What provision he has set aside for the creation of a specialist academy in Ramsgate. [75264]

Before I answer that question, it is right that I put on record the deep shock and sadness felt throughout the education world at the resignation yesterday of my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris). Her contribution to education over the last five years has been immense. Pupils are taught better, in smaller classes, by better-paid, better-trained, better-supported teachers, thanks to her outstanding efforts. That is her legacy. She pioneered important reforms in our education system, but she did more that that. She acted at all times with complete integrity, total dedication and one goal—not her advancement but the advancement and achievement of pupils. Everybody with an interest in education will deeply regret her departure, and the world of politics is a much lesser place as a result of her absence from the top table. Politics needs people like my right hon. Friend.

May I say that I very much share the sentiments expressed about my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris)? In view of the personal nature of her statement last night, may I ask on behalf of hon. Members, certainly on the Labour Benches, that our love and best wishes be passed on to her? I also congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke) on his appointment; it is an excellent choice.

Order. The hon. Gentleman must ask a supplementary question.

Will my hon. Friend assure me that the creation of this new school will not simply displace the problems currently experienced by the Ramsgate school elsewhere in the constituency?

I can certainly assure my hon. Friend that the proposed academy is designed to be of benefit to many pupils in the area. The development funding is offered on the basis that the LEA and the sponsor will come forward with a proposal to help raise standards across the area with coherent provision across selective and non-selective schools in his constituency.

I, too, welcome the involvement of Roger de Haan in local education in Thanet. Will the Minister assure me, however, that the proposal will not in any way be allowed to override his Department's duty to meet the needs of my constituents living in Cliftonville, Dane Valley and other areas of North Thanet, for whom the Ramsgate school might as well be on the moon?

We are determined to do all that we can for all pupils in Kent. As the hon. Gentleman knows, funding has risen substantially in the area, which will lead to the provision of more teachers and more equipment. The academy initiative is designed to raise standards across the board.

What assessment he has made of the impact of inclusion of refugee children in mainstream schools. [75265]

The Office for Standards in Education published a report in October 2001 entitled "Managing Support for the Attainment of Pupils from Minority Ethnic Groups", which included information on the impact and inclusion of refugee children in mainstream schools. Its main findings were that many needed extensive support to help them to acquire English, and some required additional home-school liaison and pastoral care support. Evidence exists, however, that once new bilingual learners overcome their lack of fluency in English, many go on to achieve high grades at school.

May I add my regrets at the forced departure of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills yesterday? It is a sad day for Parliament when someone of transparent honesty and integrity is required to stand down.

"the acquisition of English will be most rapid if new pupils engage and work with other children in the class…The host children are central to this solution".

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, and I certainly agree with him. It is my experience that, once settled, refugee children play a positive part in many of our schools. I see that in my constituency.

I genuinely regret the fact that the previous Secretary of State is no longer in her place, but I welcome her successor.

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, and very much agree with him. Our Department is working on the plans for education services for the children in accommodation centres. Learning English will be an absolutely top priority, as will delivering the rest of the national curriculum.

What steps are being taken to ensure best value in educational standards in secondary schools in the Normanton constituency; and if he will make a statement. [75266]

Wakefield local education authority's educational development plan sets out the steps being taken to ensure best value in educational standards in the secondary schools in the Normanton constituency. In addition, the Ofsted inspection system also ensures that all LEAs and schools provide best value in educational standards.

Does my hon. Friend accept that, for more than two years, I have been pressing the Department to consider the quality of secondary school buildings in Normanton and, particularly, the quality of buildings at Freeston high school? Does he accept that those buildings are dangerous, with falling masonry, narrow corridors and a lack of natural light? Their general condition is appalling. I have requested funding to help to rebuild the Freeston high school, and have also asked Ministers to visit it. The previous Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey), agreed at column 453 on 25 April 2002 to visit the school. He gave that assurance to me as the Member of Parliament for Normanton and to the House. Will the Minister agree to follow up the promise and arrange for a visit to the school, and will he make arrangements to ensure that this dangerous building is replaced?

