Emergency Services: Telephone Services
Dr Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of an amalgamation of the emergency services call centres. [148255]
Miss Chloe Smith: The provision of emergency services call centres, including any sharing or amalgamation, is a matter for the emergency services.
Government Departments: Procurement
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the transparency of gender balance for those organisations contracting with the Government. [148563]
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Miss Chloe Smith: Public authorities are required to have due regard to equality issues in their procurement activity under the Equality Act 2010. Practical steps are contained in Procurement Policy Note 01/13.
Annual Leave
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials. [147732]
Mr Maude: At present, as was the situation under previous Administrations, Cabinet Office staff qualify for 2.5 days privilege leave per year in addition to their annual leave entitlement. One of these days is granted under the authority of the Queen.
In the Civil Service Reform Plan, the Government announced our intention to modernise civil service terms and conditions, and to address those which are outliers relative to best practice in the private and wider public sector.
Privilege leave represents a total cost to the public purse of 0.96% of the Department's overall paybill.
Mobile Phones
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many BlackBerrys have been purchased by his Department since May 2010. [148663]
Mr Hurd: Further to my answer of 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1140W, the Cabinet Office has purchased 825 BlackBerrys from 2011 up to 13 March 2013. Data from before 2011 is not readily available. I
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Michael Ellis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many members of quasi-autonomous, non-governmental bodies are paid more than the Prime Minister. [147650]
Mr Maude: Since the general election, all appointments made by Ministers to public bodies which have a salary of over £142,500 require approval from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This threshold is applied on a pro rata basis.
Information on the remuneration of chairs of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), for the financial year 2011-12, can be found in public bodies 2012. This publication is available at:
http://resources.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/PB12.pdf
Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.
In addition to this the Government published information in 2010 identifying NDPB staff who earn more than £150,000. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/quango-high-earners-revealed-by-the-cabinet-office
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Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year. [148038]
Mr Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 18 January 2012, Official Report, column 878W. Data for 2012-13 is not yet available.
Public Sector: Databases
Mr Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will produce statutory guidance to all public services on data sharing and the use of data sharing in detecting the early warning signs of criminal behaviour or child protection concerns. [147392]
Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) published a statutory code of practice on data sharing under s52 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) in May 2011. The code explains how the DPA applies to the sharing of personal data and provides good practice advice to organisations that can be adapted to the particular circumstances in which they are operating, including those organisations involved in child protection. The code of practice can be found at:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/topic_guides/data_sharing.aspx
The Government will be publishing revised statutory safeguarding guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, which makes clear the information sharing responsibilities of organisations and professionals dealing with child safeguarding or child protection concerns.
In addition, the cross Government publication, Information Sharing: Guidance for practitioners and managers, supports front-line practitioners working in child or adult services who have to make decisions about sharing information on a case-by-case basis.
Recruitment
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials were recruited to (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years. [147962]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office has recruited 261 officials in 2009-10, 165 officials in 2010-11, and 311 officials in 2011-12. Figures for prior to 2009-10 are not readily available. Since the general election my Department has refocused its priorities and expanded as a result of machinery of government changes. Recruitment of new staff should be set in the context of departures over the same period.
The Civil Service Commission was established as an Executive (NDPB) under legislation passed by the previous Administration and is responsible for recruiting its own
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staff. The other Cabinet Office-sponsored public bodies are supported by Cabinet Office officials and do not recruit their own staff.
Sickness Absence
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year; [147981]
(2) how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years. [148000]
Mr Maude: Information about sickness absence in the Cabinet Office and its agencies is published on the Cabinet Office website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data
The most recent published figures on the civil service:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/health-and-wellbeing/sickness-absence
show that for the year to 30 September 2012, the Cabinet Office has one of the lowest civil service sickness rates at 2.8 (average working days lost) when compared to the current civil service average of 7.6.
Telephone Services
Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government-operated telephone numbers begin 08; and for how many such numbers a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03 is also available as an alternative. [148395]
Mr Hurd: This information is not held centrally. Departments determine their own use of telephone numbers.
Voluntary Work
Michael Ellis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of trends in volunteering in 2012; and what steps he is taking to increase levels of volunteering. [147622]
Mr Hurd: Official Statistics published for the first time by the Cabinet Office on 12 February 2013 (from quarter 2 of the community life survey 2012-13)
http://communitylife.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
show that the proportion of people volunteering at least once a year now stands at 71%, an increase from 65% in 2010-11, with an even bigger increase in the proportion of people volunteering regularly. This equates to millions more people volunteering across the country, showing that the cultural change is not limited to the 120,000
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who volunteered to make the 2012 games a success. Significantly, this reverses the steady decline in volunteering seen since 2005.
The Government are also taking a range of steps to increase levels of volunteering. For example, in February 2013 we announced the creation of the Centre for Social Action which aims to identify and accelerate the development and spread of social action initiatives including volunteering.
