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Hospitals: Abuse
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on measures to prevent the mistreatment of elderly patients in hospital. [50511]
Paul Burstow: The coalition Government are determined to make the national health service more patient-centred and more responsive to the people it serves. We are focusing on achieving outcomes that are among the best in the world and putting patient safety at the heart of everything the NHS does. That is why the Health and Social Care Bill will create local HealthWatch organisations to give patients more power to ensure their feedback and complaints are heard and to hold their local services to account. We will be publishing a White Paper on Adult Social Care which will also focus on quality outcomes and delivering care with dignity, respect and compassion.
In addition, following the recent ombudsman’s report “Care and Compassion” the Department has commissioned, a series of unannounced inspections by the Care Quality Commission and on 15 February, the NHS chief executive, David Nicholson and the national clinical director for older people, David Oliver wrote to all NHS boards urging action in response to the report. Similarly, the chief nursing officer also raised the report findings at her February meeting with strategic health authority directors of nursing.
Hospitals: Crimes of Violence
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the policy of the NHS is on steps to protect staff from abusive patients. [50590]
Mr Simon Burns: Each national health service body has a duty to address the risks to staff and ensure their safety. NHS Protect can assist employers through guidance on assessing risks and acting to protect staff.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of violence towards NHS staff were recorded in the last six months. [50593]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of physical assaults against staff reported by national health service bodies in England is collected annually.
Information on the number of reported physical assaults against NHS staff in 2009-10 is contained in the document ‘Tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2009-10, broken down by NHS trust/PCT’, which has been placed in the Library.
Leprosy
George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when his Department last reviewed the appropriateness of leprosy as a notifiable disease under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984; [50143]
(2) if he will discuss with the Scottish Executive the different health effects of the approaches taken in Great Britain to notification of leprosy; [50144]
(3) whether he has any plans to review the position of leprosy as a notifiable disease. [50145]
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Anne Milton: The Department has no plans to review appropriateness of leprosy as a notifiable disease under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.
A review was carried out in 2010 as part of work on development of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, laid before Parliament on 11 March 2010, following public consultation.
The Department has no particular plans to discuss with the Scottish Executive the health effects of the different approaches taken in Great Britain to notification of leprosy.
Midwives
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many births per full-time equivalent NHS midwife there were in (a) England and (b) each region in 2010. [50471]
Anne Milton: Information on the number of births in 2010 is not yet available. The following table gives the ratio of births to midwives in 2009.
| Strategic health authorities | Live births: Midwife (full-time equivalents) ratio |
| Source: Birth Statistics 2009, Office for National Statistics; NHS Workforce Census 2009, NHS Information Centre | |
NHS: Private Sector
Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future role of private healthcare providers in the NHS following implementation of his proposed structural reforms. [50757]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are committed to increasing the choice and control that patients have over their care and treatment. Our policy is that any qualified provider, including those from the private sector, that meets national health service standards and prices should be able to provide services to patients.
NHS: Surveys
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public opinion surveys are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) the NHS Information Centre; and if he will ensure the continuation of these surveys. [51018]
Mr Simon Burns: A list of public opinion surveys which are commissioned by the Department could be provided only at disproportionate time and cost, as the Department does not hold this information centrally.
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The NHS Information Centre commissions and funds the following surveys with the public:
The Health Survey for England (HSE); and
Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England.
No decision about continuation of these surveys has been taken.
The NHS Information Centre also commissions the following surveys on behalf of other organisations. The costs of these surveys are met by the sponsoring organisations.
Adult Dental Health Survey 2009;
Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007: results of a household survey;
Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England;
Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults: extending the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 in England;
Attitudes to Mental Illness Survey 2011;
Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 England; and
Infant Feeding Survey 2005 + 2010.
Nurseries: Schools
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the provision of school nursery services of the proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill. [50473]
Anne Milton: We are working on the development of the vision for school nursing to further strengthen the understanding of the contribution of school nurses to the public health agenda.