I am aware that my hon. Friend has made representations to my hon. Friend the Minister for School Standards as well as to previous Ministers. I am happy to give an undertaking that we are prepared to meet representatives from his consistituency and, if possible, will arrange for one of the ministerial team to visit that secondary school.

What plans he has to reduce teacher work load in secondary schools. [75267]

On Tuesday, the Department announced a series of far-reaching proposals, on which I am now seeking agreement with national partners, designed to create more time for teachers to teach. This includes proposals for contractual changes, reform of the role of support staff and a concerted attack on unnecessary bureaucracy. This will contribute both to reducing teacher work load and to raising standards for pupils.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, and I declare at the outset that I am married to a secondary school teacher. I welcome the package of measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris), and join in the tributes paid to her.

I am happy to pay tribute to the excellent work that is done not just by teachers but by the support staff in Redbridge and elsewhere. Pay and conditions are a local matter and are negotiated locally, but I assure my hon. Friend that, as part of the package announced on Tuesday, the Government made it clear that a qualifications and training framework that recognises higher-level tasks will now be developed in partnership with the relevant authorities. That will recognise the higher-level tasks classroom assistants will now be asked to perform.

In paying tribute to the frank, open and honest statement made by the former Secretary of State last night—a refreshing contrast to many other statements made by Ministers on both sides of the House in recent years—may I stress how essential it is that the paper load placed on teachers is reduced? Does the Minister agree that the amount of paperwork that teachers are expected to absorb and master is incompatible with devoting proper time to their teaching duties?

I think it is worth recording my thanks to the hon. Gentleman for his remarks, which some people may contrast with the comments made by other Conservative Members in the past 24 hours.

As Chairman of the Education and Skills Committee, I associate myself with the tribute to the former Secretary of State. Public life will be poorer for the exit of that young lady from the office. I also welcome my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke) to the Dispatch Box.

My hon. Friend makes a good point. The importance of a career path for classroom assistants so that they move up the ladder in schools, perhaps to become qualified teachers if they want to, is an important part of the proposals that we are developing. I assure him that we will take on board the comments in his Select Committee report.

First, may I welcome the new Secretary of State to his post? I understand his uncharacteristic silence and look forward to a constructive exchange of views in future.

"high levels of prescription and intense scrutiny can create bureaucracy, stress and increased workloads."

Many parents and teachers watching today may draw a contrast between the dignified way in which my right hon. Friend spoke last night and the hon. Gentleman's churlish comments this morning. They may even ask themselves whether the right person ended up resigning.

After that performance, the hon. Gentleman should learn not to write his answers before he hears the questions. If he does not agree that pointless form filling annoys teachers, perhaps he will agree with the remark later in the report that

"Poor pupil behaviour is a major cause of teacher workload".

The hon. Gentleman should not write his questions before the sitting. He has just changed his policy again. Last week he said in the Chamber that the Opposition would not abolish independent appeals panels; they would bring in local education authority panels to countermand them. He has just said that he has reverted to the old position. He will have to do much better.

I know that as a former teacher herself, my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris) cared passionately about the work load of teachers and its importance in motivating them. She had several run-ins with teacher unions, but does it not speak volumes for her integrity that they greeted yesterday's announcement with shock and sadness? Does my hon. Friend agree that there are lessons for all of us in her message last night about the way we do politics and about the way in which the Opposition go about their business, and a message for the media as well? I take this opportunity, on behalf of my right hon. Friend's Labour colleagues in Birmingham, to pay tribute—

Order. That is not the purpose of a supplementary question. The hon. Gentleman should sit down. I, too, have the highest regard for the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris), but we must go through the Order Paper. That is the purpose of our business here today.

