2011 Welfare Reform Bill’ that the change will help 20,000 to 25,000 extra lone parents into work in steady state.
There are a number of flexibilities in the job search requirements for lone parents, to cater for different needs and personal circumstances. For example, lone parents may limit the hours they are available for work to a minimum of 16 hours a week based on their caring responsibilities. In addition, those with children aged 12 or under have the right to restrict their availability for
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work to their children's normal school hours. Evidence suggests that lone parents use a range of and a mixture of formal and informal child care, some of which are state-funded.
Given these factors, we are not able to precisely estimate the additional child care that lone parents will use as a result of the policy.
However, we estimate that the policy will increase expenditure on tax credits and in-work credit by £240 million over the spending review period to March 2015, of which around 80% can be attributed to tax credits. This includes the child care element of the working tax credit, based on an assumed child care expenditure across all lone parents.
This does not take account of any changes introduced as a result of universal credit in 2013-14, although we have committed to overall expenditure on child care at least equivalent to that in the present system.
Child Maintenance
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents called the Child Maintenance Options Service in 2009-10; how many went on to make or change a private maintenance arrangement; how many went on to make Child Support Agency (CSA) arrangements; and how many made neither a private arrangement nor a CSA arrangement. [46063]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 March 2011:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents called the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Options Service in 2009-10; how many went on to make or change a private maintenance arrangement; how many went on to make Child Support Agency (CSA) arrangements; and how many made neither a private arrangement nor a CSA arrangement. [46063]
In the 12 months to March 2010, the Child Maintenance Options service answered 142,601 inbound calls from 73,769 unique clients. It also made 143,889 successful outbound calls to 135,188 unique clients.
The Child Maintenance Options Service does not have published information on outcomes by individual caller or on a year by year basis, as some arrangements made one year may break down in the following year. An estimated 60,000 children were benefiting from a family-based arrangement which was effective following one or other parent contacting the Child Maintenance Options service between July 2008 and March 2010. From internal surveys, it is estimated that the number of children benefiting from a family-based arrangement has increased to 91,000 for parents contacting the Child Maintenance Options service up to October 2010.
This figure will be updated by a further internal survey at the end of March 2011 which will include an estimate of children benefiting from an effective CSA arrangement and those who have not yet made an arrangement.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
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Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the estimates of likely take-up of family-based maintenance arrangements at paragraph 4 of his Department's impact assessment on the Child Maintenance Green Paper, if he will estimate the likely effect of the take-up of such arrangements on (a) the running costs of the proposed statutory child support system and (b) the number of cases to be handled under that system. [47335]
Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions will produce estimates of the running costs of the proposed statutory child support system and the number of cases to be handled under that system when we publish detailed proposals in the form of draft regulations later in the year. The impact assessments for the draft regulations will set out the estimated impacts on costs and volumes.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of his proposals to levy charges on parents who use the future child support scheme on (i) children living apart from one parent, (ii) parents with care, and (iii) non-resident parents; [47336]
(2) with reference to the proposed new charging regime for use of the statutory child maintenance service proposed in the ‘Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility’ Green Paper, what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of children who live in separated families for whom effective arrangements are in place for the purposes of determining the potential effects of the new charging regime on the number of such children with effective arrangements. [47905]
Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions regularly reviews its research requirements. Specific research proposals are considered under a range of criteria, including evidence priorities and value for money.
The Green Paper ‘Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance’ has set out the coalition Government's vision for child maintenance. The research required to support these proposed policies will be considered against the wider departmental requirements.
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of the live and assessed caseload of the Child Support Agency is attributable to parents with care on income-related benefits; and what the average weekly child maintenance liability for this group (a) including and (b) excluding nil liability was in the latest period for which figures are available; [47345]
(2) what proportion of the live and assessed cases with a positive liability being handled by the Child Support Agency is attributable to parents with care on income-related benefits. [47346]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
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In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the live and assessed caseload of the Child Support Agency is attributable to parents with care on income-related benefits; and what the average weekly child maintenance liability for this group (a) including and (b) excluding nil liability was in the latest period for which figures are available [47345]; and
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the live and assessed cases with a positive liability being handled by the Child Support Agency is attributable to parents with care on income-related benefits. [47346]
In the quarter ending May 2010, of the total live and assessed caseload, in 31% of cases the parent with care or their partner is on Income Support or income based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
In the same period, of all cases with a positive child maintenance liability, in 30% of cases the parent with care or their partner is on Income Support or income based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The average weekly child maintenance assessment for cases where the parent with care or their partner is on Income Support or income based Jobseeker’s Allowance is £14. Excluding cases that have a weekly child maintenance assessment of zero, the average amount is £23 per week. These figures are rounded to the nearest £1.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Disability Living Allowance
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the likely effect on carers of his proposed reform to disability living allowance. [48112]
Maria Miller: We recognise the importance of DLA “passporting” the individual to other help and support and will take this into account in developing our reforms and in the design of personal independence payment (PIP). At this point the new assessment has not been finalised and the impact on carers will only be determined when this is completed.
We are working with disabled people and organisations who represent them on the detailed design and delivery of personal independence payment and we will consider carefully the outcome of the DLA reform consultation in developing the passport to CA entitlement from PIP. The outcomes from this work will be reflected in updates to the impact assessment for this change.