No assessment has been made centrally. It is for local commissioning organisations to decide how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly. This process provides the means for assessing local needs including the health needs of children and young people and thus the commissioning of appropriate services including school nursing services.
‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England’ describes moving to a system where school nursing teams are leaders in local services for children and young people in a structure that improves public health and protects against big public health threats. The paper reinforces the importance of school nursing as part of the public health work force securing the best health outcomes for children and young people including delivery of the ‘Healthy Child Programme’.
Nurses: Working Hours
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an impact assessment in respect of proposals to discontinue night sisters in NHS hospitals. [50860]
Anne Milton: There are no central proposals to discontinue the role of night sisters in national health service hospitals. It is for local NHS organisations, who are responsible for the number and skill mix of their work force, to satisfy requirements on consulting local partners and communities and to undertake the relevant assessment of impact and equality analysis.
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Palliative Care: Finance
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will maintain funding for hospital chaplaincy as part of his Palliative Care Funding Review. [50040]
Paul Burstow: The Palliative Care Funding Review, which is independent of Government, is taking forward work to review payment systems to support palliative care, including exploring options for per-patient funding.
In the second phase of its work, the review has asked for views on which core components of dedicated palliative care, including spiritual care, should be funded, wholly or partly, by the national health service as a statutory responsibility and which by society. This consultation ended on 30 March.
Ministers will consider the recommendations of the review when they receive its final report, which is expected this summer.
Prostate Cancer
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to promote Prostate Cancer Awareness Month; and if he will make a statement; [50298]
(2) what steps the NHS is taking to improve men’s awareness of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement. [50299]
Paul Burstow: Prostate cancer awareness month is organised and promoted by the Prostate Cancer Charity. The Department works closely with the charity through the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group (PCAG).
“Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” published on 12 January, recognised that more could be done to raise awareness of prostate cancer. A copy has already been placed in the Library. We will be working with PCAG to see how we can raise awareness of prostate cancer by increasing access to the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP). Through the PCRMP, men with no symptoms of the disease receive information about prostate cancer, and advice about the pros and cons of having a prostate cancer specific antigen test.
Regulation
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which regulations have been identified for (a) adoption and (b) revocation by his Department under the Government's one-in, one-out policy between May 2010 and May 2015. [50035]
Mr Simon Burns: The coalition Government policy of one-in one-out was introduced from 1 October 2010 and seeks to identify all regulations that have a direct impact on private sector and civil society organisations and assess the impact in cost and benefit terms.
The following regulations have been identified for adoption and revocation by the Department under the Government’s one-in, one-out policy between October 2010 and May 2015. The Department will continue as part of the flow of regulation, to identify additional outs, for the one-in, one-out regulatory management system.
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| Revocation | ||
| Title of Measure | Out | In force date |
|
Care Standards Act 2001 and associated National Minimum Standards |
||
Ritalin: Children
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many children in households receiving working-age benefits have been prescribed Ritalin in each year from 1997 to 2010; [51038]
(2) how many children were prescribed Ritalin to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each year from 1997 to 2010. [51039]
Anne Milton: The Information Centre Prescribing Team has advised that this information is not available for children’s prescriptions. They have however provided information on the numbers of all Ritalin prescriptions dispensed in the community as follows:
Ritalin is a branded version of the drug Methylphenidate Hydrochloride. The following table shows the total number of items dispensed for Methylphenidate Hydrochloride overall (including Ritalin) and for Ritalin separately for individuals of all ages.
| Methylphenidate Hydrochloride prescriptions dispensed in the community in England | ||
| Thousand | ||
| Prescription i tems | ||
|
|
Methylphenidate Hydrochloride | O f which : Ritalin |
| Notes: 1. Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Data Prescription information is taken from the PCA system, supplied by the Prescription Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority, and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. 2. Prescribers are general practitioners, hospital doctors, dentists and non-medical prescribers such as nurses and pharmacists. 3. Prescription Items Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item. 4. British National Formulary Classifications The PCA system uses the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. No information on why a drug is prescribed is available and since drugs can be prescribed to treat more than one condition it is impossible to separate the different conditions that a drug was prescribed for. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis | ||
Social Services
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for improvement of the social care system. [50510]
Paul Burstow: “A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens” published on 16 November 2010, set the context for the future direction of adult social care in England. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
It said that services should be more personalised, with personal budgets, preferably as a direct payment, provided to all eligible people, by April 2003. Services should be more focused on prevention, delivering the best outcomes for people.