We are also creating new ways for people to volunteer. For example, through the “Dementia Friends” campaign we are mobilising 1 million volunteers to help communities become more dementia friendly. In addition, through “Join in” people are being inspired by 2012 to be more involved in sporting and community events.
International Development
British Overseas Territories
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid her Department has given to each British Overseas Territory in the last 12 months. [148238]
Mr Duncan: In 2011-12, the last year for which figures are available, DFID provided financial aid to British Overseas Territories as detailed in the following table:
British Overseas Territory | Funds provided (£) |
While DFID does not have an aid programme in the Turks and Caicos Islands, we have provided technical assistance to support a guarantee for Government commercial borrowing for a maximum capital amount of US$260 million. This borrowing will mature in 2016 at which time we expect the TCI Government to raise the remaining finance it requires without DFID support.
Cross Territory funding is used to support a number of projects and initiatives which work across a number of Territories, for example on safeguarding children.
Consultants
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's budget is spent on external consultancy companies. [148464]
Justine Greening: DFID spend on consultancy for the last full financial year 2011-12 was £0.7 million. This has fallen 50% from £1.4 million since May 2010 when DFID implemented the cross-Government spending controls.
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Annual Leave
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in her Department qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials. [147743]
Mr Duncan: All DFID employees have a contractual right to take 2.5 days of paid time off as privilege leave in addition to paid annual leave and public holidays. All DFID employees currently qualify for privilege days. We do not centrally record the cost of privilege days and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Middle East
Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total value of aid given by the Government to (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories was in each of the last three years. [148810]
Mr Duncan: The UK Government do not have a bilateral aid programme with Israel.
The total value of aid given by the UK Government to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in each of the last three years was as follows:
£ | |
In addition, we have given the following support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides support to Palestinian refugees in the region including the OPTs, in each of the last three years:
£ | |
Palestinians
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assessment her Department has made of recent reports that Norway has launched a parliamentary committee looking into Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails; [148752]
(2) what recent discussions she has had with her Norwegian counterpart on Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. [148753]
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what representations her Department has made to the Palestinian authority to ensure any social welfare payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails reach those intended; [R] [148637]
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(2) what representations her Department has made to the Palestinian Authority about the value of monthly payments made to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. [R] [148639]
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what representations her Department has made to the Israeli Government about Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails; [148641]
(2) what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts about Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. [148686]
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has made to Israeli officials about monthly payments made to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. [148638]
Mr Duncan:
In respect of its departmental responsibilities and its own funding and activities, the Department considers this matter to have been adequately covered in previous answers both oral and written; I refer my hon. Friends to answers given in the Official Report on 30 October 2012, column 162W; 15 January 2013, column 645W; 31 January 2013, column 943W; 4 February 2013, columns 40-41W; 5 February 2013, column 213W; 6 February 2013, column 299W and 1 March 2013, column 766W; and the oral answer made on 13 March
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2013,
Official Report
, column 293. DFID is not answerable for parliamentary scrutiny in other countries, nor for any such issues as may exist between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year. [148029]
Mr Duncan: The following table shows for each of the last five financial years: the amount paid in non-consolidated performance awards; the categories of payments made in addition to base salary and the monetary value of each; and the number of officials who received such payments. The figures provided do not include payments to cover the reimbursement of business expenses nor the reimbursement of education fees.
DFID has two non-departmental public bodies: the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission which does not employ staff and therefore has not made any such payments; and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact for which details have been withheld because the numbers of staff employed are five or fewer.
2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | ||||||
Payment description | Total (£) | Number | Total (£) | Number | Total (£) | Number | Total (£) | Number | Total (£) | Number |
(1) Data withheld where number of recipients is 5 or fewer. |
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The following table provides details of the 20 largest payments made in each of the last five financial years. These relate primarily to extraordinary circumstances in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
18 Mar 2013 : Column 432W
£ | |||||
Ranking | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
Note: The 20 largest payments in each year were for Overseas Hardship/Cost of Living. |
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year. [148048]
Mr Duncan: The following table shows for each of the last five financial years the categories of allowances available to officials in addition to base salary. It also shows the total amount paid to officials for each allowance in each of the last five financial years.
Total (£) | |||||
Allowance description | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
DFID has two non-departmental public bodies: the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission which does not employ staff and therefore has not made any such payments; and the Independent Commission for Aid impact for which details have been withheld because the number of staff employed is five or fewer.
Procurement
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure companies receiving support from her Department under her new strategy on economic growth have to demonstrate decent employment practices throughout their supply chain and acceptable levels of pay to workers in developing countries. [148733]
Justine Greening: As I indicated in my speech to the London Stock Exchange on 11 March 2013,
“I want to see far more businesses joining the development push with DFID”.