Disability Living Allowance: Autism
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that people with evidence of autism will not be required to have face-to-face assessments to determine eligibility for disability living allowance. [47511]
Maria Miller:
The Government propose to replace disability living allowance with personal independence payment in 2013-14. We are still considering the most appropriate delivery model for the personal independence payment assessment and no decisions have yet been taken, including how it will apply to existing DLA
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recipients. However, we believe that advice from a suitably trained and approved individual, for example a healthcare professional, will be an important part of ensuring that the assessment is more objective and consistent. In most cases, we expect this to involve a face-to-face consultation to enable an in-depth look at an individual’s circumstances.
We know it is essential that the assessment accurately captures the needs of disabled people with autistic spectrum disorders and this is something that the development group is considering. For example, they believe that the new assessment should explicitly take account of the impact of a health condition or impairment, including autistic spectrum disorders, on an individual’s ability to communicate. This would set it apart from the current DLA assessment. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that the assessment process is appropriate to an individual’s circumstances, including individuals with autistic spectrum disorders. Both I and departmental officials have met with the National Autistic Society to discuss our reform proposals and to seek their views on how the new benefit can best support those with autism. We will continue to work with disabled people and their organisations as the detail of the assessment criteria and its operation is developed and tested.
Pensioners: Disability
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to support the mobility needs of people aged over 65 years with disabilities. [48357]
Maria Miller: People aged 65 and over can get disability living allowance (DLA), which includes a mobility component, provided a claim is made before they are 65 and they continue to satisfy the conditions of entitlement.
People who make a claim when they are aged 65 or older can get attendance allowance which is paid in respect of care needs, but does not contain a mobility component.
It is normal for pensions and benefits schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives, and we intend to continue this after the introduction of personal independence payment. As for disability living allowance now, those who are in receipt of personal independence payment at the point they reach age 65 will be able to continue to receive the benefit subject to the entitlement conditions continuing to be satisfied. This difference in treatment acknowledges the disadvantages people have when they are severely disabled early or relatively early in life, and therefore have more limited opportunities to work, earn and save.
Pensions
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution of Lord Freud in the Grand Committee of the House of Lords of 15 March 2011, Official Report, column GC57, what progress the Government has made on its comprehensive action plan for reinvigorating private pensions saving; what the elements of this action plan are; and if he will make a statement. [48532]
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Steve Webb: The coalition agreement includes a commitment to:
“...simplify the rules and regulations relating to pensions to help reinvigorate occupational pensions, encouraging companies to offer high-quality pensions to all employees and we will work with business and the industry to support auto-enrolment.”
The key programme to reinvigorate private pension saving is the workplace pension reforms—automatic enrolment into a workplace pension, compulsory employer contributions and establishment of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). From October 2012 all employers will be required to automatically enrol their eligible workers into a qualifying pension scheme. We estimate that the reforms should lead to 5-8 million people newly saving or saving more for their retirement.
To help ensure that existing pension law remains appropriate following automatic enrolment, we have issued a call for evidence on the different regulatory regimes in place for trust-based occupational pension schemes and contract-based schemes. This will look at, among other things, the likely increase in the number of small pension pots post-automatic enrolment and possible solutions for helping schemes better manage the challenges they present—including looking at the rules around transfers. The call for evidence closes on 18 April and we will bring forward any proposals for change in due course. We are also engaging with the Pensions Regulator which has issued a discussion document (for response by 22 April) on defined contribution pensions(1).
A range of other measures has been put in place or is in train to support good pension provision. For example, simplified disclosure of information regulations enabling greater use of electronic communications came into force on 1 December 2010(2). The rules on employer debt to pension schemes are being reviewed to make it easier for companies to restructure while protecting members’ pensions. The aim is to introduce these changes in October 2011, following public consultation.
We are ending contracting out for defined contribution pension schemes(3). This will simplify pension choices for individuals and administration for schemes.
The Government are exploring how pension saving might be made more attractive to individuals. For example, we are removing the requirement to annuitise at age 75 as part of the Finance Bill 2011, and we are continuing to consider options for improving take-up of the open market option for annuities.
We are also engaging in debates across the broader pensions community, and welcome initiatives such as the National Association of Pension Funds’ Workplace Retirement Income Commission, which aims to develop consensus on how to improve and strengthen retirement savings(4).
(1) “Enabling good member outcomes in work-based pension provision”.
http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/dc-discussion-paper-2011.pdf
(2) SI 2659/2010 The Occupational, Personal and Stakeholder Pension Scheme (Disclosure of Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
(3) Legislated for in the Pensions Acts 2007 (s15) and 2008 (s106)
(4)www.napf.co.uk/PressCentre/Press_releases/0095_West_Midlands_least_confident_about_paying_for_retirement.aspx
http://wricommission.org.uk/wric/
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Personal Independence Payment
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether claimants at the (a) standard and (b) enhanced rate of the proposed personal independence payment will be eligible for (i) blue badges and (ii) road tax exemption. [48034]
Maria Miller: We recognise the importance of passporting entitlement to disability living allowance to additional forms of help and support such as the Blue Badge scheme and exemption from vehicle excise duty. Therefore we are considering carefully how passporting arrangements will operate as we develop the assessment criteria for personal independence payment. We are working across Government and with the devolved Administrations to ensure that measures can be taken to maintain passports where appropriate. Where applicable we have also taken the legislative measures in the Welfare Reform Bill to enable continuing passporting arrangements.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department proposes to move children from disability living allowance to the proposed personal independence payment; and if he will make a statement. [48040]
Maria Miller: Personal independence payment will replace disability living allowance for working-age (16 to 64) adults from 2013 and the new objective assessment is being designed to gather information about adult needs. We want to build on the experience of developing an assessment and applying it to new and existing claimants of working age to inform our decisions about the arrangements for children. Therefore we will not consider extending personal independence payment to new claims from children or to children already receiving DLA, until we have had an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the new arrangements for working-age people.
