Universal Credit
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of people in each parliamentary constituency who will receive less in universal credit than they receive currently in welfare payments. [135840]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the Universal Credit system will handle a statement of an employee's earnings in a given period, obtained from the employer in a PAYE real-time information (RTI) submission, where the hash in the RTI submission cannot subsequently be matched by HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement. [136010]
Mr Hoban: The universal credit system will calculate individual payments based on information received from employers and earnings reported by the claimant where RTI is not available. For any individual universal credit claimant, the lack of a matching cross reference, where one would be expected, will be just one of a number of factors taken into account in assessing whether checks need to be made into any particular claim.
Work Programme
Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding his Department has provided to Work Programme providers in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) Merseyside, (c) the North West and (d) the UK to date. [134998]
Mr Hoban: The total paid to Work programme providers in the UK is £337.9 million from the start of the programme through to 30 July 2012, i.e. the period covered by the statistical release. Due to commercial in confidence considerations we are not able to release financial data below the national level at this time.
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment advisors work as part of the Work programme; and how many such advisors have received training in assisting (a) those with (i) mental health difficulties and (ii) physical disabilities and (b) lone parents. [136270]
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Mr Hoban: The Department does not hold information on the number of employment advisers employed by Work programme providers, or information on the numbers receiving different types of training.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Banks: Assets
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the statement in the Financial Stability Report published by the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England in November 2012, that current accounting standards permit the overvaluing of bank assets; and if he will make a statement. [136057]
Jo Swinson: The Financial Stability Report acknowledges that the need to revise international accounting standards to improve the approaches taken to determining provisions for losses on loans has been recognised. The Government continue to press the International Accounting Standards Board and the European Commission to prioritise the development and agreement of an improved standard for use within the European Union.
Consumer Information
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which companies have signed up to the midata initiative. [135847]
Jo Swinson: The Department issued a list of businesses that have formally agreed to work towards the midata principles on 3 November 2011. Those agreeing to be involved were:
Avoco Secure
Billmonitor;
British Gas;
Callcredit;
EDF Energy;
E.ON;
Garlik;
Google;
Lloyds Banking Group;
MasterCard;
Moneysupermarket.com;
Mydex;
Npower;
RBS;
Scottish Power;
Scottish Southern Energy;
The UK Cards Association;
Three;
Visa.
Since then we have worked with other businesses on midata to promote the voluntary release of data to their customers in an electronic format. We plan to review the progress of the voluntary programme in the summer.
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Redundancy
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year. [135475]
Jo Swinson: I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
This Department does not hold this information centrally regarding its non-departmental public bodies and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Thank you for your question addressed to the Minister of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year. (135475)
The UK Space Agency became an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 1 April 2011. The answer to the question is that no posts have been declared redundant since then.
Letter from Paul McGuire, dated 7 January 2013:
In response to the above Parliamentary question requesting information on the numbers and costs of redundancies, please find as follows the information for the Skills Funding Agency since its inception in 2010:
Year 2010/2011
225 redundancies costing £12,643,000
Year 2011/2012
427 redundancies costing £13,110,000
Letter from Richard Judge, dated 7 January 2013:
The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year.
The Insolvency Service has not declared any posts redundant since 1999.
However, there have been a number of departures under voluntary exit schemes based on the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme which were open to all of The Service's staff.
In 2010-11 The Service's Voluntary Early Retirement/Voluntary Exit Scheme resulted in costs of £17,257K and the total number of exit packages was 470. In 2011-12 The Service's Voluntary Early Retirement/Voluntary Exit Scheme resulted in costs of £1,701K and the total number of exit packages was 67.
When an Insolvency Service role ends employees are given the opportunity for redeployment before a paid exit is considered.
Letter from Tim Moss, dated 3 January 2013:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 19 December 2012, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UIN 135475.
Companies House has declared a total of three posts redundant during the prescribed period with two in 2011 and the other in 2012. The costs of those redundancies totalled £108,409.23 in 2011 and £40,788.28 in 2012.
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Letter from Peter Mason, dated 7 January 2013:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly the National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 19 December 2012, asking the Secretary of State of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the number of posts declared redundant in the Department's executive agencies in each year since 1999 and the cost of those redundancies.
There have been two occasions since 1999 where former staff of this Agency have received redundancy payments as a result of their post being declared redundant—one in the financial year 2007/08 and one in the financial year 2008/09. I am not able to disclose the amounts of compensation paid for reasons of the Data Protection Act, but I can say that in both cases compensation equivalent to the statutory minimum entitlement was paid.
Letter from David Evans, dated 7 January 2013:
On 19 December 2012 you tabled the following parliamentary question;
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year.