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We know that urgent reform of the social care funding system is needed to provide much more control to individuals and their carers, and to reduce the insecurity that they and their families face.
That is why we have established an independent commission to make recommendations on how to achieve an affordable and sustainable funding system for adult social care in England.
The Commission on the Funding of Care and Support is due to report in July. More information about the commission’s work can be found online at:
www.dilnotcommission.dh.gov.uk
It is our intention to bring together the conclusions of the Law Commission and the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support into a White Paper by the end of the year, with subsequent legislation establishing a sustainable legal and financial framework for care and support.
Stroke: Health Services
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of GP-led commissioning on waiting times to access post-stroke therapy services. [50420]
Mr Simon Burns: The move to general practitioner-led commissioning will improve the fit between service provision and patients' needs. This should be reflected in a better balance in the provision of acute and post-acute care.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of GP-led commissioning on the development of stroke care networks. [50421]
Mr Simon Burns: The stroke clinical networks and the central team that supports them continue to be funded in 2011-12. During 2011-12 consideration is being given to where the functions undertaken by these networks will best fit into the new arrangements.
Visual Impairment
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to achieve the World Health Organisation standard of eliminating avoidable blindness by 2020. [50652]
Mr Simon Burns: In the United Kingdom, we support the aim of eliminating avoidable sight loss by 2020.
Effective screening is already in place for diabetic retinopathy. Between December 2009 and December 2010, 98.1% of people with diabetes were offered screening for diabetic retinopathy.
The national health service has invested significant resources in improving cataract services.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published technology appraisal guidance on the use of Lucentis for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration and has recommended its use as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources for patients meeting specific clinical criteria. Primary care trusts are legally required to make funding available for Lucentis in line with NICE’s guidance.
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Free sight tests are available to people aged 60 and over and other disadvantaged groups. The uptake of NHS sight tests is steadily rising.
We are looking to improve clinical outcomes further through changes being proposed by the Health and Social Care Bill currently before Parliament.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Arts: Research
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department’s strategic research priorities are in respect of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. [50925]
Mr Willetts: The Department does not have any strategic research priorities in respect of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The AHRC’s delivery plan, published in December 2010, was agreed in discussion with the Department. This sets out their strategic research priority areas. A copy of the delivery plan is available on the AHRC website at:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/About/Policy/Documents/DeliveryPlan2011.pdf
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in respect of which Arts and Humanities Research Council projects his Department has allocated funding since May 2010. [50926]
Mr Willetts: The Department provides funding to the research councils. It is for the research councils, rather than Government, to allocate funds to individual projects.
Employment Agencies: EU Law
Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the implementation of the Agency Worker Regulations and their effect on labour market flexibility one year after they enter into force. [49384]
Mr Davey: A review of the Agency Workers Directive will be carried out by the European Commission, in consultation with member states and social partners at Community level, by 5 December 2013. In addition this Department will be regularly monitoring the impact of the Agency Workers Regulations in the UK and will have conducted a Post-Implementation Review by December 2013. The main source of information for the formal evaluation and ongoing monitoring is likely to be the Labour Force Survey/Annual Population Survey but other surveys and research may also be relevant carried out by government or other bodies.
European Regional Development Fund: Local Enterprise Partnerships
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role local enterprise partnerships will play in applications for funding from the European Regional Development Fund. [50229]
Robert Neill: I have been asked to reply.