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Our joint work with the Confederation of British Industry and other stakeholders will aim to ensure that this takes place responsibly.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria her Department uses to determine when to award a contract to a UK company for work in a developing country without a tendering process. [148740]
Justine Greening: The vast majority of contracts over £113,000 are awarded following a competitive tender. In accordance with EU public procurement regulations the Department may decide to use single source procurement to award a contract where there is justification for this, for example in circumstances of extreme urgency such as a humanitarian response, or where services are exempt under category B of the EU regulations.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure her new strategy for economic growth will include a provision that precludes any companies engaged in tax avoidance or evasion from receiving future funding or support from her Department. [148741]
Justine Greening: We will be working with businesses, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders through the course of this year to further develop our strategy for economic growth.
The Prime Minister has made clear that the UK's G8 presidency will focus on strengthening international tax standards and working with developing countries to enable them to collect tax that is due to them.
Recruitment
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials were recruited to (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in each of the last five years. [147972]
Mr Duncan: The number of people recruited was:
DFID | Non-departmental public bodies | |
Sickness Absence
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such absence in each year. [147991]
Mr Duncan: The number of days lost to sickness absence in DFID, for each of the last five years, is shown in the following table:
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Total days lost to sickness absence | |
Costs of sickness absence are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years. [148010]
Mr Duncan: DFID does not gather information on the length of sickness absence by the increments listed. To research those data and produce figures for each of the time frames requested could be done only at disproportionate cost.
However, details of the total number of days lost to short-term (absences of 20 working days or less), long-term (absences of 21 working days or more), and overall days lost to sickness absence by our senior civil servants, during each of the last five years, are shown in the following table:
DFID SCS sickness absences during 2008 to 2012 | ||||||
Days lost to short-term sickness absence | Number of SCS absent | Days lost to long-term sickness absence | Number of SCS absent | Total days lost to sickness absence by SCS staff | Number of SCS absent | |
Our policy on sick pay is to reduce pay to half pay after six months of sickness absence, then to zero pay after 12 months of sickness absence.
DFID has two non-departmental public bodies, i.e. Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact. There is no recorded sickness absence for either of these during the last five years.
Syria
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her counterparts in those countries which have not yet met their aid pledges to Syria made at the Kuwait conference in January 2013. [148816]
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Justine Greening: We are working closely with our international partners to encourage them to translate the pledges they made at Kuwait to deliver real support on the ground.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had on asking countries other than Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to accept Syrian refugees. [148817]
Mr Duncan: DFID is extremely concerned about the rising number of refugees as a result of the Syria crisis and we are continuing to encourage countries to further support the humanitarian response.
Our assessment of the best way to support the Syrian people is to ensure they are as close to their extended family and local support networks as possible. I commend the countries that continue to welcome refugees from Syria, including Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt
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and North Africa. The local communities in the region have been extraordinarily generous in hosting refugees from Syria. The UK is providing £139.5 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by the crisis both inside Syria and in the region.
Termination of Employment
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years. [147953]
Mr Duncan: The numbers of DFID Home Civil Service (HCS) staff who have left the Department in each of the last five years, by the leaving reasons requested, are shown in the following table:
Resignation | Retirement | Redundancy | Transferral to another public sector post | Other reason | |
No officials working for DFID's non-departmental public bodies have left due to these reasons.
Since 2010, DFID no longer has a retirement age. Therefore, this is no longer a reason for leaving.
Defence
Afghanistan
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the his contribution of 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 864, what plans the Government have to ensure the safety of locally employed civilians after the withdrawal of UK troops from Afghanistan; and in what way provisions for the safety of locally employed Afghan interpreters may differ from the provisions afforded to locally-employed Iraqi interpreters. [148062]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 14 March 2013]: We continue to recognise our clear commitment to treat locally engaged staff fairly and appropriately, and to take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety and security.
We are looking at how we are going to make appropriate provision to support locally employed civilians as we draw down our combat mission in Afghanistan. Until this review is concluded, I am unable to comment on any differences between the policies for Afghanistan and Iraq.
Africa
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has held with US personnel at the Joint Analysis Center at RAF Molesworth about the use of US military drones in Africa. [148345]
Armed Forces: Donors
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps each of the armed forces takes to promote to servicemen and women the process of registration as a blood, organ or bone marrow donor. [148075]
Mr Francois: Each of the armed forces single services regularly liaises with local NHS trusts to promote donor initiatives such as NHS run blood donor sessions facilitated at Ministry of Defence establishments.
Donations such as blood, organ or bone marrow is a decision for individual service personnel and registration of such is confidential between the individual and the NHS.
Armed Forces: Engineers
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate the annual cost, including equipment, of a squadron of combat engineers; [147787]
(2) if he will estimate the annual cost, including equipment, of a battery of artillery equipped with AS90. [147789]
Mr Robathan
[holding answer 14 March 2013]: The annual cost of a specified type of unit will depend on that unit's size, role and manpower mix and will comprise
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a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure, and equipment. This information is not held in the format requested.
