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For independent schools, the proprietor is responsible for carrying out the checks on their staff. Proprietors themselves must have a criminal background check as part of assessing their suitability and the Secretary of State has powers under the Education Act 2002 to prohibit unsuitable individuals from taking part in the management of an independent school.
Similar requirements for criminal background checks currently apply in children's social care and in registered childcare settings. In voluntary settings where individuals work with children and young people but which are not regulated by the Government, such as the churches or the Scouts for example, organisers are eligible to conduct CRB checks and we advise them to do so.
Individuals wishing to become teachers or to work with children in regulated activity must be registered with the Vetting and Barring Scheme when the registration requirements under the new scheme are phased in from next year. Where relevant safeguarding information is found by the CRB or Access Northern Ireland during the vetting process, this information will be passed to the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The ISA will consider this and other information that it may hold or gather on a person to determine if the person poses a future risk of harm to children. An ISA children's list bar would prevent an individual from working with children in any instance of regulated activity with children.
The Secretary of State has appointed Maurice Smith, former HM Chief Inspector of Schools, to consider the issue of racism in schools. The review is looking at the measures currently in place to prevent political impartiality, racially motivated discrimination and the promotion of partisan activities in our schools, and whether these need strengthening. Although Mr Smith has been asked to focus on the maintained sector the
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Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) students, and (b) teaching staff, at (1) universities, (2) colleges, and (3) sixth form colleges, have been referred to the Channel Project since its inception. [HL641]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Nationally, the Channel Project has received 228 referrals between April 2007 and December 2008. Channel works with a wide range of partners to support individuals identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. Any further level of detail is an operational matter at a local level. We would not release such information in order to protect partners locally.
The known age range of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support was 7-50 years;the majority of referrals were aged between 15-24 years;of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support, 93 per cent were male.Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students have been (a) charged with, and (b) convicted of, offences under terrorism legislation in each year since 1997. [HL687]
Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not hold statistics which are recorded in this way. However, the Home Office does collate statistics on the number of terrorism arrests and outcomes and these are included in a bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the bulletin is available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf.
The second issue of the bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb809.pdf.
Education: Home Schooling
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 10 December (HL433), why they consider that individual children might be identified as a result of data released combined with other data publicly available. [HL759]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): The department's policy is to employ statistical disclosure controls to ensure that statistics including those collected for research purposes do not reveal the identity of an individual, or any private information relating to them, taking into account other relevant sources of information. These statistical disclosure controls protect against both specific known risks and more general risks including unknown risks.
The figures provided by Birmingham on the number of electively home educated children who were subject of a child protection plan are small and we are not releasing them for these reasons.
The department keeps its statistical disclosure controls under review to ensure that arrangements for confidentiality protection are sufficient to protect the privacy of individual information, but not so restrictive as to limit unduly the practical utility of the statistics.
We provided a frequency distribution histogram to assist users in understanding the range of data provided by different local authorities that can be found at http:www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/ete/independentreviewofhomeeducation/irhomeeducation/.
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 10 December (HL433), why they consider that the release of the questionnaire could make local authorities reluctant to cooperate with departmental surveys in the future, given that many authorities have already released this information. [HL760]
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Local authorities responding to requests for information from central government, or contributing to reviews such as that conducted by Graham Badman, must be able to freely and frankly express their views, and provide examples and evidence, about what is working and what needs to change. Local authorities provided information in the expectation that it would remain confidential and any breach of confidence could make local authorities reluctant to participate in similar data gathering exercises in future.
There are two specific concerns in addition to the general concern that there must be space for officials to express their views freely and frankly. The first concern is that some of the information provided by local authorities related to small numbers, or individual, children and there is a risk that these individuals could be identified if the data we held were combined with other information, including newspaper reports, or could in the future be combined with other information released under the Freedom of Information Act. Secondly, where the home educators are unwilling to co-operate with local authorities, some local authority officials have difficult relationships with some home educators in their area and then releasing this information could make their relationship worst.
They have observed the campaign of vilification and harassment against Graham Badman and are concerned that they too could be targeted by home educators locally if their responses were released.
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We and individual local authorities keep the release of data under review, bearing in mind the nature and intensity of harassment and the risks this indicates. Some local authorities have decided that the risks to individual children and their employees are sufficiently low to release the questionnaire responses. These assessments can only be made at local level and bearing in mind the circumstances prevailing at a particular point in time.
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 10 December (HL433), why the release of the reply to a questionnaire might lead to harassment if the existence of that reply has not; and on what evidence that statement was based. [HL761]
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: We cannot say with absolute certainty that releasing Birmingham City Council's responses to the questionnaires would lead to harassment and vilification of specific individuals in the authority. This does, however, appear to the department to be a likely outcome. The internet campaign of vilification and harassment against Graham Badman and individual home educators who have declared they support aspects of the review has worried local authority officers. Some have suffered personal harassment through the internet, some have found individual home educators have ceased to co-operate with the local authority and others have come under severe pressure from repeated Freedom of Information Act requests which seem intended more to disrupt their day-to-day work than genuinely to be seeking relevant information.
We and individual local authorities keep the release of data under review, bearing in mind the nature and intensity of harassment and the risks this indicates. Some local authorities have decided that the risks to individual children and their employees are sufficiently low to release the questionnaire responses. These assessments can only be made at local level and bearing in mind the circumstances prevailing at a particular point in time.