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All ERDF programmes are overseen by programme monitoring committees. These committees provide strategic leadership and management for ERDF programmes, and the detailed approval of projects is typically undertaken by a range of appointed sub-committees.
Programme monitoring committees will transition to local management committees from 1 July 2011, to ensure that ERDF governance arrangements reflect the coalition Government’s Localism agenda. There will be representation from local enterprise partnerships on local management committees.
Heat Pumps
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ask the United Kingdom Accreditation Service to accredit the leakage rates of fluorocarbons from heat pumps supplied by the heat pump industry. [50291]
Mr Willetts: I am sure that the United Kingdom Accreditation Service would be happy to consider accrediting a laboratory, inspection body or certification body if one came forward to apply for accreditation in respect of the conformity assessment of heat pumps.
Higher Education
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to amend the rules governing the validation of higher education qualifications in order to allow more organisations to validate such qualifications; and if he will make a statement. [50436]
Mr Willetts: Higher education institutions with degree awarding powers (DAPs) are responsible for awarding their own degrees and other higher education qualifications, and can validate qualifications delivered by other providers without DAPs. As I have made clear in recent public speeches, the Government are committed to opening up the market for the delivery of higher education to new and alternative providers. For example, we have said that we will allow non-teaching bodies to offer external degrees. We will set out our proposals in more detail in the forthcoming Higher Education White Paper.
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to increase the proportion of higher education courses delivered in further education colleges. [50437]
Mr Willetts: The Government see an important role for further education colleges delivering higher education courses in a reformed HE system. The Government’s funding reforms, including the extension of loans to part-time students and enabling student choice to drive higher education funding, should benefit further education colleges which can offer an attractive proposition to prospective students.
The forthcoming Higher Education White Paper will set out reforms to help higher education become more dynamic and responsive to demand. This includes making it easier for a more diverse range of providers, including further education colleges, to compete and allowing non-teaching bodies to apply to offer external degrees, giving further education colleges more choice in their provision of degree courses.
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Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the proportion of students graduating from (i) Oxford and (ii) Cambridge University who attended (A) independent, (B) state, (C) grammar and (D) comprehensive schools and obtained first class honours degrees in the last 20 years. [49468]
Mr Willetts: The Department has not commissioned any analysis of its own on the proportion of graduates from Oxford and Cambridge by school type achieving first class degrees.
I am aware of research published in the British Educational Research Journal, 35.5, (pp781-807 2009) by Tom Ogg, Anna Zimdars and Anthony Heath on the effects of Schooling on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford university. This article examined the cause of school type effects upon gaining a first class degree at Oxford university whereby for a given level of secondary school performance, private school students perform less well at degree level.
Figures on the school background of high achieving students at Oxford and Cambridge universities can be secured from the HESA Information Service
www.hesa.ac.uk
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of undergraduate places that will be available at universities in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; what recent discussions he has had with universities about university places; and if he will make a statement. [50281]
Mr Willetts: We expect student numbers in England to remain broadly constant over the spending review period.
I have regular discussions with higher education institutions and their representative bodies about developments in Government policy in their area including on student numbers. We will bring forward proposals for a more flexible and responsive way of controlling student numbers in the forthcoming Higher Education White Paper.
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibilities the Director of Fair Access has to assess a higher education institution's access agreement with reference to specific courses deemed most likely to encourage social mobility. [50855]
Mr Willetts: Our guidance to the Director of Fair Access, published on 10February, said that:
“... evidence has shown that certain courses, particularly those that lead to professional careers, tend to offer the greatest financial benefit to students. Securing fair access to these courses is an important component of promoting greater social mobility. We hope that institutions will make particular reference to these courses in their Access Agreements, and may wish to target their outreach and other activities, such as foundation years, to where they can have greatest impact on access and social mobility.”
Legislation requires the Director to “have regard to” the guidance issued to him by the Secretary of State. Assessment of access agreements is a matter for the Director of Fair Access and he has issued his own guidance to institutions consistent with that from Government.