Armed Forces: Scotland
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many serving Scottish service personnel are registered to vote in Scotland; [148564]
(2) how many Scottish service personnel are registered to vote as service voters. [148565]
Mr Francois: We actively encourage all eligible service personnel to register to vote, and to participate fully in the democratic process. However, registration is a private matter and the Ministry of Defence does not require personnel to disclose whether they have registered or not.
We do provide a mechanism for service personnel to record, on a voluntary basis, their registration status. Since only a proportion of personnel choose to do so, and no data is held on the place of registration, it is not possible to provide the information requested.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel based in Scotland are currently serving in another country. [148566]
Mr Francois: As at 1 January 2013 there were 10,860 regular service personnel based in Scotland. Currently some 1,120 of those personnel based in Scotland are serving outside the UK.
Army: Scotland
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost of (a) the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, (b) the Scots Guards and (c) the Royal Regiment of Scotland. [147786]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 14 March 2013]: The annual cost of a Regiment will depend on that Regiment's size, role and manpower mix and will comprise a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure and equipment. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Clyde Naval Base
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential cost and timescale of transferring the assets and facilities at HM Naval Base Clyde to an alternative location in England and Wales. [148513]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the sixth paragraph of the Government's response to the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2012-13 (HC 861).
Defence Suppliers Forum
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members are of the Defence Suppliers Forum; on what basis they are invited to attend meetings of the Forum; and if he will make a statement. [147903]
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Mr Dunne: Membership of the Defence Suppliers Forum is by invitation of the Secretary of State for Defence, who chairs the meetings. Currently, invitations are extended to the Chief Executive Officer, or equivalent, to the Ministry of Defence's 11 largest suppliers and to two representatives from the Defence Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Forum on a rotational basis, a trade association and one of its members.
Historical Enquiries Team
Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal costs have been incurred by his Department as a result of securing legal advice for former soldiers involved with Historical Enquiries Team investigations. [148534]
Mr Robathan: Our records indicate that about £369,000 has been spent for this purpose, from 2009 to the present.
HMS Duncan
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual cost of (a) fuel, (b) spares, (c) maintenance and (d) training and other running costs, excluding crew costs, of HMS Duncan. [147863]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 14 March 2013]: The current estimates of the annual cost for HMS Duncan are shown in the following table:
HMS Tireless
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 718W, on HMS Tireless, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation into the recent coolant leak from the reactor of HMS Tireless conducted by the Naval Reactor Plant Authorisee. [148321]
Mr Dunne: The investigation into the recent coolant leak on HMS Tireless remains under way.
Marchwood Military Port
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, columns 76-7W, on Marchwood Military Port, whether the Sea Mounting Centre will remain at Marchwood irrespective of the future ownership of the site. [148818]
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Mr Dunne: Under current plans, the intention is for the Sea Mounting Centre to remain at Marchwood following a sale.
Military Police
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the Ministry of Defence police in each financial year since 2005; and how much is planned to be spent in each year to 2015. [147408]
Mr Francois [holding answer 12 March 2013]:The following table shows how much has been spent on the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) in each financial year (FY) since 2005 to date:
FY | MDP spend (£ million) |
(1 )This figure is subject to achievement of outstanding expenditure commitments before the end of the financial year. |
Planned figures are subject to agreement as part of the Ministry of Defence's ongoing departmental financial planning round and therefore cannot be released at this time.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what underspends have occurred in the budget for the Ministry of Defence Police in the last three years. [147409]
Mr Francois [holding answer 12 March 2013]:The Ministry of Defence Police has not underspent in the last three years against the budget delegated to it by its top level budget within the Ministry of Defence.
North Africa
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in (a) Mali, (b) Algeria, (c) Morocco, (d) Senegal and (e) Nigeria or any other country bordering the Sahara; and what their terms of deployment and engagement are. [146437]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 7 March 2013]: The current breakdown of permanent personnel in the countries specified is as follows:
Number | |
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Additionally there are some 100 personnel in Mali, Chad and Senegal supporting current operations in Mali.
The precise number of personnel fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including visits, mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons and the roulement of forces. We do not, therefore, publish daily figures for personnel present in theatre.
Personnel are employed in a number of roles including diplomatic representation and defence engagement, liaison, training and wider support roles including logistic support to operations. These tasks can require short-term visits or detachments to other countries in the region for example, the provision of support to Nigerian forces deploying to Mali.
