There are no longer any Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) ships based in Scotland. The RMAS disbanded in 2008 and all ships were transferred to the contractor Serco Denholm, now known as SD Marine Services Ltd, as part of the Defence Marine Services contract. These ships continue to operate within Scotland but are currently owned by SD Marine Services Ltd.
Disclosure of Information
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on the updating of published data in line with the Government's transparency agenda in each month since September 2011. [110707]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not record resources expended on individual administrative tasks related to the implementation of the Transparency Agenda. It is therefore not possible to distinguish these costs separately from the costs of broader administrative functions.
The National Audit Office conducted a cross-government review entitled “Implementing Transparency” between October and December 2011. The MOD participated in this review, which focused on the implementation of the standard Transparency releases, outlined in the Prime Minister's letters dated May 2010 and July 2011. The NAO report published in April 2012 concluded that:
“neither the Cabinet Office nor other Departments routinely collect data to monitor the additional costs of transparency initiatives”.
Empty Property
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the empty or largely empty buildings owned by his Department; and if he will make a statement; [110840]
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(2) how many buildings owned by his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if he will make a statement. [110858]
Mr Robathan: Given the size of the Defence estate and its diversity of use, some buildings might be empty for periods, such as when units are away training or on deployment. Such instances are not recorded centrally.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps its estate under review to ensure it is no larger than required and when property is declared surplus, it is disposed of at the earliest opportunity.
The latest list of MOD property in disposal will be placed in the Library of the House and details of that currently for sale can be viewed on the MOD website at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/MicroSite/DIO/OurPublications/PropertySearch/
Firing Ranges
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many firing ranges are operated by (a) his Department and (b) the Defence Infrastructure Organisation; on how many such ranges licensed civilian gun clubs are not permitted regular access; for what reasons civilian gun clubs are not given regular access to certain ranges; on how many such ranges licensed civilian gun clubs are required to undergo counter terrorism check vetting; and how long it took on average for vetting of civilian gun clubs for access to defence firing ranges in the latest period for which figures are available. [110113]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 11 June 2012]: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) operates and manages 542 firing ranges.
MOD ranges are made available for use by civilian gun clubs only when there is spare capacity. Military training requirements always take precedence. All gun clubs must be licensed and it is an individual Station Commander's responsibility to approve or deny access to their station.
Access to all military sites is subject to strict security arrangements.
Figures on the duration for vetting of civilian gun clubs, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Germany: Military Bases
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department's estimate is of the cost of the withdrawal of British military bases from Germany; [110607]
(2) what his Department's timescale is for the withdrawal of British military bases from Germany; [110608]
(3) whether his Department has provided the German government with official notice of the withdrawal of British military bases from Germany; [110609]
(4) estimate his Department has made of the potential effect of the withdrawal of British military bases from Germany on the regional economies of Germany; [110610]
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(5) what his Department's projected capital expenditure is for the withdrawal of British military bases from Germany. [110611]
Nick Harvey: As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review we announced our intention to return personnel based in Germany to the UK.
The full costs of the withdrawal are still being worked through and are, to an extent, dependent on the outcome of the Army's study into its future size and structure (Army 2020). The outcome of Army 2020 will be announced once decisions have been made, which will then allow the Army to work with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to determine the optimum basing solution for the Army while making best use of the existing defence estate. It is expected that returning troops from Germany will save the Ministry of Defence (MOD) around £250 million a year.
Concerning the issue of providing the German government with official notice of our withdrawal, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 November 2011, Official Report, column 812W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy). The MOD will continue to provide information to the German Government in a timely manner. The Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed the matter with Minister de Maizière during talks in May this year.
I would also refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Lord Astor of Hever, to the noble Lord, Lord Janner of Braunstone, in another place on 28 October 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA308.
