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Grammar Schools
Lord Peston asked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) For which grammar schools or groups of grammar schools or selective areas have letters been received by Electoral Reform Ballot Services notifying an intention to organise a petition to trigger a ballot to open up these schools to children of all abilities;
(b) On which dates these letters were received;
(c) On which dates the writers of these letters were notified of the threshold number of signatures required for a valid petition; and
(d) What is the threshold number of signatures required for each grammar school or group of grammar schools or area for which letters have been received.[HL352]
Baroness Blackstone: The requested information is as follows:
| a | b | c | d |
| Petition area and type | Date of request to set a threshold | Date on which threshold was set | Threshold figure |
| Barnet (group of 3 schools) | 1 September 1999 | 25 November 1999 | 7,209 |
| Birmingham (group of 2 schools) | 1 September 1999 | threshold not yet set | |
| Birmingham (group of 6 schools) | 1 September 1999 | threshold not yet set | |
| Kent (whole area) | 1 September 1999 | threshold not yet set | |
| Ripon (stand-alone) | 7 September 1999 | 26 October 1999 | 587 |
| Sutton (whole area) | 27 September 1999 | 2 December 1999 | 7,375 |
| Trafford (whole area) | 1 September 1999 | 13 December 1999 | 8,518 |
Secondary Schools
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
- For the latest year available, how many:
(a) Secondary comprehensive schools in England (excluding the sixth form) are of sizes below 301, 301-500, 501-700, 701-900, 901-1,100, 1,101-1,300, 1,301-1,500, and over 1,500 pupils; and
(b) Secondary grammar schools in England (excluding the sixth form) are of sizes below 301, 301-500, 501-700, 701-900, 901-1,100, 1,101-1,300, 1,301-1,500, and over 1,500 pupils; and
What is the range of sizes of sixth forms in secondary comprehensive schools in England and what is the range of sizes of sixth forms in secondary schools in England.[HL353]
Baroness Blackstone: The information available is shown in the following tables.
| Secondary | Selective | |
| Comprehensive | Grammar | |
| Number of schools of size | ||
| 0 to 300 | 37 | 1 |
| 301 to 500 | 242 | 24 |
| 501 to 700 | 595 | 92 |
| 701 to 900 | 752 | 40 |
| 901 to 1,100 | 675 | 7 |
| 1,101 to 1,300 | 393 | 0 |
| 1,301 to 1,500 | 114 | 0 |
| 1,501 & over | 36 | 0 |
| Total | 2,844 | 164 |
1 As defined by the number of pupils of compulsory school age.
1As defined by the number of pupils in school above compulsory school age.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Blackstone: The "accessibility" conference, which my department held in co-operation with a number of other government departments on 14 December, ranged widely over access issues. Workshops covered access to further, higher and adult education; access to employment; access to the National Health Service; using direct payments to empower people with learning difficulties; and whether disability was a barrier to tourism. Discussions in each of these workshops led to a worthwhile exchange of information and experiences and the dissemination of good practice. The workshop on tourism was facilitated by the English Tourism Council (ETC). It provided DCMS and its sponsored body the ETC with a greater understanding of the key difficulties facing disabled travellers. This will assist them in their aim of making English tourism the most accessible and welcoming in Europe.
A conference report, which will include a summary of each workshop, will be available in due course. It will be sent to everyone who attended the conference and will be available more widely.
Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make sample copies of the new spelling tests for primary school pupils available for inspection by Members of the House of Lords.[HL481]
Baroness Blackstone: Spelling will continue to be tested through the statutory key stage 1 and key stage 2 national curriculum tests. It also forms part of the optional tests for year 3, year 4 and year 5 which most primary schools take advantage of. As part of the National Literacy Strategy the department has produced a spelling bank booklet that contains lists of words and ideas to help in the teaching of the key stage 2 spelling objectives set out in the National Literacy Strategy Framework for teaching. These lists provide the basis for the informal spelling tests that, as part of the National Literacy Strategy, they are encouraged to undertake regularly. Copies of the spelling bank have been placed in the Library.
Lord Walker of Doncaster asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): The examination of Gurkha pensions and gratuities is now complete. Within the terms of the tri-partite agreement (TPA) between India, Nepal and the UK Gurkha pensions will be increased to allow for a welfare related cash uplift to take account of Indian government benefits in kind that will at least double the pension payments for all Gurkha pensioners. Increases will be introduced from 1 April 2000. Pension increases will continue to be paid immediately after 15 years' service and, where appropriate, passed on to the widow and then a child up to the age of 25 years. Pensions will be reviewed in the normal way and will benefit from cost of living increases each year. The Nepalese Government have made representations throughout this examination and both the Nepalese and Indian governments have been notified of the increases.
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there will be adequate supplies for the next phase of the meningitis C vaccination programme.[HL157]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Deliveries of the new meningococcal C conjugate vaccine began on 25 October and have continued each week since then. The implementation of the meningitis C immunisation programme is vaccine supply led and
Since the start of the programme up to and including 26 November, a total of 1,734,560 doses of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine had been distributed throughout the United Kingdom. The immunisation of young people aged 15, 16 and 17 years began from 1 November and the immunisation of babies when they are due for their routine vaccines at two, three and four months and around 13 months began from 29 November. Supplies of conjugate meningococcal C vaccine for the first part of the childhood programme (two, three, four and 13 months) have been increased and deliveries to GPs and pharmacists from 29 November onwards have also increased. From the information we have received from the manufacturers, I am advised that there will be sufficient vaccine to immunise the whole of the target group by the end of the year in line with the plan as set out in the Chief Medical Officer's letter of 18 October, copies of which are available in the Library.
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The White Paper Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, copies of which are available in the Library, announced the establishment of public health observatories. Plans for these are currently being developed in each National Health Service region of England. Public health observatories will support the implementation of Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation by working closely with the NHS, local authorities, government offices for the regions, regional development agencies and NHS Executive regional offices. They will form a national network of public health expertise and undertake surveillance of population health.
Secondary Comprehensive All Secondary Schools
Sixth Form of size1
0 to 50 104 121
51 to 100 281 329
101 to 150 384 420
151 to 200 344 391
201 to 250 218 283
251 to 300 111 139
301 and over 129 148
Total 1,571 1,831
What conclusions were reached at the Department of Employment Conference for People with Disabilities (held on 14 December) with regard to holiday-taking and disability; and whether they would publish both the proceedings of the workshop that focused on this issue and the Government's response to its recommendations.[HL440]
Whether they will give further information about the new spelling tests for primary school pupils reported in the press on 12 December; which agency is developing the tests; and which age group they are intended for; and[HL480]
11 Jan 2000 : Column WA104
When they will complete their examination of Gurkha pensions.[HL455]
Whether there are now adequate supplies available of meningitis C vaccine; and[HL155]
What progress is being made in setting up the promised public health observatories.[HL241]
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