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Higher Education: Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to higher education authorities about invitations to speakers with a history of promoting anti-Semitism to speak on campuses; and if he will make a statement. [50269]
Mr Willetts: Decisions about external speakers must rest with universities themselves. In this area universities are bound by the law both in protecting freedom of speech on campus, even if that free expression is controversial, and protecting students and staff against harassment or violence. The Government would expect institutions to tackle these issues vigorously when they arise and they have access to guidance from both Government and the sector itself on promoting good campus relations, which draw out the considerations institutions need to give to free expression on campus and to addressing illegal behaviour. Institutions also take advice about external speakers from their local police forces when needed. The Department is active in the wider Government review of the Prevent Strategy which is considering approaches to tackling extremism and supporting integration in universities and elsewhere.
There is no place for racism of any form, such as anti-Semitism, in higher education. Universities have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus and have access to a strong legislative framework and guidance to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of England was covered by a local enterprise partnership on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to support such partnerships in increasing economic growth and job creation in their areas. [50566]
Mr Prisk: To date 32 partnerships have been approved. These represent:
1.8 million or 90% of all businesses (active enterprises) in England
21 million employees (employee jobs figures) or 91 % of all employees in England and;
A population of 47 million or 90% of England’s population.
The Government will work with local enterprise partnerships to ensure that activities which are nationally led are dovetailed as closely as possible with locally-led delivery. These include policies for promoting trade and securing inward investment; investing in research and development and innovation; nurturing high growth sectors; ensuring business improvement for businesses with high growth potential; and increasing access to venture capital.
Manufacturing Industries
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to support British manufacturing industry; what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the Confederation of British Industry on this matter; and if he will make a statement. [50310]
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Mr Prisk: The Government are supporting manufacturing by creating the economic stability that will give businesses the confidence they need to plan and invest. We are doing this by creating a more supportive tax environment, cutting through red tape and unnecessary regulation, increasing access to finance, and focusing on training and apprenticeships. Manufacturers will also benefit from a package of measures announced as part of Budget 2011 to promote growth in manufacturing, such as changes to capital allowances, helping firms to commercialise technology, developing new degree-equivalent higher level apprenticeships, and increased funding for the Green Investment Bank.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers and officials have regular meetings with the Confederation of British Industry including bilaterals and roundtables at which numerous issues are discussed, including manufacturing.
Members: Correspondence
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thurrock of 8 December 2010 on strengthening the integrity of drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. [41393]
Mr Prisk: I replied to the letter from my hon. Friend on 2 March 2011.
Mercosur: EU Action
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will discuss with (a) the European Commission, (b) Members of the European Parliament and (c) his EU counterparts the environmental and social effects of the proposed EU free trade agreement with Mercosur. [50027]
Mr Davey: The UK supports the inclusion of sustainable development chapters, covering environmental and social issues, in all free trade agreements. Negotiations with Mercosur on sustainable development have not begun. Once they do, the UK will discuss environmental and social issues with the European Commission, EU counterparts and Members of the European Parliament.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects of implementation of the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement on future levels of illegal logging in the Amazon. [50133]
Mr Davey: The European Commission’s sustainability impact assessment, available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/analysis/sustainability-impact-assessments/assessments/#study-10
assesses that the free trade agreement (FTA) will have a limited effect on the trade of timber and timber products between Mercosur and the EU, but also notes that illegal logging could increase if not accompanied by appropriate measures. For this reason, the UK will encourage the European Commission to use the FTA to strengthen co-operation with Mercosur on forest law enforcement and governance.
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Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has made at EU level on the need for a European Code of Conduct to be adopted by (a) car manufacturers and (b) franchised dealers under the Block Exemption Regulation; and if he will make a statement. [50376]
Mr Prisk: I have made no representations at European level on this issue.