I hope none the less, Mr. Speaker, that you will allow me, on behalf of my colleagues, formally to welcome the Secretary of State to his new position, and to say that we regret the fact that the previous Secretary of State has become yet another victim of the Government's target culture.

I am pleased to say that the proposals announced on Tuesday complement the Government's commitment to have 10,000 more teachers in our schools during this Parliament. We are not at all ashamed of saying that language specialists, sports coaches and musicians should be coming into our schools, not to substitute for teachers, but to work under their direction and to supplement the invaluable work that they do.

Teachers in Wales will consider that the announcements made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris) this week were probably the most important thing that she contributed to their work, thanks to devolution. What conversations has my hon. Friend had with his colleagues in Wales to ensure that the full implementation of what was announced will apply to the whole of Wales?

I can reassure my hon. Friend that representatives of the National Assembly for Wales participate as full members in the forum that we have established with all interested parties to work through the package, and they will continue to do so.

If he will make a statement on student support for 2003–04. [75269]

We have no plans to make widespread changes to the financial support arrangements for students entering or continuing in higher education in 2003.

Given that students entering university now and perhaps going on to a public sector job would face at least 15 years of repaying their loans at 9 per cent. of their earnings above £10,000, will the Minister take this opportunity to state that the Government will never introduce commercial rates on loans, which would add another five or more years to the repayment of those loans for the average public sector worker?

I am not in the business of pre-empting the higher education strategy document that we will be publishing at the end of the month. However, our income-contingent loan scheme is far superior to the old mortgage-style loan scheme that the previous Government introduced, as it ensures that people repay their loan according to what they earn.

As a member of the National Union of Teachers, may I associate myself with the comments that have been made from these Benches about our former Front-Bench colleague, my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris)? Notwithstanding my hon. Friend's understandable comment about not pre-empting announcements which I am glad to hear are to be made later this month, will she take this opportunity to reaffirm what I understand has always been the Government's policy: their opposition to top-up tuition fees in universities?

My time is slightly ahead of me. We shall announce our higher education strategy document at the end of next month. I am not in a position today to make any statement about what will be incorporated in it. What I am happy to say is that we will ensure that debt and the fear of debt do not inhibit students from participating in higher education, and that we want to create not a social elite but an intellectual elite in which everyone, according to ability, is allowed to develop his or her full potential.

The Minister will be aware of the Assembly learning grant which was introduced in Wales at the beginning of the current academic session. Can she tell me why grant awards to low-income students are being classed as income and therefore being clawed back by the Government from part-time students—a practice that I understand is not followed in the case of the English and Welsh universities access fund?

I understand that negotiations are proceeding as we speak between my colleagues in the Welsh Assembly and those in the Department for Work and Pensions over whether the new grants should be classed as income for benefit purposes. I look forward to learning the outcome.

May I too associate myself with the tribute to the former Secretary of State for Education and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Estelle Morris), and with the welcome to my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke)?

I have often said in the House that I think that in future we will be judged, in relation to increasing participation in higher education, on whether we have managed to change the socio-economic profile of those who enter it. I have also said, and will reiterate, that we have set ourselves a complex challenge. We need to raise standards in our secondary schools to ensure that more young people from lower income groups stay at school, and we need to raise their aspirations so that they aim higher and see university as an option.

What meetings he has had with the teaching unions to discuss criminal record checks on teaching staff. [75271]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met representatives of the Secondary Heads Association, the National Association of Teachers/Union of Women Teachers, the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers on 4 September to discuss the matter.

With thousands of applications still outstanding, Cambridgeshire county council alone still has some 40 checks outstanding, yet all the applications were put in before June. The situation is becoming serious. I have received a letter from the leader of the council, and the leaders of the Liberal and Labour groups, expressing deep concern about the new disclosure service. They complain about long delays in recruitment inevitably impacting on service users. They say that recruitment itself is problematic, and that existing staff are under increasing stress. Given that backlog of thousands, what will the Government do to sort out the shambles?