Gibraltar: Spain
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times vessels from the Spanish Guardia Civil attempted to intercept or escort any vessel in British Territorial Waters off Gibraltar in the last month. [109546]
Nick Harvey [holding answer 11 June 2012]:There were two recorded instances of vessels from the Guardia Civil intercepting marine craft in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters in May 2012.
HMS Vanguard
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of repairs to HMS Vanguard was following its collision at sea with French submarine Le Triomphant in February 2009. [110594]
Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Secretary of State for Defence my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), on4 November 2010, Official Report, column 956W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).
Lost Property
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many items of equipment valued at £10,000 or more his Department lost in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [108925]
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Mr Robathan: The annual report and accounts provides an itemised list of individual losses valued at £250,000 and above. A summary of losses below that threshold is also provided, but we hold no central record of individual losses valued at less than £250,000. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Of the overall number of cases of losses, those relating to accountable stores, of all values in 2008-09 to 2010-11 are provided in the following table:
| Category B1 losses | Category B2 losses | |
Category B1 losses comprise losses by fraud, theft, arson, sabotage, repairable damage to buildings, stores, etc, caused maliciously.
Category B2 losses comprise all other losses, including accidental damage, fire, items lost in transit, items exceeding the expiry date, etc.
Figures for 2011-12 are currently subject to audit.
Military Police
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether defence community police officers are covered by the provisions of the Armed Forces Covenant. [110298]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 11 June 2012]: The chief aim of the covenant is to remove disadvantages that members of the armed forces community may suffer as a result of service. The armed forces community is defined as those who serve in the armed forces, whether regular or reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families. Defence community police officers, like other Ministry of Defence police officers, are civil servants, and are thus not brought within the scope of the covenant by their employment.
NATO
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the UK contributed to NATO's budgets and programmes in each of the last five years; and what (a) proportion of NATO's overall budget was provided by the UK and (b) NATO's overall expenditure was in each such year. [110592]
Mr Gerald Howarth: The United Kingdom's financial contribution to NATO common funds for each of the years in question is set out in Table 1. National cost shares are calculated using an agreed formula which reflects the relative economic strength of the Allies and these are shown in Table 2. Details of the Alliance's overall expenditure for each of the years in question are shown in Table 3.
These contributions complement the considerable military capability that we make available to NATO, and the manpower that we provide to help run the Alliance Command and Force Structures, and Agencies. Allies have agreed that they should aim to invest at least 2% of GDP in Defence and we continue to encourage others to work towards this goal.
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| Table 1: UK Contribution to NATO Budgets | |||
| £ million | |||
| Civil budget | Military budget | NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) | |
| Table 2: UK Contribution as a Proportion of Overall NATO Budget | |||
| Percentage | |||
| Civil budget | Military budget | NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) | |
| Table 3: Overall NATO Budget | |||
| £ million | |||
| Civil budget | Military budget(1) | NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) | |
| (1) The NATO military budget includes provision for the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, to which the UK does not contribute, instead making available its E3D SENTRY aircraft as a contribution in kind. | |||
Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff working for his Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum; and if he will make a statement. [110817]
Mr Robathan: I am not aware of any civil servant working for the Ministry of Defence, its executive agencies and non-department public bodies being employed through off-payroll engagements.
Official Visits: Plymouth
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any military assets were used as part of his official visit to Plymouth on 26 March 2012; [109008]
(2) what the total cost to his Department was of his official visit to Plymouth on 26 March 2012. [109010]
Mr Philip Hammond:
I utilised a 32 Squadron A109 flight to visit HM Naval Base Devonport and HMS Vengeance in Plymouth on 26 March. The notional cost
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is around £2,000. I carried out this official visit ahead of attending Defence questions in the House of Commons the same day.
Publications
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) circulars and (b) consultation documents were issued by his Department in each of the last two years. [110515]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a central list of information circulated to internal and external audiences and to create such a list would incur disproportionate cost.