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether people in receipt of disability living allowance aged over 65 will be eligible for the personal independence payment; [48120]
(2) whether existing disability living allowance claimants aged over 65 years will be eligible for the personal independence payment. [48356]
Maria Miller: Personal independence payment will replace disability living allowance for working-age (16-64) adults from 2013. As for disability living allowance now, those who are in receipt of personal independence payment at the point they reach age 65 will be able to continue to receive the benefit subject to the entitlement conditions continuing to be satisfied.
We want to build on the experience of developing an assessment and applying it to new and existing claimants of working age to inform our decisions about the arrangements for current disability living allowance recipients who are over the age of 65. Therefore we will not consider extending personal independence payment to people over the age of 65 already receiving DLA, until we have had an opportunity to consider the effectiveness of the new arrangements for working age people.
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Social Fund
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2011, Official Report, column 750W, on the Social Fund, what the monetary value of loans and grants from the Social Fund was for cookers and washing machines in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [48701]
Steve Webb: The available information is given in the following tables.
| Crisis loan gross expenditure on cookers in Great Britain | |
|
|
£ million |
| Crisis loan gross expenditure on washing machines and tumble driers in Great Britain | |
|
|
£ million |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and had not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System by the end of the relevant financial year. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1 million. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System | |
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether single mothers being moved from income support to jobseeker's allowance will experience any interruption in payments due to the change in benefit status. [48694]
Chris Grayling: No they will not. Every effort is made to ensure that lone parents who move from income support to jobseeker's allowance, as their youngest child reaches the relevant age, continue to receive their payments without interruption. The change does require the customer to make a claim with HMRC to child tax credits for their children if they are claiming child dependency addition, as this is not available under jobseeker's allowance. However, this is completed on the customer's behalf to ensure that the lone parent's level of benefit is maintained, albeit from two separate sources, during the transition.
Since the introduction of this process in November 2008 we have smoothly transferred over 250,000 lone parents from income support on to jobseeker's allowance.
State Retirement Pensions: Wolverhampton
Mr McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wolverhampton South East constituency are in receipt of the state pension. [49013]
Steve Webb: As at August 2010, there were 15,870 recipients of the state pension in Wolverhampton South East parliamentary constituency.
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Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
3. State pension figure provided is the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional pension only or graduated retirement benefit only.
4. From April 2010, the age at which women reach state pension age started to gradually increase from 60. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. Figures from May 2010 onwards reflect this change.
5. These data are available on the Department's tabulation tool at:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
Source:
DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at August 2010.
Treasury
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Correspondence
Mr Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2011, Official Report, column 762W, on Members: correspondence, when the Child Benefit Office, Preston, plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 14 February 2011. [49026]
Mr Gauke: Child Benefit Office, Washington replied to a letter from the hon. Member dated 14 February 2011 on 28 February 2011.
Departmental Theft
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what items with a value of over £100 have been taken without authorisation from his Department since his appointment; and what steps have been taken to recover such items. [48442]
Justine Greening: There are seven recorded instances of items with a value of over £100 (six laptops and one BlackBerry mobile device) being taken without authorisation since 12 May 2010. All involved theft by persons unknown. In each case the incident was reported to the police, although none of the items have so far been recovered.
Financial Services: Regulation
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Services Authority in relation to the regulation of independent financial advisers. [48601]
Mr Hoban: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is an independent body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). Its day-to-day activities, including the regulation of independent financial advisers, are conducted independently of Government. The Government do not undertake assessments of the effectiveness of discrete FSA activities.
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Work-based Stress
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements are in place in his Departments to (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress. [48208]
Justine Greening: The Chancellor’s departments are committed to the well-being of their employees. Information and training is provided to employees on the prevention, recognition and management of stress. Staff surveys are used to monitor perceptions of workload and flexible working policies are in place to support work-life balance. Confidential, advisory, welfare, occupational health and counselling services are provided to identify, assess and prevent stress related ill-health and to provide assistance to any staff who are affected.
VAT: Channel Islands
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Government of (a) Jersey and (b) Guernsey on potential abuse of low value consignment relief. [48798]
Mr Gauke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 13 December 2010, Official Report, column 561W, to the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders).
VAT: Fraud
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on instances of alleged abuse of low value consignment relief. [48790]
Mr Gauke: The Government have received several representations from trade associations and businesses about alleged abuse of the low value consignment relief (LVCR).
HMRC examines trading arrangements that are subject to the LVCR as part of its routine work across the whole field of VAT to ensure that VAT rules are being applied correctly. This includes whether or not an arrangement can be considered to fall within the VAT concept of ‘abuse’.
When HMRC finds evidence to suggest abuse, it takes action to robustly address the situation. LVCR is no exception.
VAT: Insulation
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria his Department used to determine which energy-saving materials would qualify for the lower rates of value added tax. [48791]
Mr Gauke: The prime criterion for determining which energy-saving materials would qualify for the reduced rate of VAT was that their primary purpose should be to provide energy-saving alternatives to existing products.
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Attorney-General
Work-based Stress
Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements the Law Officers’ Departments have in place (a) to reduce levels of and (b) to support staff diagnosed with work-related stress. [48296]
The Attorney-General: The information requested is detailed as follows.
The Treasury Solicitors Department (TSol) has a Health and Well Being strategy designed to help prevent people from becoming ill and to help reduce levels of stress. This includes providing Health Screening every two years, offering regular GP appointments, improving working conditions through engaging staff and offering flexible working opportunities.