RAF Leuchars
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure will remain at RAF Leuchars following the transfer of the Typhoon Force to RAF Lossiemouth. [148175]
Mr Robathan: Once the transfer of the Typhoon Force to RAF Lossiemouth has been completed there will be no Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure retained at RAF Leuchars. It has recently been announced by the Ministry of Defence that the airfield at RAF Leuchars will be retained for other flying roles, including as a diversion airfield.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure at RAF Leuchars have been identified for (a) transfer to RAF Lossiemouth or (b) deconstruction; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing such measures; and if he will make a statement. [148176]
Mr Robathan: All Typhoon Force mission-specific equipment, and related removable fittings and fixtures will be transferred to RAF Lossiemouth along with the Typhoon Force. Currently, there is no Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure at RAF Leuchars which has been identified for deconstruction as a result of the transfer. £2.7 million has been provisioned for moving Typhoon equipment from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth within wider plans for future basing.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of infrastructure have been (a) commissioned for installation and (b) installed at RAF Leuchars in preparation for the arrival of Army units and associated personnel; and how much each such item (i) has or (ii) is estimated to cost. [148177]
Mr Robathan: The Regular Army Basing plan sets out the phased handover of RAF Leuchars to the Army, commencing in early 2015 with the arrival of a small number of advance Army elements.
As we prepare for the implementation phase of the Basing plan, further detailed work will be carried out to refine the infrastructure requirement. It is too early to
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confirm the specific infrastructure items that will be delivered to accommodate Army units and associated personnel.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the training estate (a) currently available and (b) required by the Army units and associated personnel to be stationed at the military base at RAF Leuchars; and if he will make a statement. [148178]
Mr Robathan: Current training facilities around Kirkcubright and Leuchars will be developed to meet the requirements of the units which will be based in Scotland. Kirkcubright will be used for low level driver training and the small training area at Leuchars will be developed on existing Ministry of Defence land for the Cavalry Regiment based there.
Reserve Forces
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual cost of a Reserve Army brigade. [147901]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 14 March 2013]: Our policy in recent years has generally been to use reservists as individual reinforcements to serve alongside their regular counterparts. As such there has been no requirement for the Territorial Army structure to include brigade level formations.
The future cost of a specified type of unit will depend on that unit's size, role and manpower mix and will comprise a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure, and equipment. Our assessment of these costs will continue to develop in the light of our future arrangements for using reserves which will be informed by the forthcoming White Paper.
Reserve Forces: Recruitment
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the target was for recruitment for the (a) Territorial Army, (b) Royal Navy Reserve and (c) Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 2012; and how many people were recruited in each such category in that year. [139382]
Mr Francois [holding answer 25 January 2013]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey) on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 516W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy). Those figures were based on early assumptions about trained strength, outflow rates and the operation of the training pipeline. Since then, further work has enhanced the understanding of actual trained strength, the level of outflow during training and of retention rates in the trained strength. Subsequently a refined target for Territorial Army enlistment has been established for 2013-14 with the contractor under the Recruiting Partnering Project, at 6,383. Further work is ongoing to refine the required enlistment figures for future years.
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The numbers enlisted in the nine months of financial year 2012-13 up to the end of December 2012 against targets for the whole financial year 2012-13 as previously reported are shown in the following table:
Service | Numbers enlisted(1) |
(1) Enlistment rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Including the Royal Navy Reserve and Royal Marine Reserve. |
These figures represent a period before the publication of the White Paper on Future Reserves and before the commencement of a new recruitment campaign and new offer to reservists. For the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, the figures also reflect a delay in the planned start of a sustained marketing and recruitment campaign. For the Royal Navy, this has been partially offset by a better than anticipated transfer from ex-regulars. We are investing an additional £1.8 billion in the reserves over 10 years and we have recently conducted a public consultation to ensure that the right relationships are established between Reservists and their families, their employers and the armed forces in the future. Overall, the number of inquiries about joining the reserves has increased and early indications are that the strength of reserve forces is now stabilising.
Proposals in the forthcoming White Paper will set the conditions to deliver the required reserve force strengths in the future. For the Army we anticipate that, together with the White Paper, transforming the Army recruiting system, through the Recruiting Partnering Project with Capita and new recruiting campaigns will lead to a significant increase in recruiting performance.
Sickness Absence
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year; [147984]
(2) how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years. [148003]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to reducing sickness absence. Occupational health advice and support is available to all employees and their line managers. Guidance and training is available to line managers on managing absence. We actively encourage the use of return to work interviews and have trigger points in place for the commencement of management action. We are currently reviewing all of our absence policies and are looking to introduce the civil service ‘Employee Policy—Attendance Management’ products in January 2014.
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We also recognise that the health of the Department's civilian staff is central to their attendance and performance at work, and the contribution they make to Defence outputs. While the MOD compares favourably with other large Departments in terms of sick absence rates, we are not complacent. As such, the MOD's Permanent Secretary has appointed a ‘Health and Well-being Champion’ at a senior level who is responsible for supporting and encouraging progress on particular aspects of the Department's health and well-being agenda, as well as promoting the topic throughout the organisation.