I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about this important issue. I am pleased to say that the processing system has undergone significant improvement in the last four to six weeks, and that the throughput of disclosures has risen over that time. One assurance I can give the hon. Gentleman is that the Department has agreed on a special fast-track procedure where particular problems exist, so that the Criminal Records Bureau can deal with the issues as quickly as possible.

In maintaining the highest possible standards in relation to criminal records, will the Minister, on behalf of the Department, have discussions with his opposite number in the Northern Ireland Office to ensure that—at ministerial, civil service and special policy adviser level—the Department of Education in Northern Ireland applies the same standards as we apply on the mainland in demanding no criminal record in the case of anyone involved in teaching, and in education generally, throughout the United Kingdom?

In the new circumstances, we will have discussions with colleagues, and I can certainly assure the hon. Gentleman that we will put that issue on to the agenda.

The Minister will recall the debate on this subject in Westminster Hall in which the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Hilary Benn), said that the most effective way of getting a prompt record check was to use the telephone service provided by the CRB. In that case, why are almost no schools or voluntary organisations aware of the service, even though it could have saved them many weeks in getting a check processed? What plans does he have to make it better known? He will also be aware that those who have to fill in the forms—the people who know most about this subject—are frustrated that they were never consulted about either the nature or style of the form? How does he intend to simplify the form and involve schools, voluntary organisations and their advisers in that process?

We take seriously the need to tackle the roots of this problem. The special team sent in by the Home Secretary under Mr. Patrick Carter is looking at every stage of the CRB process. It will also have discussions with a wide range of colleagues and interests to ensure that the form is as processable as possible. On the hon. Gentleman's point about publicity, my understanding is that a number of people have been using the phone line and other mechanisms of getting in touch, but I shall look into the concern that he raised.

What further measures he proposes to deal with the problems caused by disruptive pupils in schools. [75272]

We continue to invest in a range of measures to establish good behaviour and discipline in all schools. Teachers dealing with the most challenging behaviour have access to in-school support from learning mentors and others. We stand by the head teacher's right to exclude the most disruptive pupils in the best interests of the school community as a whole. Such pupils now have access to full-time education outside the school. We will set out shortly the next stages of our strategy to improve pupil behaviour, discipline and attendance.

Will the Minister accept from me later a brief dossier from head teachers in Gravesham about the effects of disruptive pupils in their schools? The dossier includes a report of an incident yesterday in which a nine-year-old kicked his teacher, but could not be sent home because his parents refused to collect him. Does my hon. Friend consider that we need special provision in primary schools for disruptive pupils and perhaps also wider use of parenting orders to ensure that parents take responsibility for their children's behaviour?

I will be very happy to receive the dossier from my hon. Friend, who highlights one example from a number of very disturbing cases. Much of the focus of the strategy has so far been on secondary schools, but he is right to emphasise that, tragically, many such cases are arising in primary schools. Staff in our schools have a right to work in an environment where they are not subject to violence, abuse and harassment, and parents have a duty to take responsibility for their children.

Is the Minister aware that many head teachers find when they become caught up in issues of process in relation to appeals panels that they have no guidance about that process? When he modifies the appeals panel process this January, will he consider the guidance that head teachers are given about the specific processes that are needed to ensure that they are watertight in any legal discussions?

That is exactly what we are doing. We are saying that we want appeals panels to be more effective and want to ensure that somebody with practical classroom experience is included on every panel. We do not want the panels to overturn the decision made by a head teacher simply on the basis of a technicality. We want to balance the interests of the individual child who might appeal with the wider interests of the school community. We have listened to the concerns of head teachers and taken them on board, which is why we will issue the new proposals starting in January.

There is often a link between disruptive behaviour and experimentation with drugs. Can some changes be made to the guidelines on the national curriculum for secondary schools to ensure that every school has to have high-quality anti-drugs education?