If a member of staff is diagnosed with work-related stress TSol’s HR Division will consider a referral to an Occupational Health adviser to obtain guidance on what adjustments they may need to put in place to help the individual cope. These could range from more flexible working arrangements to a change in role, and the particular circumstances of each case are taken into account. They may also advise the individual to contact Care First, an employee advice, information and counselling service.
The Attorney-General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate are both covered by the TSol Health and Well Being strategy.
The Crown Prosecution Service has developed a comprehensive strategy designed to reduce levels of work related stress, and supports staff diagnosed with work related stress through a range of internally and externally delivered interventions. This strategy includes:
Delivery of a programme of training to Human Resource Advisors (HRA) and line managers to raise understanding of work related stress factors and how to carry out personal risk assessments.
Provision of online guidance for staff and line managers on understanding pressures in the workplace and recognising the signs of stress.
Revision of the Department’s Grievance Policy to better support informal and more timely resolution of workplace conflict, a known major contributor to work related stress.
Free employee access to Care First who provide a free and confidential counselling and support service, accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has a sick absence management action plan. Where stress is identified line managers actively support individuals and encourage them to make use of the support mechanisms provided by the SFO. These include an employee assistance programme, HR support and access to an Occupational Health adviser. The employee assistance programme provides counselling and support on a wide range of issues including work related stress, and the Occupational Health provider offers advice to support individuals in making reasonable adjustments to the workplace in order to alleviate the causes of stress.
The National Fraud Authority (NFA) under its duty of care as an employer provides a good working environment with plenty of opportunity for employees to feedback on their work and workplace arrangements, including an annual staff survey. This enables the NFA
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to monitor and manage individual and office-wide conditions, adjusting arrangements as needed to reduce causes of work related stress. The NFA also subscribes to Care First, a professional people support services scheme to provide additional support for its employees.
Third Sector
Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers Departments provided to each charity they fund in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years. [48297]
The Solicitor-General: The Law Officers Departments have not supported any charities through funding in the last five years and have no plans to do so in the future.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the size of the budget for the common agricultural policy in the five years from 2013. [48800]
Mr Paice: We want the EU budget to be smaller, so that our domestic efforts to cut the deficit are not undermined by growth in EU spending. At 43% of the EU budget, CAP cannot be immune to the hard choices being made elsewhere. There must, therefore, be a very substantial cut to the CAP budget during the next financial framework which starts in 2014, as part of a wider strategy to deliver budgetary restraint by identifying savings across the EU budget.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the effects on the level of support available to smallholder farms of payments made to large-scale farms in the UK under the common agricultural policy. [48801]
Mr Paice: Levels of support for farmers under common agricultural policy schemes are generally determined by detailed EU rules which apply to all claimants under the schemes in question. In most cases, therefore, payments to one eligible claimant would not be expected to impact on payments to another eligible claimant. The exception would be where there is an element of competition for set funding, for example, the Higher Level Stewardship scheme. But then the key issue is not the size of the claimant's farm, but the extent to which a claimant meets the criteria set for the scheme in question.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the value for money of payments made to large-scale farms under the common agricultural policy. [48802]
Mr Paice: The Government believe that long-term provision of direct payments to farmers is not value for money compared with targeted payments as provided under RDPE. That is why we wish the current reforms to lead to a phasing out of Pillar 1 payments.
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Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on establishing a cap on the payments made to farms under the common agricultural policy. [48803]
Mr Paice: The UK is opposed to the European Commission’s suggestion that direct payments to large farms should be capped. The common agricultural policy should encourage greater competitiveness, including consolidation, which capping would discourage.
Agriculture: Training
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure agricultural workers receive adequate training. [45506]
Mr Paice: Skills development is an important element contributing to both competitiveness and innovation in agriculture. Development of a highly skilled farming industry and the training delivery landscape which enables that is chiefly for the industry, working with Lantra (the land based industries' sector skills council) and training providers, such as land based colleges, to ensure training provision meets the needs of individual farmers.
DEFRA is working with the industry-led Agri-Skills Forum which is leading on improving skills development in agriculture. Activities include raising the profile of the importance and relevance of training and skills, particularly business skills, with individual farmers, developing continuing professional development schemes and improving the professionalism of the industry. In addition, we are working with both the industry and BIS to help increase the uptake of apprenticeships by farmers to encourage young people into farming careers.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department plans to take during the Hungarian presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU towards reform of the common agricultural policy. [48214]
Mr Paice: DEFRA Ministers have to date represented the UK at three Agriculture Council discussions on the Commission’s proposals for future common agricultural policy (CAP) during the Hungarian presidency, as well as meeting Ministers from several member states, the Commission and representatives of the European Parliament to discuss CAP reform. We will continue to press for ambitious reform of the CAP that will provide value for money for farmers, taxpayers, industry, consumers and the environment.
Public Forest Estate
John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish information on those forests which are to be sold. [47759]
Mr Paice
[holding answer 23 March 2011
]:The consultation on the future of the Public Forest Estate has been ended and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill have been removed. All new sales have been
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suspended. An independent panel of experts will now examine forestry policy in England and report back to Ministers in the autumn.
International Climate Financing: Finance
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money her Department plans to allocate to International Climate Fund in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15. [47887]
Mr Paice: In total DEFRA is responsible for £100 million (for forestry) of the International Climate Fund. This breaks down as £10 million for 2011-12, £20 million for 2012-13, £30 million for 2013-14, and £40 million for 2014-15. There was no DEFRA contribution to UK climate financing in 2010-11.