The following table shows the figures requested. We had no redundancies until 2008/9. For clarification, we have taken the number of posts to mean FTE posts. There are two sets of figures as follows. The first relates to in year redundancy costs. The second is the total costs for those staff aged between 50 and 60 leaving under early retirement terms. These costs are estimates because they will need to be adjusted for future inflation.
| Financial year | Posts (FTEs) | Redundancy cost incurred during the year (£ million) | Total cost of those redundancies (£ million) |
I hope the information provided is useful.
Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 8 January 2013:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 19th December 2012, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office has had a number of voluntary severance or surplus schemes in this period as it looks to ensure it retains the right skills mix despite changing technology and demand. Surplus staff are moved within the Office or the wider civil service in line with Civil Service protocols. The amounts shown are the total cost of the departure charged to the Office, without any discounting, when the decision is made. Earlier years are not available without disproportionate effort.
| Number | £000 | |
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Letter from John Hirst, dated 8 January 2013:
I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 19 December 2012, UIN 135475 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Data on the number and cost of redundancies and other paid exits from 2009-10 are provided in the following table. Prior to 2009-10 the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
| Number of compulsory redundancies | Number of other departures agreed | Total payments (£) | |
Letter from Vanessa Lawrence, dated 8 January 2013:
As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills "how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year".
The following table shows the number of Civil Servants who have left Ordnance Survey via a redundancy or early retirement process for the period April 2002 to January 2013. Figures for the period 1999 to 2002 are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
| Number of redundancies | Early retirement costs in year (£000) | |
Provision for voluntary release costs are incurred in the financial year that agreement is reached, however the actual date of leaving the organisation may occur in the following financial year.
The average pay-out made each year fluctuates significantly owing to various factors including the numbers, ages, seniority and length of service of those leaving, as well as the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in operation at the time of departure.
I hope this information is of use.
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in how many cases of collective redundancy the duration of the consultation undertaken by the employer was (a) 45 days or fewer, (b) 90 days or fewer and (c) more than 90 days in the last three years. [135939]
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Jo Swinson: The Government do not have sufficient information to answer this question, for the following reasons.
Although employers proposing to make collective redundancies have a duty to notify the Secretary of State in advance, they are not required to inform him of when their consultation closes.
The Government conducted a call for evidence on the current collective redundancy regime from November 2011 to January 2012. Following this, the Government consulted on a package of reforms from June to September 2012. On both occasions, the Government asked for data on how long it took to reach agreement in collective redundancy consultations. However, on neither occasion did many directly answer the question. For those that did, the indication was that timescales ranged from 14 days to six months.
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Government response on changes to the rules on collective redundancies, what steps he plans to take to encourage employers to extend consultation beyond the minimum 45 day period where necessary; and when he plans to review the impact of any changes. [135942]
Jo Swinson: The call for evidence and consultation that Government have carried out on the current collective redundancy regime showed that consultations can and do last longer than the minimum period and we expect that to continue where circumstances make this appropriate. In addition, I have asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) to work with stakeholders to produce new non-statutory guidance that will promote best practice for good quality consultation and engagement between employers and employees. This will emphasise the need for meaningful consultation.
The Government will introduce the new 45-day period in April. We will review the operation and impact of the shorter statutory period on the labour market once we have had time to see its full effect.
River Severn
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 461W, on River Severn, whether public funds have been provided to (a) Cardiff Metropolitan university and (b) Cardiff university for research and promotional activities relating to the Severn barrage since October 2010. [135002]
Mr Willetts: Neither the Research Councils nor Technology Strategy Board have funded work on the Severn Barrage; although we are unable to tell if research funded by the councils and performed within Cardiff Metropolitan or Cardiff university relates indirectly to elements of the Severn Barrage study.
Students: Finance
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the future of the 19 to 25 Learning Entitlement Grant; and if he will make a statement. [135997]
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Matthew Hancock: The ‘Skills Funding Statement 2012-2015’, published on 6 December 2012, sets out the eligibility for funding for learners aged 19 and over. Details can be found in the table on page 7 of the statement at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/12-p172-skills-funding-statement-2012-2015.pdf
Training: Veterans
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support the Government are providing to former army personnel to retrain for civilian roles within and outside the armed forces. [135767]
Matthew Hancock: This Department works with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to prepare army personnel for civilian life.
MOD has a significant programme of activity to help army personnel make the transition to life and work outside the forces. The Career Transition Partnership provides a resettlement service to eligible service leavers that helps personnel make a successful transition to civilian employment in a suitable second career appropriate to their skills, knowledge, experience and aspirations. Those who have completed six years service or more are entitled to an individual resettlement training costs grant to help meet the costs of training during resettlement. Access is also provided to training that translates skills developed in the armed forces into equivalent civilian qualifications.
The adult skills budget, with its significant flexibilities for colleges and further education providers, supports skills provision for adults in general. Two specific schemes support army personnel in preparing for civilian roles after leaving the forces.
