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Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Hayman: We have published today the first in a series of papers inviting discussion on proposals to modernise English local government. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
This first paper--on local democracy and community leadership--sets out proposals for modernising local electoral arrangements, for developing new ways in which councils can listen to their local communities and involve them in their decisions, for devising new ways in which councils can work, and for strengthening councils' roles as leaders of their local communities.
Other papers in the series will cover our proposals for best value in service delivery, a new ethical framework for local government, and aspects of the local government finance system. Following what we hope will be a wide public debate, we will set out our firm proposals in a White Paper. Our aim is a re-invigorated local government playing its full part as a partner with central government in laying the foundations for stable economic growth and improving the quality of people's lives.
The Earl of Shrewsbury asked Her Majesty's Government:
(a) the practice of spreading condensate produced by the rendering of cull cow cattle onto pasture
(b) that there is no danger to the health of humans who come into contact with such condensate.[HL287]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue): A small number of rendering plants spread condensate on farmland. In response to concerns about the practice, the Environment Agency commissioned a risk assessment report by independent technical consultants about the safety of condensate spread from a plant.
The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee has reviewed the risk assessment and concluded that the risk to human health from this practice was negligible. The committee noted that additional analyses of the possible protein content of condensate are being undertaken and asked to see the results of these before reaching a conclusion on the safety of this practice with regard to grazing animals.
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: No. Her Majesty's Government do not intend to alter the scope of Lord Justice Phillips' Inquiry, which has been asked to focus on the action taken in response to the emergence of BSE and nvCJD up to 20 March 1996.
Lord Gladwin of Clee asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The Sugar Beet Research and Education Committee (SBREC) has been the subject of a non-departmental public body prior options review. Departments are asked to look at the functions the body carries out; to assess whether they are still needed; and to decide whether the current arrangements provide the best way of carrying them out.
The SBREC has carried out its functions well, and we are very grateful to its past and present chairman and members, who have given valuable service to the industry over the years. Although the committee has no statutory basis, its work is linked to certain statutory arrangements which date back to 1938 and require the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to be closely involved with the research programme. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries
In deciding whether to establish a development council, Ministers have to follow the procedures in the Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947. In particular, they need to be satisfied that its establishment is desired by a substantial number of persons engaged in the industry.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone): Her Majesty's Government is unaware of any programmes with this objective. However, the European Commission may disseminate information about the EU on its own initiative and has in the past published materials intended for use in schools and other educational institutions. It would be for individual institutions to decide whether to make materials of this sort available to learners. The resources for such activities are drawn from the Commission's administrative appropriations specified annually in the general budget of the European Union.
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Blackstone: A schedule, drawn from currently available records of the number of pupils
supported by central government funding at independent schools in the United Kingdom through the schemes specified, has been placed in the Library.
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Blackstone: The information requested in respect of GCSE achievements is shown in the following table.
Whether they will ask Lord Justice Phillips to review, at an early stage in the course of his inquiry into the BSE epidemic, whether any further measures need to be taken to reduce the risks of a prolongation of that epidemic.[HL372]
What is the future of the Sugar Beet Research and Education Committee.[HL 358]
What programmes the European Union has in force, or in prospect, which may lead (a) schools or (b) other educational establishments in this country to disseminate information about the European Union; how much such programmes are estimated to cost over what period of time; and how they are paid for.[HL447]
Whether they will place in the Library of the House a schedule setting out the number of pupils in each independent school, at the latest conveniently available date, who are supported by:
(a) the assisted places scheme;
(b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (and related departments, agencies etc.);
(c) the Ministry of Defence (and related departments, agencies, etc.); and