Information held by the MOD enables us to distinguish between the total number of days lost through short-term and long-term sickness absence. Long-term absence is defined as over 28 consecutive calendar days. Data on the number of staff involved cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
The following table shows the number of days lost through sickness absence by civilian staff in the last five calendar years with associated costs. The number of days lost includes non-industrial and industrial staff and the staff of the MOD trading funds but excludes staff in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and locally engaged civilians (LEC) for whom sickness absence data are not readily available. Financial data are not readily available for the staff of the MOD trading funds, RFA and LEC and are therefore excluded from the table.
Costs have been calculated using capitation rates for each civil service grade and multiplied by the number of working days lost by each grade.
Period of sickness absence (1 January to 31 December each year) | Days lost (short-term sick) | Days lost (long-term sick) | Cost (£ million) |
Telephone Services
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible. [147815]
Mr Francois: The following number of telephone lines are provided through the Defence Fixed Telephone System (DFTS) contract:
Number | |
It is possible, albeit unlikely, that additional premium rate telephone lines are used outside of the DFTS contract, but this information is not held centrally.
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In addition, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, a Trading Fund of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), uses one 0800 number.
The majority of these lines are for use by serving MOD civilian and military personnel and the wider MOD community, including service families, veterans, and contractors. Records of premium rate numbers for use by the general public are not held centrally.
Veterans: Training
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to support those social enterprises and charities that work to retrain ex-military personnel; and if he will make a statement. [147628]
Mr Francois: The Government are committed to working in partnership with the ex-service social and charitable sectors to deliver a high level of support where needed. The Ministry of Defence welcomes all offers of support to our service leavers, including the provision of retraining. The MOD has an authorised list of training providers which is administered through the Career Transition Partnership. This is known as the Preferred Suppliers List and we welcome applications through the CTP website which can be found at:
www.ctp.org.uk
Wind Power
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on how many occasions his Department has intervened in planning decisions on the installation of wind turbines in each of the last five years; [148358]
(2) for what reasons his Department has intervened in planning decisions on the installation of wind turbines in each of the last five years. [148359]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is only a consultee in the planning application process and has no control over the number of planning application consultations it receives from planning authorities. The planning authority has the opportunity to consider and test representations made by the applicants as well as interested parties, including the MOD, before reaching their final decision. It is for the planning authority to decide which applications should proceed and how to strike the balance between national Defence and energy considerations. The MOD will, when requested to do so by the local planning authority, provide further information in support of its consultation response.
Wind turbines can adversely affect a number of MOD operations including radars, seismological recording equipment, communications facilities, naval operations and low flying. It is for this reason that every wind turbine application is assessed on a case-by-case basis and on its own merits.
Education
Education Maintenance Allowance
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on students in England of abolishing the educational maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement. [147352]
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Mr Laws: Education maintenance allowance (EMA) was replaced by the 16-19 Bursary Fund in September 2011, although transitional arrangements meant that 80% of the students who received EMA in 2010/11 in the first year of their courses continued to receive it in 2011/12.
The Department has commissioned two independent evaluation projects to measure the impact of the change in policy on students in England.
The first of these, a quantitative study by the Institute of Education (IoE), will enable the Department to understand the impact of the change in policy on participation and academic attainment. It is a three-year study and is due to be completed in late 2014.
The second project, conducted by NatCen Social Research, will enable the Department to understand: the characteristics of applicants and recipients of bursaries; the perceived impact of the bursaries; the decision-making processes related to awarding bursaries and the equality of opportunity between different groups of students. This study will be completed at the end of 2014 although early findings will be available in an interim report in spring 2013.
Hetton School
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement of 1 March 2013, Official Report, columns 40-2WS, on school capital funding, if he will place in the Library the priority data survey for Hetton School. [147240]
Mr Laws [holding answer 13 March 2013]: Hetton School is one of the successful schools that will be allocated funding through the Priority School Building Programme and will not be surveyed as part of the Property Data Survey Programme.
As part of the application process for the Priority School Building Programme, applicants were asked to provide a school Building Condition Survey obtained or updated within the two years prior to the date of the application.
Sunderland county council made the application on behalf of Hetton School and should be contacted directly to provide a copy of the relevant survey.
ICT: Teachers
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department has allocated to train teachers to the level where they can adequately teach the new ICT curriculum. [147180]
Mr Laws
[holding answer 11 March 2013]: According to the latest data available there are 18,600 teachers currently teaching ICT. In addition, the Department, through the Teaching Agency, has allocated funding to train new teachers to deliver the computing curriculum from 2014. This funding is made up of training bursaries, which range from £4,000 to £9,000 depending on the degree classification of the trainee, subject knowledge enhancement courses, which range from £800 to £8,600 per place depending on the length of course, and salary grants of between £14,000 and £17,600 for trainees undertaking the new School Direct (Salaried) route. In
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addition, a small number of scholarships are available through BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, which are worth £20,000 each.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take in the next 12 months to ensure that there are enough teachers qualified to teach the ICT curriculum. [147181]
Mr Laws [holding answer 11 March 2013]: New computer science postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) programmes will deliver suitably trained teachers into the workforce in 2014. These programmes are supported by pre-ITT subject knowledge enhancement courses designed in conjunction with industry specialists. The Department is also supporting existing ICT teachers to deliver the new curriculum through the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science established by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
Primary Education: Admissions
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2013, Official Report, columns 408-9W, on primary education, to what extent parents' wishes are taken into account when decisions are made on whether to allow a prematurely-born child to delay or defer entry to primary school under the School Admissions Code. [146161]
Mr Laws [holding answer 4 March 2013]: The School Admissions Code requires schools to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday, but children do not reach compulsory school age until the start of the term following their fifth birthday. Parents may request that their child's entry to school is deferred until the point at which they reach compulsory school age, or that they attend part time until they reach compulsory school age. No child is required to start school before they reach compulsory school age.