The Service Leavers scheme pays the tuition fees for certain service leavers to gain a first full Level 3 qualification or a first higher education qualification, up to and including a first degree.
Support for those ex-service personnel who wish to start up in business, or need support in the early days of a new business, is provided through the Be the Boss scheme, set up with £5 million of funding from this Department. Be the Boss is run by the Royal British Legion and has successfully funded 194 businesses with 1,946 ex-service personnel now preparing to set themselves up in business.
Education
Bellerbys College
Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what reports he has received on allegations of falsification of exam results at Bellerbys Colleges; and what steps he proposes to take to investigate such allegations. [135763]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has received no reports or representations regarding alleged exam malpractice involving Bellerbys Colleges.
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The Department for Education and Ofqual, the independent regulator for qualifications and examinations, take allegations of exam malpractice very seriously. Responsibility for investigating allegations of malpractice and issuing penalties (where appropriate), for any candidate or exam centre, is a matter for exam boards.
Bright Futures
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what relationship the Bright Futures educational organisation has with his Department; what role it plays in respect of the Department's operations; and where it is located in the Department's structure; [134750]
(2) what role in respect of his Department (a) Dana Ross and (b) Jerry Andrews have at the Bright Futures educational organisation; how much each receives from public funds; and by whom each is paid. [134751]
Elizabeth Truss: Bright Futures is an approved sponsor and was established in August 2011. The Trust is led by Dana Ross-Warwzynski, the executive head teacher of Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, and currently sponsors Cedar Mount Academy, Gorton Mount Primary Academy and Stanley Grove Primary Academy. All schools sponsored by Bright Futures are in the area of East Manchester.
Sponsors make a huge contribution to Academies, bringing drive, expertise and capacity as well as experience from a wide variety of backgrounds and sectors. Sponsors play a pivotal role in turning round and improving the life chances of pupils in some of the most disadvantaged and under-performing schools in the country.
Bright Futures is not located within the Department's structures.
Dana Ross-Warwzynski is the chief executive officer and executive head teacher of the Bright Futures Education Trust. We do not hold information on Jerry Andrews.
The Trust receives funding from the Education Funding Agency. The use and allocation of these funds, including the payments they make to their employees, is a matter for each Trust. Academy Trusts are charitable companies and are required to file their accounts with Companies House, through which they are available for public inspection.
Child Protection
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps he is taking in response to the findings of the Serious Case Review of Child EG published by the Westminster Safeguarding Children Board; [135814]
(2) what steps he is taking following the findings of the Serious Case Review of Child Z published by the Croydon Safeguarding Children Board in October 2011. [135723]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 7 January 2013]: The two serious case reviews that my hon. Friend refers to contained a number of recommendations for central Government. These relate to the responsibilities of several Government Departments. I am responding as I have ministerial responsibility in Government for policy on serious case reviews.
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Officials of the Department are liaising with those Departments to clarify the latest position on the issues the recommendations raise. Because of the time of year it has not yet been possible to collate all of that information. I will therefore write with a full reply to my hon. Friend’s questions shortly.
Education: Assessments
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of introducing a UK-wide public examination system. [124293]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 22 October 2012]:The public examination system is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government. We have no plans to seek to change that position.
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that the views of those schools in Northern Ireland that sit GCSE examinations through English and Welsh Boards are taken account of in any consultation on new examination arrangements for England. [124294]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 22 October 2012]:We announced in September our intention to introduce new English baccalaureate certificates. As qualifications policy is a devolved matter, our decision to replace GCSEs with high-quality qualifications, matching the best in the world, applies to England only. Our proposals for implementing our reforms are now the subject of consultation, and we will welcome and consider any views which teachers, parents, students and others in Northern Ireland choose to submit.
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how often he has met his counterparts in Northern Ireland and Wales to discuss the current examination arrangements at GCSE and A level in the last year. [124295]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 22 October 2012]:The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has not met the Minister for Education in Northern Ireland or the Minister for Education and Skills in Wales to discuss current examination arrangements at GCSE and A-level in the last year. An invitation has been extended to the Ministers to meet me to discuss our proposals for English baccalaureate certificates and reform of A-levels.
Employment Agencies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total spending on recruitment agencies by his Department was in each month from July to December 2012. [135219]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has spent the following amounts on the provision of temporary (agency) staff through the two recruitment agencies with which it has a contract.
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| £ | |
| (1) TBC. At the time of submitting this response, final figures for December were unavailable as not all invoices had been received. | |
English Baccalaureate
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will publish the results of his public consultation on the English Baccalaureate. [135394]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 January 2012]: We are currently reviewing the responses that we have received during this public consultation and anticipate reporting the results early in 2013, once we have considered them fully.