(d) any other publicly funded scheme.[HL400]Whether they will publish data for England showing for comprehensive schools, modern schools, grammar schools, all state schools, independent schools and all schools separately, the percentage of
9 Feb 1998 : Column WA144all 16 year-old pupils in each of the years 1994 to 1997 passing GCSE examinations with Grades A*
to C in the following subjects: mathematics, English,
English literature, sciences (showing separately percentages for single award science, double award science, physics, chemistry and biology), French, history and geography, showing data separately for boys, girls and all pupils and including, for each category of school, the number of schools and the number of 16 year-old pupils.[HL375]
1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97
Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total
Comprehensive schools
Number of 15 year-olds 223.7 217.1 440.6 242.9 235.6 478.6 249.9 243.7 493.6 246.4 240.6 486.9
Number of schools 2,855 2,849 2,850 2,841
Percentage achieving grades A*-C in
Mathematics 37 37 37 36 36 36 38 38 38 39 39 39
English 40 58 49 38 57 47 38 57 48 38 56 47
English literature 34 51 43 36 54 45 36 54 45 36 54 45
Any science 38 38 38 39 39 39 40 40 40 40 41 41
Single award science 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2
Double award science 35 34 35 36 35 36 36 36 36 37 37 37
Physics 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 2
Chemistry 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Biology 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 2
French 15 27 21 15 27 21 15 27 21 15 27 21
History 16 21 18 15 21 18 15 20 18 15 20 18
Geography 20 19 20 21 19 20 22 21 22 22 21 22
Selective schools
Number of 15 year-olds 8.0 8.6 16.6 9.2 9.9 19.1 9.5 10.1 19.7 10.0 10.5 20.5
Number of schools 159 164 164 168
Percentage achieving grades A*-C in
Mathematics 95 94 95 94 93 93 94 94 94 94 95 94
English 95 98 97 93 97 95 93 97 95 94 98 96
English literature 87 94 91 87 95 91 86 94 90 88 95 91
Any science 91 91 91 91 92 91 91 91 91 92 92 92
Single award science 7 4 6 4 3 4 5 2 3 3 2 2
Double award science 47 73 60 50 74 63 50 71 60 53 72 63
Physics 38 14 25 37 14 25 38 18 27 37 17 26
Chemistry 36 14 25 35 14 24 37 18 27 36 17 27
Biology 38 15 26 36 14 25 37 18 27 36 17 26
French 68 77 73 66 74 70 65 73 69 61 69 65
History 48 54 51 47 52 50 45 49 47 48 50 49
Geography 53 46 49 56 45 50 58 50 54 57 48 52
Modern schools
Number of 15 year-olds 9.6 9.9 19.5 10.6 10.5 21.1 10.3 10.5 20.8 10.3 10.4 20.7
Number of schools 167 163 156 160
Percentage achieving grades A*-C in
Mathematics 25 23 24 24 22 23 26 24 25 27 26 26
English 30 50 40 27 48 37 27 48 38 27 48 37
English literature 20 38 30 24 42 33 24 42 33 25 45 35
Any science 24 24 24 28 26 27 29 28 28 29 29 29
Single award science 3 5 4 3 5 4 4 6 5 4 4 4
Double award science 21 19 20 25 21 23 25 22 23 25 24 25
Physics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chemistry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Biology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
French 7 18 13 10 20 15 11 21 16 13 23 18
History 7 12 10 8 13 11 8 13 10 8 13 11
Geography 13 13 13 13 12 12 14 14 14 14 13 14
Maintained Schools
Number of 15 year-olds 248 239 486 271 260 531 279 269 547 276 266 542
Number of schools 4,168 4,299 4,292 4,303
Percentage achieving grades A*-C in
Mathematics 38 38 38 36 37 37 38 39 38 39 40 39
English 40 58 49 38 57 48 39 57 48 38 56 47
English literature 34 52 43 36 54 45 36 54 45 37 55 46
Any science 38 38 38 39 40 40 40 41 41 40 42 41
Single award science 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Double award science 34 34 34 35 36 35 35 37 36 35 37 36
Physics 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 4 2 3
Chemistry 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 4 2 3
Biology 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 4 2 3
French 16 28 22 16 28 22 16 28 22 16 28 22
History 16 22 19 16 21 18 16 20 18 16 21 18
Geography 21 19 20 21 20 21 22 21 22 23 21 22
Independent Schools
Number of 15 year-olds 24.6 21.5 46.1 25.3 22.2 47.5 24.6 22.2 46.8 23.6 21.3 45.0
Number of schools 1,060 1,062 1,061 1,053
Percentage achieving grades A*-C in
Mathematics 80 81 81 79 81 80 80 82 81 80 82 81
English 79 87 83 78 87 82 78 86 82 78 86 81
English literature 70 79 74 70 80 75 70 80 75 70 80 75
Any science 74 76 75 77 79 78 76 79 77 76 79 78
Single award science 3 5 4 3 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 4
Double award science 17 30 23 26 40 32 27 40 33 28 42 35
Physics 48 29 39 44 26 35 42 26 34 41 25 33
Chemistry 46 33 40 42 28 36 42 29 36 41 28 35
Biology 45 37 41 40 32 36 40 32 36 40 31 36
French 66 74 70 66 73 69 64 72 68 63 70 66
History 47 45 46 46 45 45 45 42 43 44 42 43
Geography 48 42 45 48 41 45 48 43 46 49 43 46
All schools
Number of 15 year-olds 272.1 260.1 532.3 296.2 282.0 578.2 303.3 290.7 594.0 299.5 287.2 586.7
Number of schools 5,228 5,361 5,353 5,356
Percentage achieving grades A*-C in
Mathematics 42 42 42 40 40 40 41 42 42 42 43 43
English 44 61 52 42 60 50 42 59 50 41 59 50
English literature 38 54 46 39 56 47 39 56 48 39 57 48
Any science 42 42 42 42 43 43 43 44 44 43 44 44
Single award science 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 2
Double award science 32 34 33 34 36 35 34 37 36 35 38 36
Physics 7 4 5 7 4 5 7 4 5 7 4 5
Chemistry 7 4 5 6 4 5 7 4 5 6 4 5
Biology 7 5 6 6 4 5 6 5 6 6 4 5
French 20 32 26 21 32 26 20 32 26 20 31 25
History 19 24 21 18 23 21 18 22 20 18 22 20
Geography 23 21 22 24 21 23 25 23 24 25 23 24
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