Nature Conservation
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support her Department plans to provide to habitat restoration projects in each of the next four financial years. [47833]
Richard Benyon: Precise spending plans have not been finalised but during 2011-12 Natural England estimates it will spend about £4 million on restoring and maintaining habitats on National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Significant sums are also provided for habitat restoration by the Rural Development Programme for England and Environment Agency grant in aid.
Public Forest Estate
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 337W, when she plans to publish the main report of the study into the long-term sustainable role for the public forest estate. [44675]
Mr Paice: The study into the long-term sustainable role for the public forest estate by the Forestry Commission was initiated in 2008 under the previous Administration. The final draft report of the working group was presented to the Forestry Commission's England National Committee on 26 May 2010 before the outcome of the spending review 2010. The Forestry Commission did not bring forward any final recommendations following a reassessment of policy on the public forest estate. The committee's meeting papers are routinely published on the Forestry Commission's website and those from May 2010 are expected to be added shortly.
Public Sector: Food
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the quantity of (a) pork and (b) pork products purchased by Government bodies in the last 12 months for which figures are available; by whom such products are supplied; what the farms of origin are; and what average price per kilogram was paid in that period; [44732]
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(2) what recent estimate she has made of the (a) cost of production for pig farmers supplying pork and pork products to the public sector and (b) price that they received in the latest period for which figures are available. [44734]
Mr Paice [holding answer 7 March 2011]: No estimate has been made of the cost of production for pig farmers supplying pork and pork products to the public sector or price that they received.
Information on the quantity of pork and pork products purchased by Government bodies, the suppliers, and the name of the supplying farm is not collated centrally. The price paid will in many cases be commercially confidential and therefore such information will also not be collected.
However, we are shortly to publish Government Buying Standards for food which will be mandatory for central Government and promoted to the wider public sector. Departments have been advised that they should be able to report, by June this year, baseline data for compliance with these standards.
One of the requirements of the Government Buying Standards will be that, in line with the industry principles on country of origin labelling, caterers should be able to indicate the origin of the meat, meat products and dairy products either on the menu or accompanying literature, or at least when the information is requested by the consumer.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has issued to public bodies in England on purchasing pork and pork products produced in England; and how much of the pork procured by the public sector in the last 12 months was labelled with the (a) country of origin and (b) name of the supplying farm. [44733]
Mr Paice [holding answer 7 March 2011]: The Government have made a commitment to source food, subject to no overall increase in costs, meeting British or equivalent standards of production and I wrote to all Departments in January with guidance to this effect. Specific guidance on procuring pork and pork products has been published on the DEFRA website at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/policy/publicsectorfood/documents/pigmeat-quality010127-ga.pdf
Information on the amount of pork procured by the public sector labelled with the (a) country of origin and (b) the name of the supplying farm is not collated centrally. However, we are shortly to publish Government Buying Standards for food which will be mandatory for central Government and promoted to the wider public sector.
One of the requirements of the Government Buying Standards will be that, in line with the industry principles on country of origin labelling, caterers should be able to indicate the origin of the meat, meat products and dairy products either on the menu or accompanying literature, or at least when the information is requested by the consumer.
Veterinary Medicine
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number
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of qualified graduates in veterinary science to meet demand for employees in that profession; and if she will make a statement. [47456]
Mr Paice: There has been no recent assessment made of whether there is an adequate number of veterinarians, as we are not aware of any particular concerns. However, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) undertakes regular surveys of the profession, the last of which was in 2010, and concluded that there was not a shortage of farm animal vets.
Later this year, the first cohort of veterinarians will graduate from Nottingham university. The veterinary labour market is quite fluid with veterinarians from across the EU and further afield registering to practise in the UK.
Education
Adoption
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department provides to parents who are considering (a) having and (b) adopting a baby. [48311]
Tim Loughton: Advice for people who are considering having a baby is available from local NHS services. In addition, the NHS Choices website offers a great deal of advice and information on pregnancy and on parenting in the early years. The relevant pages of the website can be found at:
http://www.nhs.uk/Planners/pregnancycareplanner/Pages/PregnancyHome.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/planners/birthtofive/Pages/Birthtofivehome.aspx
People who are considering adopting a child can also approach their local authority or a voluntary adoption agency, such as the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, for advice.
Childhood and Families Task Force
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what work has been completed by Ministers and officials in his Department as part of the Childhood and Families Task Force. [32855]
Sarah Teather: The Prime Minister set up the Childhood and Families Task Force to ensure policies across different departments come together to tackle some of the major obstacles to a happy childhood and a successful family life.
As a result the Chancellor announced in the spending review that we will extend 15 hours a week of free early education and care to all disadvantaged two-year-old children from 2012-13, building on the existing universal provision for three and four-year-olds. We have ensured there is enough funding within the Early Intervention Grant to retain a national network of Sure Start Children’s Centres and enable local authorities to meet their statutory duties. The network of children’s centres provides the foundation for stronger, early joined-up working, offering universal services for all families and targeted services
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focused on families in greatest need. The spending review also announced a national campaign to support families with multiple problems. In July, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and I launched a review on early intervention (led by the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen)) and more recently the Prime Minister announced a review of the commercialisation and premature sexualisation of childhood (led by Reg Bailey). The Prime Minister also used this occasion to commit to long-term funding to put relationship support services on a secure footing.