Equality
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of staff in his Department have received training in equality and diversity and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, within the last three years. [134589]
Elizabeth Truss: In line with the Government policy of embedding equality as an integral part of policies and programmes, the Department builds equality and diversity into all staff development and training and in 2010 ran specific workshops across the organisation to explain changes to the Equality Act and how it would impact on our people and our work.
Information on the numbers of staff who received training is not held centrally could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Free School Meals
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what his policy is on provision of free school meals under universal credit; [135119]
(2) if he will estimate the cost of extending free school meal entitlement to all (a) primary and (b) secondary school children living in households (i) with a total income below £16,190 and (ii) in receipt of universal credit. [135120]
Mr Laws [holding answer 7 January 2012]: The Government's aim is to ensure that, as universal credit is gradually introduced from 2013, the criteria by which children in primary and secondary schools are entitled to free school meals are fair, simple, and easily integrated into the way that schools currently provide free school meals. We are also seeking to minimise additional costs to the public purse from any changes.
We are therefore working with the Department for Work and Pensions to simplify free school meals criteria under universal credit, while ensuring that free school meals continue to be available to the families who need them most. We are also working closely with local authorities and other interested parties.
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The following table provides current estimates of the additional cost: of (i) extending free school meal entitlement to families who will be entitled, to universal credit with a total income (excluding benefits income) of below £16,000; and (ii) of extending entitlement to all families who will be entitled to universal credit. Estimates for precisely £16,190 are not available. This compares with a total estimated cost of free school meals in 2012-13 under current criteria of £460 million. All figures are in today's prices.
Health Education: Drugs
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the role of drugs education within the curriculum; what representations his Department has received on the nature and effectiveness of drugs education; whether he plans to review such evidence; and what steps he intends to take to improve the quality and prevalence of drugs education in schools. [135128]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 January 2013]: Pupils are currently taught about the negative physiological effects of drugs as part of the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study for science, and may also receive wider drugs education as part of non-statutory Personal, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. Revised draft programmes of study for both subjects will be sent out for consultation in due course and consultation responses received will be taken into account before final programmes of study are published later this year.
Health Education: Sex
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students have been removed from secondary school sex education classes on the discretion of their parents or guardians in (a) Hastings and Rye constituency, (b) East Sussex and (c) the UK in each year since 1997. [135374]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 January 2013]: The Department does not collect data about the removal of pupils from Sex and Relationship Education (SRE).
ICT: Theft
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [135285]
Elizabeth Truss: The following departmental IT equipment has been lost or stolen in the period requested:
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| Lost | Stolen | Total | |
Information about mobile phones is not currently held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All DFE IT equipment is fully security encrypted. The replacement cost of laptops includes encryption- software to allow the handling of sensitive material up to ‘Restricted’ and to meet the Code of Connection for the Government Secure Intranet.
Ofsted
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements are in place to ensure accountability of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools to (a) the Government and (b) Parliament. [135000]
Mr Laws: Ofsted is a non-ministerial Government Department, with a non-executive board that sets the strategic objectives and holds Her Majesty's Chief Inspector (HMCI) to account for the delivery of his functions. HMCI is required to make an annual report to the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), which is laid before Parliament, presenting key inspection findings. Ofsted is also required separately to publish an annual report and accounts in line with HM Treasury requirements for Government Departments. HMCI is accountable directly to Parliament and is called to give evidence twice annually to the Education Committee, to account for his performance and for Ofsted's operational activities. Ministers meet regularly with the chief inspector to discuss a range of issues.
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many inspectors were engaged by Ofsted who had (a) qualified teacher status and (b) lay inspector status in each of the last five years. [134999]
Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, providing him with the information requested, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 3 January 2013:
Your recent Parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
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Ofsted carries out inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. These provisions came into force on 1 September 2005 and replaced much longer inspections which were previously carried out under section 10 of the School Inspection Act 1996.
The teams that carried out the s10 inspections included 'lay inspectors' as required by that legislation. However, the effect of the legislative changes which took place under the Education Act 2005 was to repeal the provisions relating to the use of lay inspectors. Lay inspector status therefore ceased to exist when Ofsted started carrying out section 5 inspections in September 2005.
Following the introduction of section 5 inspections, just two types of inspector have carried out inspections under section 5. These are Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI), directly employed by Ofsted, and additional inspectors, employed by the Inspection Service Providers, contracted to deliver inspections of behalf of Ofsted.
Since the introduction of section 5 inspections, additional inspectors have all had to be appropriately trained and then presented for ‘sign off’ by HMI before they can be deployed on inspections. In addition, where an additional inspector has not been used on an inspection for 12 months they must be re-presented.
Following the changes to the inspection process introduced by the Education Act 2005, a small number of additional inspectors who were previously experienced lay inspectors continued to be deployed on inspections, until a decision was taken by the Chief Inspector in July 2012 to cease their deployment.