I met my hon. Friend earlier this week, when he took the opportunity to present me with the report of his local inquiry into the use of heroin. The findings are extremely disturbing. I am considering the advice and guidance that is given to schools on drugs, alcohol and tobacco. We are listening to a range of people who work in the field and we will be looking to see that the curriculum meets those challenges.

Does the Minister recognise that many children who are excluded from school have disruptive behavioural problems not by chance, but as a result of medical disabilities? Such children already have special educational needs, but when their schools can no longer cope with their disruptive behaviour and they have rightly to be excluded to protect the education of other children, current policy means that they receive only a few hours' education a week. I know one little boy, Michael, who has Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome, which means that he cannot help being disruptive. He has had almost no education for the last seven months. What will the Minister do to help children like him?

I want to ensure that people have full and equal access to education regardless of their disability or their special educational needs. That is why we legislated in the previous Parliament with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. That is also why we have extended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to cover schools. I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady, however, that this is a big challenge: services are not universally good and a lot more work needs to be done. I am working with many of the organisations in the field to try to deliver a general improvement in the quality of service.

What assessment he has made of the proposals for the removal of surplus places from schools in Everton and Vauxhall in Liverpool. [75273]

The Department does not assess statutory proposals for changes to schools, as I think my hon. Friend knows. Such proposals are decided by the local school organisation committee or, if it cannot agree, by the independent schools adjudicator. I understand that proposals for the removal of surplus places in Catholic primary schools in Liverpool originate with the archdiocese concerned, in partnership with the city council.

I accept that Liverpool city council has prime responsibility for decisions on school closures, but does my hon. Friend share my concern that insufficient attention has been given to the link between regeneration opportunities and educational provision in this inner-city area? Is he aware of the work of the parents action group in this regard, and would he be willing to consider its views on the link between regeneration and educational attainment?

My hon. Friend will know that I visited her constituency in June, and I was very impressed not only by the tributes paid to her and her work on regeneration and education but by the work being done by the city council in tandem with voluntary organisations in the city and, specifically, in her constituency. If her parents action group wants to come to London, I will certainly meet it here, unless I get back to Liverpool before that.

When distance limits on school transport entitlement were last altered; and if he will make a statement. [75274]

The statutory maximum walking distances were set in 1944. Local education authorities have the power to consider applications for help with transport costs that are not covered by the statutory criteria, using their discretionary powers.

In 1944, there were about 1 million vehicles on British roads; there are now 24 million. In 1944, footpaths were heavily used by people walking to work, and provided a safe means of transit. They are now much less safe in areas such as mine. Is it perhaps time for us to review the limits?

As I said in my answer, local authorities have discretionary powers, and there are some good examples of authorities that have chosen to exercise them. My hon. Friend's own local authority does so in a number of respects. The social exclusion unit is conducting an inquiry into the links between poor transport and access to key services, including education, and work. We are awaiting the unit's full report, but officials in the Department for Education and Skills have been working with the unit, and that may well provide a basis for us to take this debate a little further forward.

Traffic conditions have changed, but so have the circumstances of the schools system: we now have specialist schools and the concept of parental choice, for example. All those changes militate against the system that was set up in 1944. When we add to that the fact that, in rural areas such as my own in the county of Somerset, a huge amount of money is spent on school transport without any recompense—thanks to a ridiculous formula system that does very poorly for us and many other areas of the country—it becomes clear that it is time for a fundamental review of the school transport system. Will the Minister please put that into place at the earliest possible opportunity, to coincide with the change in the local authority funding system that we shall discuss later today?

I cannot promise to make it coincide with the new funding formula. This is an immensely challenging area. I have been taking a look at the matter and I will continue to do so. If the hon. Gentleman has a scheme in mind that would be workable and that I can sell to colleagues and to the House, I would be delighted to consider it.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Education Act 1944 also allows bus companies to permit three children under the age of 15 to sit on a double seat? That leads to gross overcrowding on scheduled bus services taking children to school in my constituency, especially from the village of Llandogo. Will my hon. Friend seriously consider this issue, and get rid of this rule?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I must confess that I was not aware of that rule, but I will take a look at it, as requested.