Embryology
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 111) and the ensuing letter from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Chief Executive on 9 November, how many human eggs were expected to be used under research licence R0122 in the initial licence application and subsequent renewals or extensions of that licence; how many human embryos were expected to be used under that licence; and how the expected numbers compared to the actual usage of human eggs and embryos respectively under that licence. [HL858]
Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Newcastle Fertility Centre at LIFE applied for research licence R0122 in March 2000. The centre indicated, in
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The centre applied to renew this licence in February 2002. In its renewal application, the centre indicated that the project would use 300 embryos and 0 eggs per year. A three-year licence was granted, from 1 April 2003 until 30 March 2006. The centre also reported, as part of its renewal application, that between 16 October 2000 and 29 January 2002 it had used 275 embryos and 0 eggs in the project.
A progress report submitted during the course of the renewed licence stated that 227 embryos and 0 eggs were used in the project during the period 6 May 2003 until 16 March 2004.
The HFEA is not statutorily obliged to hold data on the number of embryos and eggs used in licensed research projects and these data are not recorded on the authority's register. However, research centres submit snapshots of data, regarding the number of embryos and eggs used in research projects, to the HFEA in licence applications and progress reports. This allows the HFEA to ensure that the proposed use still fulfils the criteria of the research licence.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 111), what were the numbers of fresh and failed-to-fertilise eggs expected to be used under research licence R0152 in the corresponding time periods, as described in the initial licence application and subsequent renewals or extensions of the licence. [HL859]
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the dates in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) inspection report for licence R0152 that quoted "a lack of suitable oocytes for use in the study"; how many human oocytes had been used in total according to that report; whether they will place a full copy of that report in the Library of the House; and whether oocytes that a researcher might subsequently deem to be unsuitable would be erased from the HFEA's records of total oocyte usage. [HL860]
Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Newcastle Fertility Centre at LIFE applied for a research licence R0152 to study the derivation of human embryonic stem cells using nuclear transfer and parthenogenetically activated oocytes (eggs) in 2004. The centre indicated, in its initial application, that the project would use 100 fresh oocytes and 900 failed-to-fertilise oocytes per year. A one-year licence was granted for the period 18 August 2004 until 31 July 2005.
The centre applied to renew this licence in April 2005. The centre indicated, in its renewal application, that the project would use 100 fresh oocytes and 900 failed-to-fertilise oocytes per year. A three-year licence was granted for the period 1 August 2005 until 31 July 2008.
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The centre applied to renew this licence a second time in April 2008. The centre indicated, in its renewal application, that the project would use 400 fresh oocytes and 200 failed-to-fertilise oocytes per year. A three-year licence was granted for the period 1 August 2008 until 31 July 2011.
The HFEA has also advised that the report that quoted "a lack of suitable oocytes for use in the study" was the report of the inspection of the centre carried out in June 2005. This report covered the work carried out since the licence was granted in August 2004. This report stated that 26 fresh oocytes and 10 failed-to-fertilise oocytes had been used in the research project.
Centres are now asked to provide information on the number of failed-to-fertilise oocytes and embryos donated for use in a licensed project and the number actually used in the licensed project.
The HFEA does not plan to place a full copy of the report in the Library. The latest inspection reports for every licensed research project are available on the authority's website (www.hfea.gov.uk).
Employment
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Liam Byrne, on 11 November (HC Deb, col 591W), how many net additional jobs have been created, as opposed to supported, by their stimulus measures. [HL241]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): The fiscal stimulus taken forward by the Government in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report and Budget 2009, along with the Bank of England cutting interest rates and embarking on quantitative easing, has supported the economy and meant that employment is now substantially higher than it would otherwise have been.
Unemployment has also increased by a significantly smaller rate compared to output than during the 1990s.
The Government have directly taken steps to provide 170,000 jobs through the Future Jobs Fund. Jobs will last for six months, and will target young people and those in areas hardest hit by the downturn.
Energy: Renewables
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will allocate a proportion of the tax revenues from oil, gas and coal to a fund to develop efficient technologies for renewable energy. [HL575]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): Tax revenues from oil, gas and coal are pooled in the Consolidated Fund so that the public spending they finance can be prioritised across all government activities in the most efficient way.
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During the current spending period (2008-11) government policies are helping to drive over £6 billion of investment in renewable technologies. Additionally, at Budget 2009, the Chancellor announced a package of measures to remove tax barriers to projects that re-use North Sea oil and gas infrastructure for other activities, such as carbon capture and storage.
Equality
Question
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce legislation necessary to secure equality between spouses to enable them to sign and ratify Protocol No 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights by (a) abolishing the common law duty of a husband to maintain his wife, (b) abolishing the presumption of advancement in respect of gifts between husbands and wives, engaged couples and fathers and their children, and (c) amending section 1 of the Married Women's Property Act 1964 in respect of money or property derived from housekeeping allowance so that it applies equally to husband and wife, and to equalise the position of civil partners in respect of housekeeping allowances by amending the Civil Partnership Act 2004. [HL804]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Government are committed to signing and ratifying protocol 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights as soon as the necessary legislative changes have been made.
In order to fulfil Article 5 of the protocol, which demands equality between spouses, it is necessary to abolish the common law duty of a man to maintain his wife, abolish the presumption of advancement in respect of gifts between husbands and wives, engaged couples and fathers and their children, and to extend this provision to Northern Ireland, and amend Section 1 of the Married Women's Property Act 1964 to provide that money or property derived from a housekeeping allowance will belong to both spouses in equal shares (in the absence of an agreement to the contrary).
It would also be desirable simultaneously to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to equalise the position of civil partners in respect of money or property derived from housekeeping allowances, although we do not think it is strictly necessary in order to fulfil the requirements of article 5 of the protocol.
We will continue actively to seek a suitable legislative vehicle for these changes.
EU: Scrutiny Override
Question
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