All of Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) who currently undertake section 5 school inspections are required to have a teaching qualification and to have been teachers. This includes those qualified to teach in the 14-19 age range. Ofsted has not directly engaged lay inspectors in the last five years.
We have obtained information on additional inspectors from our three Inspection Service Providers (Tribal, Serco and CfBT). The figures represent those inspectors who are engaged in inspecting schools under section 5 only. We are only able to give the figures from September 2009 as this is when we entered into the current contracts with our Inspection Service Providers. The information prior to this date is not available to us. Please note that qualified teacher status (QTS) is interpreted as QTS or the equivalent teaching qualification, because many of the workforce became qualified to teach prior to the Introduction of QTS.
The data have been supplied by each of our Inspection Service Providers and, as there are a number of Inspectors who inspect across the three contracts, there may be a small element of duplication in the numbers of both those with QTS or equivalent and those without.
| Additional Inspectors with QTS or equivalent | Additional Inspectors without QTS (‘Lay Inspectors’) | |
Since 26 October 2012, there are no inspectors without QTS or equivalent teaching qualification inspecting schools under sections.
A copy of this reply has been sent to David Laws MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Olympic Games 2012
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which events at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics were attended by each Minister in his Department using tickets or passes for which they did not pay personally; and what the cost was of attending each such event for members of the public who used comparable seats or had comparable access. [135653]
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Elizabeth Truss: The Government pledged to publish these details following the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will do so shortly.
Playing Fields: Schools
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy that (a) academies and (b) free schools must notify (i) his Department and (ii) any other public body of the sale of school playing fields; and if he will make a statement. [129786]
Mr Laws: No disposal of publicly funded playing field land held for the purposes of an academy or free school—whether that land is held freehold by the Academy Trust or leased to them—may take place without the consent of the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove).
The exact circumstances of that consent differ according to who holds the land and how. For maintained schools and land leased by an academy from a local authority for less than 10 years, consent is granted under Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act (SSFA) 1998. Applications made under section 77 of the SSFA are considered by the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel. For land where the Academy Trust owns the freehold (or where it is held by another charitable Trust such as a Diocese) consent is obtained under Schedule 1 to the Academies Act 2010. These cases do not go before the panel, but are still subject to detailed scrutiny by officials and a final decision by Ministers using the same criteria as are set out for applications made under section 77.
Sale proceeds must be used to improve sports or education facilities, and we will only agree to the sale of playing fields if the sports and curriculum needs of the academy and its neighbouring schools can continue to be met.
As part of the request for consent, those proposing disposal will need to confirm that relevant local authorities and minor authorities (such as district councils) are consulted. Any subsequent sale would also be subject to local planning procedures and consents.
Procurement
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many civil servants in his Department regularly deal with procurement services. [135664]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education currently employs 48 civil servants in the central Commercial Division who regularly deal with procurement services. The Department has a devolved procurement process and so there are also a number of other civil servants in policy directorates who would regularly deal with procurements services, the number of these members of staff are unknown.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many procurement officers in his Department have relevant procurement qualifications. [135665]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education currently employs 43 procurement officers, of which 33 have completed the relevant procurement qualification and a further six are part-qualified.
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Pupil Exclusions: Suffolk
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were permanently excluded from (a) primary, (b) middle, (c) upper and (d) secondary schools in Suffolk in each of the last three years. [134837]
Elizabeth Truss: The available information is shown in the following table.
| Number of permanent exclusions in state-funded primary and secondary schools in Suffolk local authority area(1,2,3), years: 2008/09 to 2010/11 | ||||
| Number of permanent exclusions | ||||
| Of which: | ||||
| State-funded primary | State- funded secondary | Middle deemed secondary | Total(4) | |
| n/a = Not available. ‘*’ = Less than 5. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all through academies). (4) Totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census | ||||
For 2008/09 and 2009/10, the Department carried out a checking exercise to confirm the overall number of permanent exclusions. This confirmed the number of primary and secondary phase exclusions in each local authority area but not at school level, therefore information for middle schools is not separately identifiable prior to 2010/11. For 2010/11, middle schools can be identified but to separately identify upper secondary schools would incur disproportionate cost.
The latest data on exclusions were published in the “Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11” Statistical First Release on 25 July 2012 at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001080/index.shtml
Redundancy
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many civil service posts have been made redundant by his Department in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of redundancies in each such year; [135460]
(2) how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year. [135461]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department (and its predecessors) has not made any staff redundant but has agreed voluntary early releases.