In addition to the reasons given by two hon. Members for reviewing this legislation, will the Minister also take into account the fact that, because of deteriorating road conditions and safety, young children often have to walk along verges—never mind pavements—and that countless parents are no longer prepared to let their children walk the statutory distance? Such parents have to use their cars to take their children to school, which causes immense congestion outside schools, and unnecessarily puts many extra vehicles on the road. Several of the Government's objectives could be met if they themselves were to take the lead. The discretion of local authorities is not adequate, because they are not funded and do not benefit from the environmental gain that could be achieved if the Government took action.

It makes a change for the Department for Education and Skills to be accused of not being centralist enough, but I will certainly look at the representations that the hon. Gentleman makes. It is clear that support exists in all parties for looking at this matter, but I repeat that any change would involve losers as well as winners, so I need to look very carefully at how such change would work. However, I certainly appreciate the hon. Gentleman's point about parents' concerns for their children's safety in the light of increased traffic volumes, pollution and the rate of crime.

What plans he has to widen participation in higher education. [75276]

We are firmly committed to widening participation in higher education, so that all our brightest students, whatever their background, enjoy the full opportunity to develop their potential. Through our secondary school reform agenda, we want to raise attainment levels. Through the introduction of the education maintenance allowance, we want to encourage young people from low-income backgrounds to stay in full-time education; and through our "Excellence Challenge" programme, we want young people to aim higher.

Does my hon. Friend agree with me and the staff and students of Reading university that action is needed not only to widen participation, but to enable universities in constituencies such as mine with a high cost of living to have a student body with the widest possible background?

Every university is enhanced by having a broad-based student population, from which every student can learn.

My constituent Katy Smith was one of the students who took part in yesterday's lobby of Parliament on student debt. She made the powerful case that student debt deters people from poorer backgrounds from applying to university. Before the last election, the then Education Secretary—the current Home Secretary—promised not to introduce top-up fees for students. Would the current education team like to inherit that promise as well?

I, too, saw the people from the National Union of Students who came to the House yesterday. The point that I made to them was that they should see their contribution to the cost of their education as an investment. Over their lifetime, people who are graduates will earn £400,000 more than those who are not. In that context, if they incur costs of up to £10,000, that is a good investment, not a cost.

Does my hon. Friend agree that debt is cyclical, and is it not time that we looked at the way that we pay students? They have the least experience and a small amount of money, so rather than giving them everything up front at the beginning of term, would it not be better to give them the choice of monthly payments? That would help them to manage their finances much better.

My hon. Friend has made that suggestion to me on several occasions, and I am delighted to inform him that I have asked the Student Loans Company whether that is a feasible option for the future payment of loans.

When he will decide on option 5 funding for education in Devon. [75277]

The Government will carefully consider all the suggestions that are put to us in response to the consultation; indeed, we will be having a long debate on that this afternoon. We will announce decisions on the new funding system by early December, along with the provisional settlement for 2003–04.

Of the four options for education funding proposed by the Government, none eliminates discrimination against Devon's children, who get a raw deal when compared with many of their county cousins. Will the Minister ensure that the new education funding formula, when it comes about, is egalitarian and eliminates the postcode lottery of funding for schools?

You will know, Mr. Speaker, that the hon. Gentleman and I had a good debate in Westminster Hall at which I learned a lot about the particular problems of education in Devon. He and I are corresponding on some of the facts underlying the matter. Labour Members of the House are always happy to commit ourselves to an egalitarian solution.

What plans exist to improve the pay of support staff working in further education. [75278]

In September, I announced an extra £32 million for the teaching pay initiative in further education this year, including £12 million to allow colleges to extend the initiative to support staff.