Overseas Students: Loans
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many children of Turkish workers who have received help with tuition fees since 2006 have not made scheduled repayments in each of the last five years; [49088]
(2) how many students from other EU member states have received living cost support from the Student Loans Company in each of the last five years; [49089]
(3) pursuant to the answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 1180W, on overseas students: loans, how many Swiss national students did not make a scheduled student loan repayment in each of the last five years; [49090]
(4) how much the Student Loans Company is owed in arrears by students from (a) EEA countries, (b) Switzerland and (c) Turkey; [49092]
(5) how much is owed by former students from EEA countries to the Student Loans Company (a) in total and (b) arising from repayments due but not made in each year since 2007. [49117]
Mr Willetts: Information about awards of tuition fee and maintenance loans and about repayments which separately identifies children of Turkish workers, Swiss national students or students from the European economic area (EEA) is not readily available in the format requested.
Generally, living cost support is not available to those students coming from the European Union to study in England. An exception is made for individuals who are exercising their rights under EC law to work in the UK, specified family members of those individuals, EC nationals who have lived in the UK and islands for three years prior to the start of the course, children of Swiss nationals and children of Turkish workers in the UK. Individuals must satisfy certain residency criteria before being considered eligible for the package of maintenance support.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1180W, on overseas students: loans, what procedures are in place to recoup the outstanding debt of those former students from European Economic Area countries who are in arrears. [49417]
Mr Willetts: Student loans in England are only available to those who meet the relevant residence requirements. The Student Loans Company (SLC) applies the same procedures to all borrowers who move overseas after leaving their course.
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When borrowers move abroad, whether temporarily or because they live in another country, they must give the SLC information about their location and earnings. The SLC will determine whether the borrower should be making repayments and, if so, gives them a monthly repayment schedule under the terms of the contract of the loan. The SLC will convert their income into pounds sterling and will tell the borrower the amount they will need to pay each month.
Where borrowers move overseas and do not notify the SLC, they may be charged penalties which will be added to the outstanding loan amount. They may also have to pay the costs of any trace agents employed by the SLC. In some circumstances, they may have to repay the full outstanding amount in a single payment.
Effective collection of student loans across the EU is underpinned by EC regulation 44/2001, which allows the SLC to obtain judgements in UK courts which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. Borrowers who choose to disregard their obligation will be pursued by the SLC and, where appropriate, court orders will be sought.
Regional Development Agencies: Assets
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the chief executive of each regional development agency (RDA) on their proposals for the disposal of assets held by each such RDA. [50901]
Mr Prisk: The Department is working closely with the RDAs. Officials have regular contact with chief executives, and their staff, to discuss issues including their proposals for the disposal of assets. RDAs are also represented on the assets and liabilities working group that has been established to consider general policy issues arising from asset disposal and which developed the principles to guide the disposal of assets:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/economic-development/docs/s/11-727-statement-rda-assets-and-liabilities.pdf
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in the (A) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (B) HM Treasury on the options for the disposal of the assets owned by the regional development agencies; and on what dates such meetings took place. [50905]
Mr Prisk: The Department is working closely with Department for Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury. Officials have regular contact with these Departments to discuss issues including RDA proposals for the disposal of assets.
HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government are also represented on the assets and liabilities working group that has been established to consider general policy issues arising from asset disposal.
Research: Finance
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to clarify the Haldane principle in relation to academic research. [50924]
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Mr Willetts: A clarification of the Haldane principle was published alongside the science and research funding allocations on 20 December 2010, available at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101220/wmstext/101220m0001.htm
This came after consultation with senior figures in the science and research community.
Small Businesses: Recruitment
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small businesses to employ staff. [50538]
Mr Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West (Mr Amess) on 31 March 2011, Official Report, column 482W.
Students: Loans
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of women studying part-time of his decision that the liability to repay student loans commences prior to the completion of the course; [51009]
(2) for what reasons he has determined that part-time students should be liable to begin repaying their student loans before they have completed their course. [51010]
Mr Willetts: Part-time students will become liable to repay from the April following the third anniversary of the start date of their course. This date has been chosen as it is consistent with the repayment date that will typically apply to former full-time students. At that point the interest that will accrue on the loan will be dependent on income of the borrower, rather than being set at the retail price index (RPI) + 3%; those earning less than £21,000 will then accrue interest at the rate of RPI. But no one is expected to repay until they earn more than £21,000.