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| Financial year | Number of voluntary early releases | Cost (£ million) |
Available information for the Department's non-departmental public bodies is as follows:
| April 2010-March 2011 | ||||
| Voluntary releases | Cost | Compulsory releases | Cost | |
|
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) | ||||
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Information for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Redundancy Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total amount of redundancy pay paid to civil servants in his Department was in each month from July to December 2012. [135217]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not made any redundancy payments. However, it has funded a number of approved voluntary exits over the period. All compensation payments have been made in line with Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules and these payments are set out in the following table:
| 2012 | ||
| Month | Number of staff | Total amount of compensation paid (£) |
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Schools: Catering
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many support staff have been employed in the role of cook or catering assistant in schools in (a) 2012 to date and (b) 2011. [134475]
Elizabeth Truss: In November 2011 the head count number of staff employed in the roles of cook and ‘other catering staff' directly employed by publicly funded schools in England was 10,710 and 29,330 respectively. A further 5,770 cooks and 9,150 other catering staff employed by third party agencies were also recorded as being employed in these schools. The information is from the School Workforce Census, November 2011.
The information requested for 2012 is expected to become available in April 2013.
Schools: Public Footpaths
Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school playgrounds and playing fields owned by schools are crossed by public footpaths; how many such footpaths have been diverted for security reasons; and how many have been closed in the last 10 years. [135078]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not collect or hold this information.
Schools: Standards
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to reform school league tables. [135004]
Mr Laws: We have already made significant reforms to school performance tables. The new tables include much more data than ever before, bringing together information on attainment, school finance, school workforce, Ofsted reports and pupil absence into one easily accessible site. The last secondary school tables contained four times more data than the previous year. From 2014, only high-value qualifications will count in secondary school performance tables. This will encourage schools to enter students for qualifications that are most likely to help them progress to further study or employment.
This term, we will launch a consultation on further reforms to school accountability, in preparation for the introduction of the new English Baccalaureate Certificates. The consultation will ask how we can ensure that the performance tables recognise schools that support all their students to achieve their best, and how we can minimise any perverse incentives in the accountability system. We also plan to consult on further reforms to ensure that only high-value qualifications count in the performance tables for 16-19 education providers.
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Secondary Education
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) name, (b) URN and (c) establishment number of each maintained secondary school was in the latest year figures are available; what proportion of pupils at each such school (i) were entitled to free school meals, (ii) had special educational needs with statements or school action plans, (iii) spoke English as a second language, (iv) achieved five or more GCSEs at grade C or above and (v) achieved the English Baccalaureate; and what the (A) average uncapped GCSE, (B) key stage 2 to 4 centre value-added and (C) key stage 2 to 4 raw value added score was at each such school. [134700]
Elizabeth Truss: The 2011 School Performance Tables include a wide range of indicators for each state-funded secondary school; this information is available on the departmental website here:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html
The following table indicates in which file at the above link (Census or KS4 Results) the requested information can be found and how the required columns are identified:
Definitions for each indicator are available from the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/metadata.html
Further information can be accessed by clicking the ‘plus' next to “KS4 Attainment Results” or “Census data” headings.
State-funded (i.e. LA maintained, Academy and Free School) secondary schools are identified in the NFTYPE column as follows:
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| Abbreviation | School Type |
The 2012 School (Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5) Performance Tables are planned to be published at the end of January 2013.
Special Educational Needs
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of people aged (a) 16 and (b) 17 who are currently not in education, employment or training have a special educational need or disability; and what specific (i) additional support funding and (ii) top-up funding he has allocated to meet the needs of these young people in the next three years. [133635]
Mr Timpson: At the end of 2011, data available from local authorities evidenced that 6.9% of 16 year olds and 10.3% of 17-year-olds with learning difficulties and/or disabilities were not in education, employment or training. This compares with 3.7% and 5.4% among all 16 and 17-year-olds.
The new High Need Students funding reforms provide a new fairer, simpler and more transparent funding system. This approach provides local authorities and education institutions with greater flexibilities through, for example, the introduction of a lagged system that guarantees funding in future years when institutions take on additional students, and through negotiations between local authorities and institutions on the number of learners that will be supported.
One major aspect of the funding reforms is to bring together all funding for students with high cost additional needs using common principles, in which local authorities will be both commissioner and funder. This gives an enhanced role to local authorities and each will have a single high needs budget to cover their education funding responsibilities for all high needs children and young people aged 0 to 25 resident in their area.
Funding will be by three distinct elements. Element 1, core education funding, and element 2, the first £6,000 of additional student support, will be funded by the Education Funding Agency. Element 1 funding will be used for the course(s) being studied and will be based on Education Funding Agency funding formula using lagged student numbers. Element 2 will be allocated based on the number of places each local authority has told the Education Funding Agency it wishes to commission at each institution. Element 3, top-up funding, will be funded directly by the local authority. This is the funding required above elements 1 and 2 to meet the total costs of the education provision, and is based on the student's assessed needs and the setting in which those needs are to be met.
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There is not a specific budget for young people aged 16 to 17 not in education, employment or training who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities because many of these young people will be accommodated within mainstream provision such as schools, academies, colleges, and apprenticeships providers, but the total budget for High Needs Students aged 16 to 24 in 2013-14 will be, some £640 million, which includes programme costs.