Public consultations are recorded on the MOD's website and can be found at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/ConsultationsandCommunications/PublicConsultations/
Radar
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of all Giraffe AMB Air search radar systems. [110063]
Peter Luff: Giraffe Agile Multi Beam Radar (G-AMB) radars have been procured at a total cost of £34.7 million (excluding VAT).
Submarines
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Public Policy Exclusion Orders under the Competition Act 1998 (a) he and (b) his predecessors have approved since January 2002. [110596]
Mr Robathan: Three orders have been made under the powers conferred by paragraphs 7(1) and (2) of Schedule 3 of the Competition Act 1998 to exclude arrangements from the application of the Competition Act 1998 on the grounds of public policy. They are the Competition Act 1998 (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2006 relating to the repair and maintenance of surface warships, the Competition Act 1998 (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2007 relating to complex weapons and the Competition Act 1998 (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2008 relating to submarine enterprise collaboration. The 2007 Order was revoked by the Competition Act 1998 (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2011.
Veterans: Employment
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procurement processes his Department uses to provide employment to (a) Erskine and (b) other charitable organisations which assist disabled ex-service personnel. [110050]
Mr Robathan: We value the contribution of the charitable sector in providing help and support to those who have endured so much, particularly Erskine where the first Personnel Recovery Centre is located.
In addition to the tailored resettlement support to facilitate the transition from service to civilian life, some require additional help and we are grateful to those that
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provide this. However, we are not in a contractual relationship to provide employment to Erskine or any other charitable organisation which assist disabled ex-service personnel.
Education
Academies: Food
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on those academies which allow junk food to be available for purchase by pupils. [109254]
Sarah Teather: The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), asked the School Food Trust to look at the approach taken by academies to providing healthy school food. The trust undertook a qualitative study with a mixture of established and new academies, including one free school, and examined the quality of provision to provide a baseline of food provision in academies, and demonstrate the attitudes and intentions of the sector. The report on the study was published on 15 May 2012. This showed that all of the academies interviewed identified food as an important part of overall education provision. Some academies go over and above the minimum requirements and are offering their pupils high quality, nutritional food. The study showed that the academies outperformed maintained schools in all but one of the food standards at lunchtime, but performed less well on some food served at morning break.
There is therefore room for improvement in all schools, as evidenced by the Secondary School Food Survey, published by the School Food Trust on 28 April 2012. This demonstrates that academies appear to be no worse overall at meeting food-based standards at lunchtime than other schools.
Adoption: Ethnic Groups
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Black and minority ethnic children are awaiting adoption in Leicester. [110624]
Tim Loughton: The number of children awaiting adoption in Leicester who are black and minority ethnic was five out of a total of 30 children who were waiting to be adopted, at 31 March 2011, the latest date for which this information is available (figures are rounded to the nearest five children to protect confidentiality).
The data items in relation to whether adoption from care is/is no longer the plan were introduced on a mandatory basis in the SSDA903 return from local authorities in 2008-09. There may have been some children for whom the decision was made that they should be adopted in earlier years and are still awaiting adoption; however these have not been included in this response due to the partial nature, of the data received for earlier years.
The decision that a looked after child should be placed for adoption is made by their local authority but a child cannot be placed for adoption without either a placement order from the court or parental consent. Children who are waiting to be adopted include those
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who have already been placed for adoption (but an adoption order has not yet been made or applied for), those for whom the local authority has applied for a placement order and those where the local authority is identifying a family suitable to meet the needs of the child. Once a child is placed for adoption, it is for the prospective adopters to apply to the court for an adoption order. Being "placed for adoption" means the child goes to live with or continues to live with prospective adopters.
Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release 'Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
Debts Written Off
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much bad debt was written off by his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [110222]
Tim Loughton: In line with HMT guidance, the accounts for the Department and its arm’s length bodies (ALBs) set out bad debt written off as 'losses and special payments' and these are separately listed in the accounts in the Losses Statement.