Children in Care: Disability
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in care were
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recorded as having physical disabilities in each of the last 10 years. [48483]
Tim Loughton: The proportion of looked after children who were recorded as being in need of services due to their disability in each of the last 10 years, is shown in the following table. Information on the nature of a looked after child's disability, whether physical or otherwise, is not collected by the Department.
| Children looked after at 31 March owing to disability (1,2,3,4) . Years ending 31 March 2001 to 2010. Coverage: England | ||||||||||
| Numbers and percentages | ||||||||||
|
|
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) Numbers above 1000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (3) 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. (4) “Disability” covers any form of disability as the data collected do not specify the type. Source: SSDA 903 | ||||||||||
Only the main reason (or primary need) is recorded against each looked after child. Consequently some looked after children may have come into care for another reason, but also have a disability.
Children: Foster Care
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the ability of (a) Christians and (b) those with religious beliefs to adopt or foster children. [47383]
Tim Loughton: The Government are committed to encouraging people from all walks of life and all religions to come forward to foster or adopt looked after children. The revised National Minimum Standards coming into force on 1 April 2011make clear that anyone interested in becoming a foster carer or adoptive parent should be treated fairly, without prejudice, openly and with respect. The statutory frameworks for foster care and adoption certainly do not prevent a person holding Christian or other particular religious beliefs from becoming a foster carer or adoptive parent.
As a society we owe carers, and adoptive parents, a great debt of gratitude. That is why, on 18 March, I celebrated with key partners in the fostering sector the launch of a Foster Carers’ Charter, which aims to unite foster carers, fostering services and local authorities behind a shared understanding of foster care.
Curriculum
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to include emergency life skills in the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement. [48010]
Mr Gibb: We have no plans to introduce emergency life skills in the national curriculum. The non-statutory programmes of study for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education currently provide a context for schools to teach children and young people how to recognise and follow health and safety procedures, including ways of reducing risk and minimising harm in risky situations, how to find sources of emergency help and how to use emergency and basic first aid. Schools often ask organisations such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance to provide pupils with information about first aid and dealing with emergency and risky situations.
We have announced an internal review into PSHE and further details will be available in due course.
Departmental Consultants
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on consultants since May 2010. [40866]
Tim Loughton: The departmental spend on consultants between May 2010 and February 2011 (latest available figures) is £19,654,848. The equivalent figure between May 2009 and February 2010 was £43,087,119.
Departmental Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) have been and (b) are to be closed, merged or reorganised following his appointment; and how many (i) women and (ii) men who are public appointees at each body will no longer hold such an appointment in consequence. [47107]
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Tim Loughton: The coalition Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies, and this involves reducing their number and their cost to the taxpayer. The proposals for the majority of bodies across all Departments were announced and published on 14 October 2010. An updated list reflecting changes since October 2010 has been published on the Cabinet Office website this month and can be found on:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/public-bodies-reform-proposals-change
Summary information on public appointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office. This includes data on gender. Copies of the most recent report can be downloaded from:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
Public Bodies Reform Programme
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from the abolition of 11 public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility. [48141]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 21 March 2011]: On 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
I anticipate net overall administrative savings from structural reforms over the spending review period of approximately £592 million. Overall administrative reductions from reform of all departmental public bodies are estimated to be up to £674 million over the spending review period.
Football: South Africa
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [27364]
Tim Loughton: The Department did not spend anything on entertainment relating to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Free Schools
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 264W, on free schools, what the name is of each of the 60 unsuccessful applicants to establish a free school. [44618]
Mr Gibb: In the interests of personal privacy, we will not be issuing details of unsuccessful proposers.
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GCSE: Disability
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the rules on controlled assessment of GCSE courses on disabled children undertaking distance learning who experience difficulties in attending examination centres; and what estimate he has made of the number of such children there were in the latest period for which figures are available. [47568]
Mr Gibb: Controlled assessment was introduced into GCSEs in most subjects in 2009. We are aware that it is causing significant issues for schools, colleges and students and we are working with the independent regulator, Ofqual, and with awarding organisations on what can be done to address these issues.
The Department does not collect information on the number of children with special educational needs undertaking controlled assessment as part of a GCSE examination.
GCSE: Standards
Mr Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of students obtained a C grade or higher in (a) history, (b) physics, (c) French, (d) German, (e) Spanish and (f) chemistry GCSE in (i) 1990, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2010. [42975]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
| Percentage of all pupils attempting each subject who obtained a grade C or higher in history, physics, French, German, Spanish and chemistry GCSE for the years 1990, 1997, 2007 and 2010 | ||||
|
|
1990 | 1997 | 2007 | 2010 |
| Percentage of pupils (1) in all schools who obtained a grade C or higher in history, physics, French, German, Spanish and chemistry GCSE in 1990, 1997, 2007 and 2010 | ||||
|
|
1990 | 1997 | 2007 | 2010 |
| n/a = not available (1) For 1997, pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year. For 2007 and 2010, pupils at the end of key stage 4. | ||||
School Sport Partnership: Leeds, West
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in schools in the Leeds School Sport Partnership West area accessed three hours per week of physical education and school sport in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [48490]
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Tim Loughton: The Priesthorpe school sport partnership covers schools in the Leeds West constituency. The annual PE and sport survey showed that 35% of children in years 1-11 in the Priesthorpe school sport partnership took part in at least three hours PE and sport per week in 2008/09, with 53% doing so in 2009/10.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of young people in schools in the Leeds school sport partnership west area participated in sports leadership courses in (a) 2004 and (b) 2010. [48491]
Tim Loughton: The Priesthorpe school sport partnership covers schools in the Leeds West constituency. The annual PE and sport survey showed that 5% of children in years 1-11 in the Priesthorpe school sport partnership took part in sports leadership activities in 2003/04, with 19% of them doing so in 2009/10.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in years 1 to 11 in schools in the Leeds school sport partnership west area participated in at least one inter-schools sports competition in (a) 2004 and (b) 2010. [48494]
Tim Loughton: The Priesthorpe school sport partnership covers schools in the Leeds West constituency. The annual PE and sport survey showed that 39% of children in years 1-11 in the Priesthorpe school sport partnership took part in at least one inter-school sport competition in 2003/04, with 72% of them doing so in 2009/10.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff hours were funded by the Leeds school sport partnership west in academic year 2010-11; and how many such hours he expects to be funded in academic year 2011-12. [48495]
Tim Loughton: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, the Department currently funds the following posts in the Priesthorpe school sport partnership: one full-time partnership development manager; seven school sport co-ordinators for two days a week each; 34 primary link teachers for 12 days a year each; and one further education sport co-ordinator for two days a week.