Teachers
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) turnover and (b) wastage rate was for (i) full-time and (ii) part-time teachers in each school in the most recent year for which figures are available. [135337]
Elizabeth Truss: The information is not available in the format requested.
The data held by the Database of Teacher Records could in theory provide teacher turnover and wastage data at a school level. However, the Department does not consider the information to be robust enough to produce reliable data at this level. As a result this school level information is not produced by the Department and it is therefore not available to share as requested.
The reason why the Department believes the data are not reliable enough to produce these types of school level indicators is because the Database of Teacher Records is incomplete. The data are derived from the records held in respect of the administration of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme. Consequently there are limitations on the scope of the information that is received. For example, we know that the number of part-time teachers is under-represented as well as those on short-term contracts, unqualified teachers, and those that have opted-out of the scheme. In addition other information is missing because of the time it takes for the records to be updated. This is outside our control.
In order to produce the published national and regional estimates of teacher turnover and wastage the data from the Database of Teacher Records are compared with teacher data from other sources, chiefly the School Workforce Census and in earlier years the form 618g survey, and weighted to ensure it reflects accurately the national position on teacher numbers. Consequently, this process is not currently applied at school level.
National and regional full-time and part-time figures are published in the additional tables C1 and C2 of the April 2011 statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2010 (Provisional)’ which is available at the following web link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/datasets/a00196713/school-workforce-sfr
Figures are still provisional for 2008-09 and 2009-10 and are subject to change.
Teachers: Male
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of primary schools in each decile of deprivation had (a) zero and (b) fewer than 10 per cent full-time equivalent male teachers on their staff. [135335]
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Mr Laws: The following table provides the number and percentage of publicly funded primary schools in each decile of deprivation which had no full-time equivalent qualified male teacher and those with fewer than 10% full-time equivalent qualified male teachers in service in England, November 2011.
| Publicly funded primary school(1) numbers and percentages in each decile of deprivation(2) which had no full-time equivalent qualified male teachers and those which had fewer than 10% full-time equivalent qualified male teachers in service—November 2011—England | ||||
| Publicly funded primary schools with: | ||||
| No qualified males | Greater than zero and fewer than 10% qualified males | |||
| Decile deprivation(4) | Number | Percentage(3) | Number | Percentage(3) |
| (1) Includes nursery schools and excludes 294 schools for which information is not available. (2) The index of deprivation used is the Index of Deprivation Affecting Children, (IDACI) 2012, for the Super Output Area in which the school lies. The index was supplied by the Department for Communities and Local Government. (3) Percentage of the total number of schools in each decile. (4) 0-10% is the most deprived decile, 90-100% the least deprived. Note: School numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Workforce Census, November 2011 | ||||
Teachers: Qualifications
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people obtained each type of school-based qualification offered in IT in 2011; what assessment he has made of the value of such qualifications to the UK communications industry; and if he will make a statement. [135361]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 January 2013]: In 2011 a total of 427,658 pupils took a school-based qualification in IT. The number obtaining each type of qualification is shown in the following table. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), made a statement on the limitations of some IT qualifications in January 2012 in response to reports from leading experts, including NESTA, the Royal Society and e-Skills UK. Professional bodies and the IT sector are now leading the design of new curricula for schools.
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| Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieving specific qualifications, year 2010/11 (Final), coverage: England | ||
| Qualification type | Subject | Number of pupils at end of KS4 achieving qualification |
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Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people obtained each type of school-based qualification offered in leisure and tourism in 2011; what assessment he has made of the value of such qualifications to the UK tourism industry; and if he will make a statement. [135362]
Matthew Hancock [holding answer 7 January 2012]: 13,911 school-based qualifications in leisure and tourism were attained by students reaching the end of key stage 4 in 2011. A full breakdown of the number of students attaining these qualifications in 2011 can be found in the House Library.
At key stage 4, we have introduced strict new conditions that determine which non-GCSE/iGCSE qualifications can be included in performance measures. School performance tables are now restricted to qualifications that are high quality, rigorous and enable progression to a range of study and employment opportunities.
140 non-GCSE/iGCSE qualifications have met the conditions for inclusion in the 2014 key stage 4 performance tables. 117 qualifications will be included in the 2015 tables. In both years, four qualifications in leisure and tourism have met the required standard and will be included in the performance tables. The fact that these qualifications have been included indicates our confidence that they are of high quality and provide students with a solid foundation for future progression.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people obtained each type of school-based qualification offered in engineering in 2011; what assessment he has made of the value of such qualifications to the UK manufacturing and engineering industry; and if he will make a statement. [135363]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 January 2013]: In 2011 a total of 16,020 pupils took a school-based qualification in engineering. The number obtaining each type of qualification is shown in the following table. The Department for Education has not undertaken a specific assessment of the value of school-based engineering qualifications to UK manufacturing, but Professor Alison Wolf made an assessment of the value of such qualifications as part of her recent review of vocational qualifications.