For 2010-11, the losses for the Department were set out at Note 26 to the Accounts, as follows:
| 2010-11 | ||
| No of cases | £000 | |
For 2011-12, the losses statement will include the ALBs' data within a consolidated Departmental Group Account. This information has not yet been published as the accounts are being audited by the National Audit Office. When this has been completed they will be laid before Parliament. This is planned to happen by July 2012.
Dyslexia
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department provided to improve teachers' skills and knowledge in supporting dyslexic students in each of the last five years. [109495]
Sarah Teather: Over the last five years the Department has provided funding to support teachers develop their skills and knowledge to support children with a broad range of special educational needs, including dyslexic students.
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In relation to specific training for teachers on dyslexia, in 2009-10 we funded the British Dyslexia Association nearly £700,000 to train over 600 teachers.
In 2010-11 we provided over £5.7 million in funding to enable over 2,400 teachers to participate in specialist dyslexia training approved by the British Dyslexia Association across the country.
We have also funded professional development to improve teachers' skills and knowledge on SEN more widely. This has included development of the Inclusion Development Programme CPD materials which include a focus on dyslexia.
Since 2009 we have also provided over £28 million to train nearly 9,000 teachers on the masters-level award in SEN Co-ordination (SENCO).
We have allocated approximately £750,000 to develop new advanced level training materials for teachers on the most common types of SEN which include modules on dyslexia. These will have been reviewed by the Dyslexia Trust and will shortly be made available on the Department's website.
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps his Department is taking to support children with dyslexia; [109498]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to support early identification of dyslexia; [109531]
(3) what funding his Department provides for diagnostic dyslexia assessments. [109497]
Sarah Teather: Early identification is essential to improving the support available to dyslexic pupils. There is no 'formal diagnostic assessment' recommended or funded by the Department for Education. Identification relies on teachers' ability to recognise and respond to early literacy difficulties, supported by more specialist assessment where changes to teaching practice are not effective.
The Department has made support available to all schools for teaching systematic synthetic phonics, shown to be effective at teaching dyslexic pupils to read. This support includes match funding of up to £3,000 for approved phonics materials. The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, introduced this June, has been designed to identify pupils who need extra help with decoding words for reading. Teachers should consider what type of support would be best for each pupil who does not meet the expected standard on the screening check. This process should encourage teachers to consider whether individual pupils may have an additional need, for example dyslexia.
Initial teacher training includes a focus on meeting children's individual needs, including special educational needs. This is supported by specialist resources and an advanced online module for dyslexia developed through the Teaching Agency. Between 2009 and 2011 3,200 teachers completed specialist dyslexia training courses approved by the British Dyslexia Association.
Where pupils have persistent difficulties, an assessment by an educational psychologist or specialist teacher may be necessary to identify what particular needs the pupil may have, and to put appropriate support in place.
The Department has provided funding for 9,000 special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) to have completed the mandatory higher level SENCO award
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by the end of 2011/12. This has provided sufficient funding to for all newly appointed SENCOs to meet the training requirement. Funding is also available for tuition fees and first-year bursaries for up to 120 places on courses for educational psychologists.
Taken together, these measures should support a range of teachers and specialist staff to identify pupils with dyslexia and provide a suitable assessment of need.
Finally, the Department is providing funding to the Dysiexia-SpLD Trust to offer reliable information to parents, teachers and schools so that they can support dyslexic children.
www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk
Financial Services: Education
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will initiate discussions with businesses in the financial services sector to encourage them to support the teaching of financial literacy in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement. [109553]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 11 June 2012]: Finance education is currently taught as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The last OFSTED survey of PSHE, in 2010, included limited evidence about the teaching of personal finance education because the subject was relatively new. We are looking at the quality of finance education as part of a review of PSHE to determine how we can improve the quality of all PSHE teaching.