This balances the needs of the student with those of the taxpayer, as it secures repayments from part-time students who earn more than £21,000 at the earliest reasonable opportunity while also affording protection to low-earning graduates.
Because the earnings threshold at which repayments start will be raised to £21,000, low earners, including many part-time workers, will be more likely to fall below this higher threshold. The new system will particularly benefit those who take time out to have a family and the lowest earners, both men and women, will pay less under the new system, than they would currently.
Education
Academies
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of implementing the presumption that all new schools will open as academies. [37963]
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Mr Gibb: There will be no overall additional cost to the public purse. Where local authorities have identified the need for a new school they must provide the site and any associated capital.
Children in Care
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average length of placement for looked after children was in each local authority area in each of the last three years. [48499]
Tim Loughton: The information requested, is shown in the following table.
The average has been calculated as the mean length of each placement for those children who were looked after at some point during the year. Where a placement started before the beginning of the year, the complete length of that placement has been counted. Where a placement started during the year and continued beyond the end of the year, the length of the placement has only been calculated to the 31 March of that year.
| Average length of placements for children looked after during the year ending 31 March, by local authority (1) . Years ending 31 March 2008 to 2010. Coverage: England | |||
| Days | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
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| (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (2) In 2009, Cheshire local authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford borough and Central Bedfordshire. Source: SSDA 903 | |||
Children: Disability
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Department's announcement of 11 December 2010 on short breaks for disabled children, whether the funding proposed for short breaks for families with disabled children in England will have a consequential effect on the funding for services for families with disabled children living in Scotland. [49486]
Sarah Teather: Using the Barnett formula, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have received a population-based proportion of the education budget and are now able to decide what services they provide in terms of short breaks.
Children: Poverty
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions his Department has had with the End Child Poverty coalition on the proposed pupil premium. [21474]
Sarah Teather: I know of no discussions between my Department and the End Child Poverty coalition group specifically on the Pupil Premium.
The coalition is made up of more than 150 organisations and 10 of these responded separately to our consultation on school funding for 2011-12, which set out proposals for the operation of the Pupil Premium. Consultation ended on 18 October and we announced our decisions on 13 December 2010. Details of the funding settlement can found at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium
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Children's Commissioner
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has for the future of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England; [49889]
(2) what the cost to the public purse of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England was in each of the last three years. [49890]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 31 March 2011]: On 6 December 2010, the Government published the report of an independent review of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner carried out by John Dunford. In the accompanying written ministerial statement, the Government accepted all of John Dunford’s recommendations in principle, notably that a new Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England should be established, with a role to promote and protect the rights of children in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A copy of John Dunford’s report and the written ministerial statement can be found at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0069886/review-of-the-office-of-%20children’s-commissioner-for-england
The Government will consult on detailed proposals in relation to the review, prior to the introduction of draft legislation.
The existing Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England has claimed grant in aid (to the nearest £1,000) for each of the last three financial years as follows:
2009/10: £2,670,000
2008/09: £2,907,000
2007/08: £2,663,000
Cookery: Curriculum
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future teaching of cookery in schools. [49695]
Mr Gibb: On 20 January, the Secretary of State for Education announced that we are conducting a review of the National Curriculum at both primary and secondary levels. This review will include consideration of the status of design and technology (including cookery).
Departmental Contracts
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let. [50692]
Tim Loughton: The Department's financial records show that the Department did not make any payments to Lockheed Martin over each of the last 10 years. The Department does not hold any contract information for this company on its central database.
Similarly the public bodies associated with the Department have confirmed that their financial records show that they did not make any payments to Lockheed Martin over each of the last 10 years and do not hold any contract information with this company.
