| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My Lords, in terms of the noble Baroness's final point, work is in hand to advertise the appointment of a chief adviser of mathematics. Budget issues will be determined as we examine the consequences of the spending review. Professor Smith did a fantastic job; he made 44 recommendations, many of them in the context of the Tomlinson review. We look forward to discussing in your Lordships' House the outcome of our deliberations on those recommendations.
Lord Dearing: My Lords, will the Government take early action to implement the recommendation in the Smith report to set up national and regional centres to promote excellence in the teaching of mathematics? Will she comment on the recommendation for the QCA to look into developing multiple streams for teaching mathematics after key stage 3? That is also recommended by the Nuffield Foundation.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My Lords, in answer to the first point of the noble Lord, Lord Dearing, we have, indeed, asked the inquiry to present us with costed options for a centre to cover mathematics, whether that is a national centre or, as Professor Smith describes, a centre that has regional arms. We are examining very carefully the QCA and the multiple streams. As I say, the report makes 44 very important recommendations that we shall discuss.
Lord Peston: My Lords, I declare an interest; namely, that Adrian Smith is principal of Queen Mary College, where I taught economics for many years. It is an enormously important report and I am glad to hear my
noble friend acknowledge that. It is one that we ought to discuss in your Lordships' House. Has my noble friend looked at one particular part of the report that refers to mathematical pedagogy? All of us are aware that mathematicians are very good at teaching young people who are good at maths and want to learn it. The task, however, is to teach people who are not good at maths and do not want to learn it. Mathematical pedagogy, therefore, is of vital importance in opening their minds to this wonderful world. Will my noble friend draw to the attention of our right honourable friend the vital importance of teaching mathematicians how to teach?
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My Lords, I have no need to draw that to the attention of my right honourable friend, who is as passionate as is my noble friend on the subject of mathematics and these issues. Within the terms of reference that were given to Professor Smith, pedagogy played an important part. As I have already said, these matters are also being discussed in the context of the Tomlinson review. However, I am well aware of how important it is to ensure that our children, young people and adults receive the benefit of good mathematics teaching.
Baroness Seccombe: My Lords, is the Minister aware that the recent Skills for Life survey, published by the DfES in October 2003, found that almost half the population—47 per cent—had numeracy skills which were comparable to, or worse than, those expected of an 11 year-old? What are the Government going to do about this very worrying situation?
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My Lords, we have discussed many times in your Lordships' House the work that we are doing to support adult skills. As the noble Baroness rightly points out, huge numbers of our population—7 million adults in total, I believe—have literacy problems and, as the noble Baroness pointed out, many have numeracy problems. We have set ambitious targets to ensure that we are able to support training for adults. That is very important and I believe that we are successful in carrying that out.
Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe: My Lords, the Smith report recorded that there is a shortfall of something like 3,400 specialist maths teachers in maintained secondary schools. What are the department and the Teacher Training Agency doing to expand mathematics teacher training places, the vast majority of which will need to be in higher education institutions? I declare an interest as chief executive of Universities UK.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My Lords, 670 more training places in mathematics are available in 2004–05 than was the case in 1999–2000. That is a 40 per cent increase. I can say to my noble friend that we are working with the Teacher Training Agency on the teacher supply model to examine what we should be doing to ensure that sufficient numbers of potential teachers come through. From 1998 to September 2003, recruitment to maths PGCE and Bachelor of Education courses rose
by 74 per cent to 1,950—the highest level since the 1980s. Therefore, the strategies that we have in place are making an impact, although I accept that there is more to do.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: My Lords, can the Minister say whether the quality of the prospective maths teachers who enter teacher training is good enough to produce eventually successful maths teachers? If the trainees do not have the necessary subject knowledge when they embark on the course, their teacher training, as now constructed, is unlikely to produce it so that they can teach well when they come out.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My Lords, I am entirely certain that the TTA and the higher education institutions, which are working to ensure that we have high quality students, have that very much in mind. Ofsted has proved time and again that our teachers are of the highest quality that we have ever had in this country, and we should be very proud of them.
Disability Legislation
2.53 p.m.
Lord Ashley of Stoke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What preparations they have made to make the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 effective.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): My Lords, we launched a wide-ranging awareness-raising campaign on 31 March to highlight the new duties from October 2004. It will focus, in particular, on small businesses—those with fewer than 15 staff—which will come within the remit of the DDA for the first time. We will directly mail the 1 million small businesses which are likely to be affected and will supplement that activity with items on radio and in the press and media. The Disability Rights Commission will publish codes of practice before the new duties take effect in July.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, that sounds pretty good. Does my noble friend agree that when the Disability Discrimination Act is fully implemented on 1 October it will lead to a dramatic improvement in the lives of millions of disabled people because those who provide services—banks, cinemas, pubs, clubs and all service providers—will be legally obliged to adapt their premises to make them accessible to disabled people? That is a great step forward.
However, as my noble friend will know, fewer than half of all service providers even know about the legislation, despite the Government's efforts. That means either that something has gone very badly wrong or that the Government have been rather slow in informing those people nine years or so after the Act went on to the statute
book. Therefore, can we have more energetic and thrusting efforts from the Government because, without them, the Act will simply die of its own volition?
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: My Lords, I am absolutely confident that my noble friend is wrong to say that the Act will die. It is the case that many small businesses and some service providers do not know the details of either the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 or the current regulations. But, according to recent research, it is also clear that at least 70 per cent have already made preparations either because they have a disabled employee or to provide access to disabled customers. Therefore, the work is well under way, even if, as my noble friend said, the companies and businesses affected do not always know the small print. However, we shall be strenuous in this matter, and my noble friend is absolutely right: the purchasing power and labour resource that disabled people offer to this country is enormous.
I want to make one final point. I am pleased to say that in the UK, partly as a result of the activity of my noble friend and others, we are in the lead on disability rights in Europe and not behind the others.
Lord Campbell of Croy: My Lords, does the noble Baroness recall that the Act, which had great success, was based on the principle of what was reasonable and did not demand what was virtually impossible?
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Yes, my Lords. The evidence now shows that in more than half the companies and businesses that have made adjustments for disabled people, the cost to the company has been less than £1,000. Returning to my noble friend's original point, we calculate that the average cost for small businesses of implementing the regulations will be £6.
Lord Carter: My Lords, in addition to the Disability Discrimination Act and the regulations that were mentioned, I am sure that my noble friend will recall that, since 1997, the Disability Rights Commission has been placed on a statutory basis and we have had the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act. Before the end of this Parliament, we shall have a Mental Incapacity Bill and a Disability Discrimination Bill to bring the 1995 Act up to date. There is also the chance of a mental health Bill. Does my noble friend agree that those five Acts over eight years represent a considerable achievement?
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page