Support from businesses in and outside the financial services sector is important in helping schools with their finance education programmes. Schools are already drawing on expertise from financial institutions, and organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, to help deliver financial capability education. However, we want schools to have the flexibility to use their judgment about how best to deliver finance education, including which external partners, to use, rather than for Government to approach businesses directly.
We set out, in our White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, how schools will be freed from central Government direction, and how we will trust the professional judgment of teachers to decide on the teaching that best meets the needs of their pupils. Consistent with that principle, we have also protected front line school budgets and reduced central Government programmes, so that schools can also decide how to use their resources to meet local priorities. We therefore have no plans to create a database of personal finance education teaching resources and volunteers. Schools are aware that there are a number of sources available from which they can obtain useful information, including, for example, the Personal Finance Education Group, who have a wide range of resources on their website aimed at teachers and finance education practitioners.
The new Teachers’ Standards, which set out what is expected of all qualified teachers, require teachers to be able to plan out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired. Consistent with our approach to education reform, it is for training providers such as Teach First to decide what trainees should be taught to enable them to
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achieve the Teachers Standards. The Department does not mandate the content of initial teachers training courses.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will encourage Teach First to include the teaching of financial literacy as part of their teacher training; [109570]
(2) if he will provide funding and support to provide high quality personal finance education in all primary and secondary schools. [109571]
Mr Gibb: Finance education is currently taught as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The last Ofsted survey of PSHE, in 2010, included limited evidence about the teaching of personal finance education because the subject was relatively new. We are looking at the quality of finance education as part of a review of PSHE to determine how we can improve the quality of all PSHE teaching.
We set out, in our White Paper, “The Importance of Teaching”, how schools will be freed from central Government direction, and how we will trust the professional judgment of teachers to decide on the teaching that best meets the needs of their pupils. Consistent with that principle, we have also protected front line school budgets, and reduced central government programmes, so that schools can also decide how to use their resources to meet local priorities. We therefore have no plans to create a database of personal finance education teaching resources and volunteers. Schools are aware that there are a number of sources available from which they can obtain useful information, including, for example, the Personal Finance Education Group, who have a wide range of resources on their website aimed at teachers and finance education practitioners.
Free School Meals
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has conducted into whether some households feel embarrassed about claiming free school meals. [109932]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 11 June 2012]:The School Food Trust undertook a review in 2009 of free school meal initiatives across the UK. This showed that there are many reasons why some pupils or parents decide not to claim the free school meal to which they are entitled, including embarrassment. The review ‘Please Sir, can we have some more?' is available on the trust's website at
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/research/research-projects
The School Food Trust has produced a ‘Free School Meals Matter Toolkit' which provides schools with information and advice to help them to ensure that all pupils entitled to free school meals register for, and take, the meal. The Department's online Eligibility Checking Service enables parents to apply for school meals without having to give the school information about their income from benefits or earnings. This helps to reduce the stigma for eligible pupils.
A number of schools and local authorities have put in place cashless payment systems which help ensure that those children who are receiving a free school meal can not be identified.
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Departmental Staff
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what target he has set to reduce headcount across his Department, its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [110241]
Tim Loughton: The total headcount of the Department, its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies fell by 1,378 in 2010-11, from 9,710 to 8,332. There was a further reduction of 509 in 2011-12 to 7,823. No formal target for headcount reduction has been set for 2012-13 but strict controls on recruitment remain in place.
Mutual Societies
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff who will transfer from his Department and its non-departmental public bodies' workforce to a mutual in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [110202]
Tim Loughton: The Department currently has no plans to transfer any staff to a mutual in either 2011-12 or 2012-13.
Office of the Children's Commissioner Independent Review
Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) advice and (b) representations he has received from the Office of the Children's Commissioner on the review of its operation by John Dunford. [109555]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 11 June 2012]: The Children's Commissioner was interviewed by John Dunford during his review and has also contributed to the Government's consultation on the legislative proposals that will be introduced in order to implement John Dunford's recommendations.