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| Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving specific qualifications. Year: 2010/11 (Final). Coverage: England | ||
| Qualification type | Subject | Number of pupils at end of KS4 achieving qualification |
Temporary Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what amount his Department spent on interim staff as defined by the National Audit Office in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [135158]
Elizabeth Truss: In response to this question, the following information has been taken from the Department's published annual report and accounts for 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively.
| Period | Spend £ million |
The Department has contracts for the engagement of staff and specialist contractors to cover short-term requirements. Situations when resource may be hired
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include: to cover unexpected absences; short term peaks in workload; short term projects; or to cover a permanent vacancy until the vacancy can be filled.
As a result of the spending controls on recruitment introduced in May 2010, any use of contingent labour is subject to the efficiency controls process and requires ministerial approval.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many temporary staff have been recruited in his Department in each month from July to December 2012. [135218]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has recruited the following number of temporary staff (fixed term appointments) during the period July to December 2012.
| Number | |
| (1) At the time of submitting this response, the fixed term appointment figures are unavailable. | |
Young People: Databases
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities effectively track people aged 16 and 17 on the national client caseload following the raising of the participation age; and what plans he has to ensure that the number of young people who are categorised as not known is reduced. [135760]
Mr Laws: The Department recognises that the proportion of young people whose activity is not known in local authority databases is too high. To ensure the transparency of information and increase accountability, the Department makes available on its website data about the proportion of young people whose activity is not known by local authority. Through our Raising the Participation Age local projects, we are supporting local authorities to develop and share effective practice in tracking young people's participation.
The Department intends to publish statutory guidance for local authorities with regard to their duties under the Raising the Participation Act legislation in early 2013. This will make clear their role in effectively tracking young people's participation, and reporting this through the national client caseload information system. The Department wrote to Directors of Children's Services in 35 local areas in early 2012 to draw their attention to their high ‘not known’ rates. This was followed by individual visits and discussions with five areas.
Justice
Ashwell Prison
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2012, Official Report, column 857W, on Ashwell Prison, (1) what the valuation provided for the former Ashwell prison site was; [135807]
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(2) for what reasons the former Ashwell prison site was not placed on the open market. [135808]
Jeremy Wright: The former HMP Ashwell was valued at £1.34 million by the Valuation Office Agency. However if planning permission is obtained for residential development or, (under specified circumstances) retail development, additional payments will be due to the Ministry of Justice within a period of 20 years. The site was not placed on the open market as a sale to Rutland county council was assessed as representing best consideration for the tax payer under current market conditions. The sale of the site was completed on 14 December 2012.
Christmas: Expenditure
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on Christmas trees and decorations in each of its buildings in 2012; how many (a) artificial and (b) real Christmas trees his Department purchased in 2012; whether his Department plans to re-use the artificial trees in 2013; whether the real trees were purchased from eco-friendly and sustainable sources; and how his Department plans to dispose of the real trees. [135021]
Mrs Grant: The Department and its agencies, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) have not incurred any expenditure on Christmas trees and decorations at any of their buildings in 2012. Decorations are usually paid for by the staff themselves. The small numbers of Christmas decorations which have been placed in the reception areas have been recycled from previous years. In respect of the Department's other Executive agency, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), no central records are maintained. To provide information on the amount spent on Christmas trees and decorations in individual prisons would involve incurring disproportionate cost.
Crimes of Violence: Reoffenders
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average number of reconvictions was for each offender found guilty of grievous bodily harm between 1994 and 2011; [135754]
(2) what the average number of reconvictions was for each offender found guilty of actual bodily harm between 1994 and 2011; [135755]
(3) what the average number of reconvictions was for each offender found guilty of robbery between 1994 and 2011; [135811]
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(4) what the average number of reconvictions was for each offender found guilty of rape between 1994 and 2011. [135812]
Jeremy Wright: These questions have been answered using the Ministry of Justice's published proven re-offending statistics for England and Wales, broken down further by offence type. These statistics are published on a quarterly basis and the latest bulletin, for the period January to December 2010, was published on 25 October 2012.
Table 1 shows the number of adult offenders in England and Wales who were released from custody or received a non-custodial conviction at court for offences of rape, robbery, grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm in each of the years 2000, 2002 to 2010; and the average number of proven re-offences per offender.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold proven re-offending data for years prior to 2000; 2000 is the earliest year for which proven re-offending data exist on a comparable basis and data are not available for 2001 due to a problem with archived data on Court Orders. Data for 2011 will be published on 31 October 2013.
A proven re-offence is defined as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one- year follow-up. Following this one-year period, a further six-month waiting period is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
Please note that proven re-offending statistics are available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/proven-re-offending