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Departmental Flowers
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on flowers in 2009-10. [50571]
Tim Loughton: The Department spent £569.99 on flowers in 2009-10.
Departmental Interpreters
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for which services provided by (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies, interpreters provide services in a language or languages other than English; how many interpreters are employed or subcontracted for each non-English language; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interpretation costs incurred in the latest period for which figures are available. [42889]
Tim Loughton: The information is as follows:
(a) During the financial year 2010-11 the Department has spent approximately £14,000 on translation services, through a single service provider with whom we have a framework contract. This information has been drawn from our finance system, using information on payments made to the supplier.
To obtain full details behind each of these transactions could be achieved only at disproportionate cost, but information recorded onto the finance system shows translations into Welsh, and translations from Spanish, Russian and Turkish.
(b) To obtain the detailed information from our non-departmental public bodies could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Bodies
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the School Food Trust. [48630]
Sarah Teather: The Government’s aim is not abolition of the School Food Trust, but rather that it will cease to be an NDPB while continuing as a company and charity. The Trust is exploring how it might best move to become a community interest company to run alongside the charity. The Department is committed to the Government’s ambitions to reform public bodies, improve transparency and accountability, streamline services and reduce costs.
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria his Department uses to determine the allocation of funding to advice lines operated by his Department. [45386]
Tim Loughton:
The decision to fund a service is dependent on whether a contact centre is the most appropriate response mechanism for our target audience (contact centres/help lines rarely just answer calls, but can receive e-mail, SMS, web form or paper responses) and meets the objectives for the work concerned. Therefore the decision to use a contact centre would be taken by policy and communications professionals based on the audience and desired objectives. Regardless of the model chosen, each service records appropriate data using a
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performance management framework (PMF) to ensure efficient use of funds (costs per call handled or other mechanism used, utility, outcomes etc.).
For Government funded contact centres the costs involved are largely variable (for instance depending on the number of calls received) and are worked out based on the projected demand for a service. There is also some element of fixed cost. Likely demand is calculated by looking at existing levels of demand and adding a contingency for any additional demand likely to be generated by increased marketing activity. For new services where we have no historical data or where we need to estimate additional demand, predictions will be made based on activity levels for similar projects.
Funding for these services will therefore vary by year based on demand levels and any efficiency savings gained. This ensures value for money.
However for help lines outside of COI alternative costing models exist which may be based on a fixed price which can be independent of demand (and this can often lead to insufficient or too much capacity and an inflexibility) or through grants (if the service is provided by the 3(rd) sector—which can also lead to similar inflexibility). In-house services will most likely have a fixed budget but may well request more resource if a period of intense demand is expected.
Departmental Travel
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on international travel in the financial year 2009-10. [50561]
Tim Loughton: The total amount spent on international travel in financial year 2009-10 was £42,639. The provisional comparative figure for 2010-11 is £24,728.
Discretionary Learner Support Fund
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether an announcement will be made before 31 March 2011 on the amount of funding his Department expects to make available in the Learner Support fund for 16 to 19 year olds in 2011-12; what rules govern the operation of the fund; and whether college principals and school heads will have complete discretion as to how this fund is used. [49595]
Mr Gibb: On 28 March we announced a new £180 million bursary scheme which, from September 2011, will be targeted towards those young people who most need support to enable them to continue their education and training post-16, together with transitional arrangements to help some of those who are presently in receipt of EMA. We are currently consulting on our proposals.
Education
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children of each ethnicity achieved A* to C grades in English, mathematics, one language, two sciences and either history or geography in each year since 2008. [47270]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
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| Achievements at GCSE for pupils (1) at the end of Key Stage 4 by ethnicity, years: 2007/08 to 2009/10 (amended) (2) , coverage: England, maintained schools (including Academies and CTCs) | |||||||||
| Percentage of pupils achieving A* -C grades in: | |||||||||
| English (3) | Mathematics | Language (4) | |||||||
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 (6) | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 (6) | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 (6) | |