Where a parent requests that their child is educated out of their normal age group, the code requires admission authorities to make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case—this would include taking account of the parent's reasons for making the request.
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2013, Official Report, columns 408-9W, on primary education, whether parents of prematurely-born children may appeal a decision not to allow their child to delay or defer entry to primary school under the School Admissions Code. [146162]
Mr Laws [holding answer 4 March 2013]: No child is required to start school before they reach compulsory school age; therefore, no admission authority can refuse a parent's request to defer their child's entry to primary school. It is not possible to delay entry beyond compulsory school age.
Parents have the right of appeal to an independent admission appeal panel against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied. They do not have the right to appeal to such a panel about a refusal to
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educate their child out of their normal age group. In these circumstances, they would be able to complain using the school's formal complaints procedure.
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parents of prematurely born children have been allowed to delay or defer their child's entry to primary school in each of the last five years. [146164]
Mr Laws [holding answer 4 March 2013]: The Department does not collect data on how many parents of prematurely born children have been allowed to delay or defer their child's entry to primary school.
Primary Education: Croydon
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from the London borough of Croydon on funding for additional primary school places; and if he will make a statement. [145997]
Mr Laws [holding answer 5 March 2013]: The Department for Education received correspondence from the London borough of Croydon's executive director for Children, Families and Learning in February 2012. The correspondence detailed the increased demand for primary places and the future pressures on secondary provision across the local authority, as well as explaining the cost to the London borough of Croydon of providing those pupil places.
Pupils: Disadvantaged
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the use of the pupil premium in Swindon. [145425]
Mr Laws: The Government are determined that the pupil premium is used by schools to close attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Nationally, the Government have made a significant investment in disadvantaged children through the pupil premium, which is currently £1.25 billion and will rise to £1.875 billion in 2013-14. The rate of pupil premium will be £900 for each disadvantaged child in 2013-14, and in 2014-15 our overall investment rises to £2.5 billion.
In 2011-12, 4,520 pupils attending schools in Swindon were eligible for the pupil or service premium, attracting £2.165 million. In 2012-13, we extended eligibility for the pupil premium, so that 7,040 pupils in Swindon attracted £4.038 million of additional funding for schools. Using 2012 pupil figures indicate that schools in Swindon will attract over £6 million in 2013-14.
The Government believe that school leaders should decide how to use the pupil premium, in order to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Schools have the lead responsibility in assessing and accounting for their use of the premium, but we have also taken steps to hold them to account—both locally and nationally—for this significant extra investment by central Government.
In addition to information now being available to parents and their communities about the educational attainment of pupils entitled to free school meals in the published performance tables, schools receiving the pupil premium are required to publish an annual statement online which includes: the school's pupil premium funding
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for the current academic year; their plans for spending the premium; the funding allocation for the previous academic year and details of how it was spent; and the effect of this expenditure on the educational attainment of the school's premium pupils. Together, these steps enable Swindon schools to be held to account by their communities.
We have also commissioned both an external evaluation of the premium's first year, which we shall be publishing shortly, and a study by Ofsted of how effectively schools are using their pupil premium funding. Ofsted published their interim study findings in September 2012 and their final report on 11 February 2013. The report focuses on schools that are able to tell inspectors how their funding is being spent and can demonstrate its impact. The Government welcomed this report.
Ofsted now have an increased focus on the performance of pupils who attract the premium, and on how it is used to remove barriers to learning for premium pupils. Since September 2012, as part of routine school inspection, Ofsted have been holding school leaders to account for how schools have spent their pupil premium and what difference this is making to the learning and progress of the pupils concerned. Their judgments on schools' leadership will consider the use of both the premium and other resources to overcome barriers to achievement for their pupils. In his annual report published in November, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector committed Ofsted to paying particular attention to attainment gaps affecting disadvantaged pupils in schools where they form a minority of less than 20% of all pupils.