Pupils: Disadvantaged
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons the pupil premium is awarded on the basis of numbers receiving free school meals; and for what reasons other measures of deprivation are not taken into account when awarding the pupil premium. [109931]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 11 June 2012]: Known eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is the only pupil level measure of poverty available. This allows us to identify individual pupils and enable schools to target funding and support directly to them. Data on FSM eligibility is also collected and updated annually meaning that it reflects current need. The link between FSM eligibility and underachievement is very strong. In 2010/11 results showed that only 58% of FSM pupils at key stage 2 achieved the expected level in both English and mathematics compared to 78% of all other pupils. At key stage 4 results showed that only 34.6% of FSM pupils achieved 5 A*-C including English and maths
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compared with 62% of all other pupils. It is for these reasons that we use FSM eligibility as the main pupil premium indicator.
Eligibility for the pupil premium has been extended this year to include pupils who have previously been eligible for FSM at any point in the past six years. Evidence shows that these pupils also under achieve when compared to pupils who have never been eligible for FSM.
Schools: Governing Bodies
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 7 March 2012, Official Report, column 807W, on schools: governing bodies, when he plans to publish the updated version of his Department's guide to the law for school governors. [110495]
Mr Gibb: The Governors' Guide to the Law was published on the Department for Education website on Friday 25 May 2012. The guide can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/governance/guidetothelaw/b0065507/gttl
Schools: Mesothelioma
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what process will be followed in the event that a former pupil or non-employee from an academy or free school develops mesothelioma and makes a claim against the school; and who would be liable for any costs; [108133]
(2) whether pupils and non-employees are covered for public liability asbestos exposure risks in academies and free schools. [108134]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 21 May 2012]: Academies and free schools are autonomous institutions and, as such, are responsible for making their own arrangements for insurance. The Department does not maintain central records of the insurance coverage in place. Discussions with insurers have however indicated that there is a general asbestos exclusion for public liability insurance.
The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is not legally responsible for any compensation awarded, and nor is he bound by the terms of the funding agreement to compensate an academy for any such liability. However, the Department for Education would work with any affected academy or free school to ensure that it remained financially secure and the education of its pupils was not compromised.
Secondment
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff of his Department are seconded to the Cabinet Office to work (a) in the Reward, Efficiency and Reform Group and (b) on regional pay issues in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and how many he plans to assign to each in (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15. [109709]
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Tim Loughton [holding answer 11 June 2012]: The Department does not have a group entitled Reward Efficiency and Reform Group. I have provided information based on the Department's Pay, Conditions and Transactions Team that are responsible for the Department's pay and reward policy, including regional pay issues.
At 31 March 2011 the team had 13 full time equivalent staff and on 31 March 2012 this figure had fallen to 8.9 full time equivalent staff. There are currently no confirmed plans to change these numbers over the next two years.
Special Educational Needs: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department is providing to the development of better provision for special educational needs in Warrington. [109937]
Sarah Teather
[holding answer 11 June 2012]:I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 24WS, setting out our plans to radically reform the current system for identifying, assessing and supporting children and young people
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who are disabled or have special educational needs (SEN) and their families. We are currently providing £6 million a year to a range of organisations to improve support in local areas including: short breaks for families; training for key workers to support parents; supporting the national network to continue to develop parent partnership services that offer information and advice to parents about SEN; helping young people prepare for adulthood; helping early years professionals to identify children's language needs and improve their early language development; developing approaches to early intervention in mental health support for children and young people; and supporting local Parent and Carer forums to work with local authorities to help design and develop local services.
We have also launched a scholarship scheme for teachers to undertake specialist postgraduate qualifications and introduced a similar scheme for talented support staff to gain degree-level qualifications to improve their knowledge and expertise. We have developed materials on specific impairments to support continuing professional development and developed a greater focus on SEN within standards for qualified teacher status and the new professional qualification for headship.