All secondary schools in the Leeds West constituency will receive funding from the Department for Education from September 2011 to enable a PE teacher to be released from timetable for one day a week to increase opportunities for competitive sport. In addition, if Priesthorpe applies for a school games organiser post, then they will receive funding from DCMS and Department of Health to enable that post holder to work for three days a week to carry out the role of school games organiser. Schools can use their own funds to top up this post to a full-time role, if they wish.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in schools in the Leeds school sport partnership west area accessed two hours per week of physical education in curriculum time in (a) 2006 and (b) 2010. [48496]
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Tim Loughton: The Priesthorpe school sport partnership covers schools in the Leeds West constituency. The annual PE and sport survey showed that 90% of children in years 1-11 in the Priesthorpe school sport partnership took part in at least two hours physical education in curriculum time in 2005/06, with 83% of them doing so in 2009/10.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of children in schools in the Leeds school sport partnership west area accessed two hours per week of physical education and school sport in (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2007-08. [48497]
Tim Loughton: The Priesthorpe school sport partnership covers schools in the Leeds West constituency. The annual PE and sport survey showed that 42% of children in years 1-11 in the Priesthorpe school sport partnership took part in at least two hours physical education and sport in 2003/04, with 90% of them doing so in 2007/08.
Parent Teacher Associations
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of schools have a parent teacher association in each local education authority. [35080]
Mr Gibb: The Department does not collect data on the numbers of parent teacher associations (PTAs) in each local authority but the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA) estimates that around 19,000 schools (75%) in England have some form of PTA, of which 12,482 (66%) are members of the NCPTA.
Parenting Classes
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps he is taking to deliver parenting classes within the school curriculum; [48463]
(2) whether he has made an estimate of the number of schools which offer parenting classes to their pupils. [48310]
Mr Gibb: The non-statutory programmes of study for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education in England currently provide a context within which schools teach pupils about the importance of parenting. In particular, the personal well-being programme of study sets out how young people should learn about the roles and responsibilities of parents, carers, children and other family members, as well as the skills and qualities needed in parenting, and their importance to family life.
Our aim for the national curriculum is to reduce unnecessary prescription, bureaucracy and central control and to give schools and teachers greater control over what is taught. We do not therefore propose to ask schools to report on the content of their lessons, especially those that are non-statutory.
The recent report from the Centre for Education and Inclusion Research showed that between 63% and 70% of secondary schools (dependent on year group) were teaching all PSHE education elements at KS3 and KS4. Ofsted’s report on the teaching of PSHE found that overall provision was good or outstanding in three
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quarters of the schools visited, but sex and relationship education, drugs and alcohol teaching and mental health issues were dealt with superficially.
We have said we want all pupils to benefit from high quality PSHE education and in the Schools White Paper 2010, “The Importance of Teaching”, we announced our intention to hold an internal review of PSHE. As part of that review we expect to visit Manchester Academy to understand the work it has undertaken on incorporating parenting classes into the curriculum.
Notwithstanding the work in Manchester Academy, evidence shows that the most valuable parenting skills are best taught through a mix of practical application and teaching, which is likely to be more effective the closer it is to the age at which people have children—the average age for people to have their first child in England is in their late 20s.
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what responsibilities have been transferred from the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency; and which bodies have assumed each of those responsibilities; [47998]
(2) what responsibilities the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency will retain in financial year 2011-12; [47999]
(3) how many staff were employed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and how many he expects to be employed at that body at the end of financial year 2011-12; [48000]
(4) what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) private sector companies and (b) voluntary organisations on the future of the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency since his appointment. [48095]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 March 2011]: A decision was taken to transfer some of the functions currently being carried out by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) in preparation for its planned closure by March 2012.
The following responsibilities or functions have already transferred from QCDA:
| Number | Function | Destination |
There are a number of research functions that are due to transfer by the end of 2010-11.
| Number | Function | Destination |
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|
International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive (INCA) |
Alongside the decisions on transferring functions, the Department is working closely with the management team in QCDA to ensure that staff are consulted and provided with all the support and information they need before functions are transferred. In taking these decisions, consideration is given to staff rights under the Cabinet Office's COSOP arrangements (Cabinet Office Statement of Practice) and the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE).
In 2009-10, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) employed 683 members of staff. 535 of these members of staff remained in QCDA when QCA split into QCDA and Ofqual. In 2010-11, QCDA employed 416 members of staff. It is expected that there will be no staff employed by QCDA by the end of financial year 2011-12 as it is due to close in March 2012.
Ministers and the Department have discussed the implications of QCDA's closure with a wide range of bodies, including awarding bodies and their representatives, as well as other interested governmental bodies such as Ofqual. Decisions about which functions are to continue and which are to be transferred are set out clearly in the Secretary of State's letters to QCDA's chair.