Where schools are judged by Ofsted to be using their pupil premium ineffectively it is important that swift action is taken to improve provision for disadvantaged pupils. For this reason, I have announced a new policy approach. This is designed to address the ineffective use of the pupil premium by schools that are neither good nor outstanding, and where pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in that school are doing particularly poorly. In these circumstances, schools will be required to work with a school system leader—an outstanding leader from another school with a track record of narrowing attainment gaps—to draw up new strategies for spending their pupil premium based on evidence of what works and established best practice. Ofsted will then take account of the school's new strategy and adherence to it when monitoring progress and re-inspecting the school. Schools that are judged to ‘require improvement’ and that do not demonstrate improvement risk being judged ‘inadequate’. I believe this new approach will focus school leaders' minds on the important task of accelerating the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
Taken together, the steps that we and Ofsted are taking will ensure a strong body of evidence for Swindon's parents and local community to assess how local schools are using the pupil premium.
School Leaving
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department expects to fund any new specialist provision following increases in the school participation age to 17 years old in 2013 and 18 years old in 2015. [147087]
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Mr Laws: It is for local authorities as commissioners, taking account of demand from students and their parents, to decide whether places are funded at any new specialist provision. Under our current legislative proposals, students with learning difficulties and disabilities with an Education Health and Care Plan, or their parents, may request to attend a particular post-16 institution, including independent specialist colleges, as their plan is being drawn up. The local authority must accept this request unless certain conditions apply.
As the participation age is raised, we expect all young people to participate in education including young people with learning difficulties or disabilities. So more specialist provision may be needed, but that will be for local authorities, in meeting their statutory responsibilities to make sufficient educational provision available, to decide.
Schools: Croydon
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much money for capital expenditure has been made available for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the London borough of Croydon in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and what proportion of such funding has been spent in each year. [145999]
Mr Laws [holding answer 5 March 2013]: The Department for Education announces a single allocation for both maintenance and basic need funding. We do not split this funding between primary and secondary provision; it is for local authorities to decide how this funding is then used locally. These capital grants are unringfenced and the Department has not, to date, collected information on how this funding has been spent. They breakdown as follows:
(£ millions) | |||
Basic need | Maintenance | Total | |
Schools: Greater London
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the formula used to calculate basic needs funding for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in London. [145998]
Mr Laws [holding answer 5 March 2013]: The Department has published a capital allocations technical note and a summary of data used for the 2013 to 2015 basic need allocation on its website. Officials are in the process of providing detailed data sheets to every local authority in order to further explain their basic need allocation. Basic need funding is allocated using data provided by all local authorities to the Department through the Annual School Capacity Survey. The available budget for 2013 to 2015 was allocated on a relative need basis using the forecast shortfall in pupil places at 2015/16.
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Schools: Repairs and Maintenance
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement of 1 March 2013, Official Report, columns 40-2WS, on school capital funding, how much of the £1.2 billion for school maintenance will be spent in each local authority area. [147239]
Mr Laws [holding answer 13 March 2013]: Of the £1.2 billion condition maintenance allocation announced on 1 March, £748 million has been allocated at a local authority level for maintained schools and voluntary aided schools. £391 million for Academies maintenance and £61 million for the maintenance of sixth form colleges will be allocated through application processes currently being run by the Department. A breakdown of the local authority level allocations is contained in the supporting annex, which will be placed in the House Library. This information is also available on the Department's website.
Vocational Education
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess the report from City and Guilds Centre for Skills Development entitled How to teach vocational education: a theory of vocational pedagogy, with particular regard to the practical policy implementations of the recommendation that vocational education needs to be taught in the context of practical problem-solving. [145913]
Matthew Hancock: The City and Guilds report is a welcome addition to debate around vocational education. Learning by trying to solve real-life problems can be a highly effective way of acquiring and applying vocational knowledge and skills. That is why we are implementing significant post-16 curriculum reforms and consulting on the reform of vocational qualifications. From September 2013 the introduction of 16-19 study programmes will particularly benefit students taking vocational programmes. These will focus on students studying substantial vocational qualifications, undertaking work experience and the continuing study of English and/or maths. The qualification reforms we are planning are expected to take effect from September 2014 and will encourage a much greater focus on the mastery of occupationally relevant skills.
Young People: Unemployment
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 16 to 24 year olds with a learning difficulty or disability in each local authority area are not in education, employment or training. [147085]
Mr Laws: Local authorities in England collect information on the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET in their area, and identify those with a learning difficulty and/or disability. This information relates to young people known to local authority services and is not directly comparable with national NEET estimates published by the Department. Local authority information relating to the end of December 2012 is set out in the table.
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The Department has made an estimate of 18 to 24-year-olds who are likely to have Education Health and Care Plans, which is included in the Evidence of Impact it published this week in respect of the provisions in the Children and Families Bill relating to co-ordinated assessments and Education Health and Care Plans. This is available on the Bill page of the Department's website(1).
(1)Note:
www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/childrenandfamiliesbill/a00221161/children-families-bill
Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds with a learning difficulty or disability who are NEET | |
NEET (Percentage) | |
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Source: CCIS, December 2012 |