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English Heritage: Church Repair Budget
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the English Heritage budget for church repairs for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2003–04.[HL1786]
Baroness Blackstone: English Heritage's budget for repairs to all listed places of worship for 1997–98 to 2003–04 is:
| Year | £ |
| 1997–98 | 7,127,000 |
| 1998–99 | 9,550,000 |
| 1999–00 | 10,169,000 |
| 2000–01 | 11,042,000 |
| 2001–02 | 9,049,000 |
| 2002–03 | 10,370,000 |
| 2003–04 | 12,220,000 |
English Heritage's planned expenditure for 2002–03 and 2003–04 also includes grants to cathedrals, as the individual elements of its planned grants programme have yet to be finalised.
I have today launched the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which will offset the cost of VAT on repairs and maintenance to listed buildings which are used as places of worship. The scheme has been welcomed by those responsible for these important parts of our heritage as it represents significant additional new funds.
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Blackstone: I have today launched this grant, entitled the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. Documentation relating to the new scheme is now available and may be obtained through the scheme's telephone hotline (0845 601 5945––calls charged at local rate), website (www.lpwscheme.org.uk) or by writing to:
Lord Northbourne asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the new grant to assist repairs and maintenance to listed places of worship will be launched.[HL1833]
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
PO Box 609
Newport
NP10 8QD.
This new grant will provide much-needed public support for these historic buildings. The scheme underlines the value this Government place on our important historic environment.
What action they are taking to motivate boys to accept academic education and to succeed at school and not to reject schooling or to behave in such a way that they are excluded from school.[HL1590]
4 Dec 2001 : Column WA130
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): Our focus on standards is having a positive impact in schools. Pupils in general and boys in particular are more engaged and motivated through structured lessons, the greater interactivity between teachers and pupils and the pace of lessons advocated by the national literacy and numeracy strategies in primary schools and the key stage 3 strategy in the early years of secondary education.
In recent telephone surveys, 87 per cent of primary headteachers polled said that pupils were positive about the literacy hour, and 36 per cent said it was closing the achievement gap between boys and girls; and 81 per cent of primary heads also said the numeracy strategy had improved pupils' attitudes to mathematics.
Early piloting work in key stage 3 is showing similar perceptions, with over 70 per cent of headteachers reporting that the strategy had improved pupils' motivation and engagement. Boys have shown improvements in this year's national curriculum tests for 14 year-olds: in English there was an increase of 1 per cent on last year and in science an increase of 5 per cent.
And boys are doing better at key stage 4: they have improved by 2 per cent in their attainment of five or more grade A*-C GCSEs in the three academic years since 1999.
Youth Leaders: Recruitment
Lord Northbourne asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What action they are taking to facilitate the recruitment of suitable young men as youth leaders, mentors and personal advisers; and what action they propose to take to protect children from sexual abuse and to protect men working with children from false accusations of sexual abuse.[HL1592]
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government published the Transforming Youth Work consultative document in March 2001, which recognised several issues concerning recruitment, training and retention of good quality youth workers. We have embarked on a review of qualification training with key external partners and stakeholders. The review will consider a comprehensive strategy for the selection, recruitment, training, retention, and employment of a well qualified workforce.
The responsibility for the employment of youth workers rests with the employing body (usually a local authority or voluntary sector organisation) and as such they are subject to a range of statutory employment requirements, including procedures for checking the background of applicants through guidance provided by the Criminal Records Bureau and by the use of its disclosure service.
The recruitment of Connexions personnel to work directly with young people is subject to the satisfactory completion of rigorous vetting procedures. These personnel are also required to follow codes of conduct in line with the Home Office guidance Caring for young people and the vulnerable? , intended to protect young people from sexual abuse and avoid situations where allegations of abuse, whether justified or unfounded, could be made.
Where learning mentors are recruited as part of the Excellence in Cities programme, the guidance is that schools and local authorities should make sure that all applicants for learning mentor posts are thoroughly checked to ensure they are suitable to work with young people. This includes undertaking police and other background checks.
Foot and Mouth Inquiries
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the inquiry into the lessons to be learnt from the foot and mouth disease outbreak of 2001, chaired by Dr Iain Anderson, will report its findings; and[HL1540]
When the scientific review by the Royal Society into questions relating to the tranmission, prevention and control of epidemic outbreaks of infectious disease in livestock, chaired by Sir Brian Follett FRS, will report its findings.[HL1541]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): The Royal Society Inquiry into Infectious Diseases in Livestock has been asked to make recommendations by summer 2002. Dr Iain Anderson's Lessons Learned Inquiry has been asked to make recommendations six months after it has officially started.
Green Claims Panel
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What action they intend to take as a result of the Department of Trade and Industry report (October 2001) into the feasibility of establishing a green claims panel to help both producers and consumers establish what claims such as Xenvironmentally friendly" mean.[HL1572]
Lord Whitty: A green claims panel is one of a number of measures being considered by the Government to improve the standards of environmental claims made by manufacturers and retailers. The Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment has considered the DTI report and the Government will take its views into account in deciding whether to consult further on the panel proposals with business and consumer stakeholders.
Listed Companies: Environmental Performance
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many of the major companies listed on the Stock Exchange have responded to the Prime Minister's challenge to report on environmental performance by the end of 2001.[HL1574]
Lord Whitty: We currently estimate that 56 of the top 100 companies are now producing substantive reports on their environmental performance and 12 more have indicated that they will report in future. Twenty-three of the next 250 currently report and 12 have indicated that they will do so in future. Around 10 per cent of other companies in the FTSE 350 mention environmental issues but do not report substantively on environmental performance.
To help more companies meet the challenge, the Government have added to their existing guidelines on reporting on greenhouse gases, waste and water use. In March FTSE 350 companies were consulted on new general guidelines describing the reporting process and the contents of an environmental report. The final version was launched in November and is now being sent to all FTSE 350 companies and other CBI members under cover of a joint letter from DEFRA and DTI Ministers and the CBI.
Copies of the guidelines and this letter are available in the Library of the House.
North-east Region: Non-departmental Public Bodies
Lord Dixon asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will list the number and membership of all non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos) in the north-east region of England. [HL1493]
What is the total amount of the annual spending nationally in the north-east region of England of the non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos). [HL1494]
How many people are directly employed nationally and in the north-east region of England by non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos). [HL1495]
Which body or bodies appoints members of the non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos); and whether they will list their members. [HL1496]
How many unelected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos) have been set up in the north-east of England since the general election in 1997; and what are their membership and their appointing bodies. [HL1549]
How many unelected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos) have been axed in the north-east of England since the general election in 1997. [HL1550]
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston): Information on the number of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and other public
bodies based in the north east, their expenditure, number of employees and the basis of appointments to such bodies is not compiled centrally. However, information on NDPBs, certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and NHS bodies, including the location of the bodies concerned, their terms of reference, expenditure and remuneration is set out in the annual Cabinet Office publication, Public Bodies. The next edition of Public Bodies will be published around the end of the year.
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