Redundancy
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his most recent estimate is of the reduction by April 2012 in jobs which will result from his proposed changes to non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and what proportion and number of those reductions are to staff based in Coventry. [48001]
Tim Loughton: The Department is still working through the details of the proposed changes to the non-departmental bodies for which it is responsible and therefore cannot say, at this stage, what the effect of the reductions will be on staffing levels in Coventry.
I have asked officials in the Department to write to you about the impact of reforming non-departmental bodies on staff based in Coventry once relevant decisions have been made.
Religion: GCSE
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of (a) Year 11 students and (b) students in other years took GCSE examinations in religious education, religious studies or similar subjects in each of the last five years. [45581]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is in the following table and covers pupils in all schools(1).
(1) Includes independent schools as well as hospital schools and Pupil Referral Units.
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| Year (1) | No. of pupils in year 11 who have taken GCSE Religious Education (2) | % of pupils in year 11 who have taken GCSE Religious Education (2) | No. of pupils in other years who have taken GCSE Religious Education (2) | % of pupils in other years who have taken GCSE Religious Education (2) |
| (1) Figures for 2010 are revised and all other figures are final. (2) Includes Religious Education and Religious Studies. Source: School and College Performance Tables | ||||
Schools: Admissions
Mr Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on arrangements for admissions to the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School; and if he will make a statement. [47516]
Mr Gibb: We have received a number of letters in relation to governance issues at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. In a small number of these, admission issues are mentioned.
It is for the independent Schools Adjudicator to consider any objections to schools' admission arrangements. For Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, the Schools Adjudicator reached a determination on 18 December 2009 which can be found at:
http://www.schoolsadjudicator.gov.uk/upload/ADA1720%20Cardinal%20Vaughan%20Revised%2025May2010.doc
Following the Schools Adjudicator's decision, the school, which is its own admission authority, has now revised its admission arrangements in accordance with the Adjudicator's determination.
Schools: Assessments
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the weighted average Key Stage 2 results were of pupils starting Year 7 in (a) Church of England, (b) Catholic, (c) other denominational or faith and (d) other maintained schools (i) in each local authority area and (ii) nationally in each of the last five years. [43674]
Mr Gibb: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Schools: Finance
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to announce a national funding formula for schools for 2012. [47965]
Mr Gibb: In our White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’ we said our long-term aim was to move to a national funding formula. We will publish a consultation this spring on the merits of moving to such a formula, the right time to begin the transition to a formula, the transitional arrangements necessary to ensure that schools and local authorities do not suffer undue turbulence, and the factors to take into account in order to assess the needs of pupils for funding purposes.
Schools: Sports
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department allocated for schools sport in Rochdale in each of the last two financial years; and how much he plans to allocate for such purposes in each of the next two financial years. [33301]
Tim Loughton: The grant allocated for school sports in the Rochdale local authority area for 2009/10 and 2010/11 is set out in the table.
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School Sport Partnership grant (£) (1) | FE Sport Co-ordinators (£) | Coaching (£) | Swimming (£) | Competition Manager (£) | Total (£) |
| (1) Includes Partnership Development Managers, School Sport Co-ordinators and Primary Link Teachers (2) Anticipated. | ||||||
The Department's email of 21 December 2010 to school sport partnerships announced that £65 million will be available to secondary schools to release a PE teacher for one day a week for school years 2011/12 and 2012/13. We are currently considering how best to make the payments to schools and will inform schools about the arrangements separately, as soon as possible.
Science: GCSE
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2011, Official Report, column 345W, on GCSE: science, (1) what form support to schools to offer triple science will take; [42408]
(2) what steps he is taking to increase the number and quality of science teachers. [42409]
Mr Gibb: Future support to schools to offer GCSE triple science is dependent on the more detailed outcome of the spending review which has yet to be announced.
We are investigating a number of proposals that will improve the training of teachers so that standards of teaching are raised in schools. It is the Government’s ambition to improve the prestige of the profession so
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that it attracts the highest quality entrants and to base more initial teacher training in schools so that trainees spend as much time in the classroom, learning from the best teachers. For example, we have already announced plans to expand the successful scheme Teach First so that more schools (including for the first time primary schools) may benefit from the talents of the country’s best graduates. Three quarters of Teach First participants teach the most demanding shortage subjects, including science. Expanding the scheme should therefore help boost the supply of science teachers.
The Schools White Paper 2010, “The Importance of Teaching”, also sets out the Government’s commitment to attract more of the best graduates of shortage subjects, including science, into teaching. We are reviewing the routes into teaching and the incentives offered to well qualified people who want to teach priority subjects; and will shortly publish a strategy document for discussion, setting out our plans for funding initial teacher training from academic year 2012/13.
Teachers: Training
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) initial teacher training places and (b) Teach First places there were at each higher education institution in the academic year (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; how many he expects there to be in the academic year 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [48456]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 22 March 2011]: In 2009/10, 31,050 mainstream places were allocated by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to higher education institutions and this decreased slightly to 30,990 places in 2010/11. The provisional number of places allocated for 2011/12 is 27,680, but this could change as recruitment patterns emerge.
The number of places allocated to each higher education institution by the TDA in 2009/10 and 2010/11 is shown in the table.
The number of Teach First places in higher education institutions (HEI) was 485 in 2009/10 and 560 in 2010/11. The number of Teach First HEI places for 2011/12 has yet to be confirmed.
| Higher education institutions: allocated number of initial teacher training places, years: 2009/10 and 2010/11, coverage: England | ||
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2009/10 | 2010/11 |
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| Source: TDA’s ITT Trainee Numbers Census | ||