I welcome that answer and thank my hon. Friend for it. I also welcome the new Secretary of State to his post and express the hope that his predecessor will return swiftly to the Government. One of her legacies is that there is more integration in the further education sector between colleges and schools and other institutions. However, we need more parity in the rewards that people get in those places. In my constituency, we have the Rothwell partnership, in which Joseph Priestley college is working with three high schools. The staff involved need parity. Will the Government look at that issue and reward them appropriately?

I welcome the activities in my hon. Friend's constituency between Joseph Priestley college and a number of schools. Such co-operation puts the individual at the heart of the learning process and ensures that institutional silos do not inhibit that. We have a manifesto commitment to ensure that we raise levels of pay in further education colleges so that we get equal funding between the two sectors. We remain committed to that.

Will my hon. Friend confirm whether industrial action in further education is still planned for November? Will she confirm that the dispute is about pay and say what she is trying to do to avert it?

It is my view that industrial action is not necessary, given our announcement of the extra £32 million that we have made available to the employers to ensure that they can negotiate and reach agreement with all the unions. That £32 million is the same as 1 per cent. on the pay bill, which is sufficient to prevent industrial action next month.

What progress has been made towards meeting the targets set for his Department for 2004 relating to primary school education. [75279]

Primary schools have made outstanding progress in raising standards over the last five years. This year, 75 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved the expected level in English, and 73 per cent. did so in mathematics, maintaining world-leading standards of achievement. We believe that schools can achieve even higher standards, and have a challenging target of 85 per cent. by 2004. The hon. Gentleman will be pleased to know that we are already working closely with local education authorities and schools to ensure progress towards that.

It is clear that the previous Secretary of State had not met her targets. In 1999, the right hon. Lady said that if she did not meet her targets, she would resign. She also said at that time that her colleagues would resign as well. If her colleague who is now the Secretary of State followed what his predecessor promised, could this be the quickest resignation on record?

I think that we have probably had enough of that for one 24-hour period. I assure the hon. Gentleman that we will work closely with teachers, who have achieved outstanding improvement but can go further, notably in the primary education of boys, where there is a significant gap between them and girls. We are working on that already.

What steps he is taking to promote the take-up of science and engineering places in further and higher education establishments. [75281]

The Government are strengthening science education in schools and helping careers advisers and teachers to explain how science and engineering offer challenging careers. The Government are also implementing the recommendations of Sir Gareth Roberts's review of the need for people with skills in science, technology and engineering.

The Minister may be aware that, over the last 10 years, there has been a significant decline in the number of students taking A-levels in physics and maths, with numbers falling by 30 per cent. In chemistry, the number has fallen by 20 per cent. What attempt will she make to encourage more people to study science subjects at A-level to enable them to do those subjects at university? Has she any plans to meet with the Engineering and Technology Board, which has been set up to promote that very end?

I frequently meet several professional organisations that represent engineering and science interests. I have to yet to receive a request from the organisation to which the hon. Gentleman referred and look forward to receiving that request. We have plans to try to encourage more young people, especially girls, to take science subjects through to A-level and on to university. The recent decline is very serious and we need to provide incentives and encouragement in the school system from the youngest age to try to reverse that long-term trend.

What criteria are applied in deciding to prosecute where a death in police custody occurs. [75299]

If she will make it her policy to allow the views of the family of victims be taken into account when deciding whether to prosecute following a death in police custody. [75300]

In deciding whether to prosecute after a death in custody, the Crown Prosecution Service applies the code for crown prosecutors, as it does in all cases. First it considers whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction and, if there is, whether a prosecution is in the public interest. As with all cases, the CPS will start or continue with a prosecution involving a death in custody only if both tests are met. The CPS considers any information provided by or on behalf of the family in deciding whether to prosecute.

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that answer and congratulate her on the 20th anniversary of her election to this House. She seems so young.

I thank my hon. Friend for his comments about my 20 years in the House. He makes an important point about relatives needing to have confidence that if a criminal act has been committed, people are held to account with no cover-ups behind closed doors. That is about good investigation and effective decision making in prosecution.

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for her answer, but she will appreciate that families need to know that someone is on their side, otherwise they will suspect a cover-up. What does the CPS do to liaise with families and reassure them that their views are taken into account and that matters are properly investigated?

My hon. Friend is right that more needs to be done to reassure relatives that if a criminal act has taken place, someone is held to account for it. She may know that the Attorney-General, who takes these issues seriously, has issued a consultation paper that explores the prosecution of deaths in custody. In his consultation with the police, the Prison Service, relatives and the CPS, he has found that we have not done enough for relatives, and the CPS is well aware of that. Prosecutions have to be public, not private, but that does not mean that relatives should be kept out of the picture and their views ignored.

I hope that the Solicitor-General will acknowledge that her Department relies heavily on the work of coroners, who can refer deaths in custody cases to the Director of Public Prosecutions and to the CPS. Another review is taking place of coroners services. Does the Solicitor-General agree that it is in the public interest that coroners courts have greater power at inquests, for example, to seize documents, to summon witnesses throughout the UK and to insist on full disclosure to the coroner in due time?

The hon. Gentleman is right to remind the House that there is a wide overlap between the work of coroners and of criminal courts in cases of death in custody. We need to be certain that there is complete openness and full investigation. He raises these matters at an opportune time, as the Lord Chancellor is consulting on the powers and procedures in relation to coroners. The two reviews that I have mentioned need to be looked at side by side, as we must make sure that deaths in custody are fully investigated.

Does my right hon. and learned Friend believe that sufficient consideration has been given to the Christopher Alder case, in which the prosecution failed? Will the current review take account of all the circumstances of that case, so that the same problems do not arise in future?

I thank my hon. Friend for raising the question of the death in custody of Christopher Alder, of which the Attorney-General and I are well aware. The Attorney-General has been closely involved in the work of the Crown Prosecution Service and of the Director of Public Prosecutions in connection with the case.

If she will make a statement on the prosecution of financial crime. [75302]

We consider the effective prosecution of financial crime to be very important. We cannot allow white-collar criminals to escape justice. The Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service prosecute financial crime. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which comes into effect in February 2003, will mean not only that financial crime will be prosecuted, but that the proceeds of such crime can be prosecuted more effectively.

Does my right hon. and learned Friend share my concern at the low number of prosecutions carried out by the Serious Fraud Office, especially given the additional resources that it received two years ago? Can something be done to ensure that more cases are brought to justice, in line with the comments that she made in her further response to the previous question?

As my hon. Friend may know, the Serious Fraud Office prosecutes only those cases in which more than £1 million is at stake. The difference between the SFO and the CPS is that the former investigates a fraud as well as prosecuting it. Financial crime is linked with money laundering, terrorism, drugs and human trafficking, and it is very important that we recognise that the problem must be sorted out internationally as well as nationally. A working party involving all Departments has looked into improving the response to fraud. As international fraud grows, we must be sure that we improve our performance in tackling it.

I add my congratulations to the Solicitor-General on the 20th anniversary of her service in Parliament.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, and welcome him to the Dispatch Box in his new role. As I said, the SFO investigates fraud involving more than £1 million, and the CPS prosecutes frauds below that level. There is a close relationship between the CPS and the SFO. Other police forces that are investigating crimes involving less than £1 million certainly work closely with the Serious Fraud Office and draw on its expertise. It is not clear when they start the investigation whether the figure is more or less than £1 million. We are talking about large sums of money—about £14 billion is estimated to be lost through serious fraud, which affects victims both rich and not rich. It is not a victimless crime; it is also about poor people being ripped off. We feel very strongly about white-collar crime and not allowing fat cats to get away with it.