To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of establishing the predecessor to her Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. (134811)

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. No additional public expenditure would have been incurred as a consequence of establishing the ODPM. Any costs, such as relocation of incoming staff from other Departments’ buildings and changes to signage and stationery, would have been met from existing budgets. A breakdown of such costs by cost area is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to increase the availability of high quality part-time work for women. (135606)

[holding answer 8 May 2007]: The Government are working closely with employers from both the public and private sector to open up more quality jobs on a part-time basis. On 2 April we announced the projects awarded funding from a £500,000 quality part-time work initiative. This is a new initiative by Communities and Local Government which is designed to support projects across the UK that increase the number of senior and quality jobs that are available part-time.

The 13 successful projects include transforming big organisations, working with young people to create awareness of quality part-time working, setting up a national job-share register, and opening up part-time opportunities for senior women investigators in the police force. All projects are required to have good arrangements for disseminating the lessons learned to other employers and we believe they can have a real impact.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on the (a) installation and (b) maintenance of (i) rubberised surfaces and (ii) loose fill surfaces in public playgrounds in each year since 1997. (136539)

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations her Department received on the Gambling Commission and local authority fees for betting shops in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007; and if she will make a statement. (136430)

The formal responses to the consultation exercises relating to implementation of the licence fees under the Gambling Act 2005 and associated follow-up queries were as follows:

We also had a number of meetings with betting shop representatives including with the Association of British Bookmakers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Ministers in her Department have visited India in the last 12 months; on how many occasions each Minister visited India; and what the length was of each visit. (135541)

The Government publish an annual list of Cabinet Ministers’ travel overseas costing over £500 along with the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006 and is available in the Library of the House. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready.

All travel is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

A detailed list of visits by all UK Ministers to India since 2003 can be found on the British high commission website at:

http:/www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1038154781863

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2007, Official Report, columns 1119-20W, on gaming machines, what the critical milestones are for finalising the testing regime for ensuring that gaming machines comply with the technical standards required under the Gambling Act 2005. (136183)

The testing regime is the subject of ongoing discussions between the Gambling Commission and the industry, test houses and other stakeholders. The Gambling Commission will publish final machine technical standards by 1 June 2007. At the same time, it intends to publish its high-level approach to the testing of gaming machines. Detailed process requirements will be developed with the industry and test houses beyond this date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much the Arts Council of Wales received from the National Lottery in 2006; and how much it is expected to receive in 2007; (136167)

The following table shows the Arts Council of Wales income from the National Lottery Distribution Fund for the financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07; for August 2006 alone, and estimated figures, based on the Department’s latest income projections, for 2007-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery-funded money is yet to be allocated by the Arts Council of Wales; and what that figure was in August 2006. (136169)

The Arts Council of Wales provides my Department with data on the level of unpaid commitments at the final day of each quarter of the financial year. The closest figure to August 2006 that we have available is September 2006.

On 30 September 2006 the Arts Council of Wales balance in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) was £18,501,937. Its forward commitments including both contractually binding and “in principle” commitments totalled £22,309,580. It was therefore overcommitted on its NLDF balance by £3,807,643.

On 31 March 2007 the Arts Council of Wales balance was £16,625,562. Its forward commitments, including both contractually binding and “in principle” commitments totalled £18,001,516. It was therefore overcommitted by £1,375,954.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what events in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held outside London. (136288)

The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will see several events held outside London.

The football tournament will include games in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham. The sailing will be in Weymouth and Portland; rowing will be in Eton Dorney; whitewater canoeing will be in Broxbourne (Hertfordshire) and mountain biking in Weald Country Park (Essex).

In addition, the Cultural Olympiad will take place across the UK, with events and festivals outside London over the four years up to and including 2012. The 2012 Torch Relays are likely to involve many major cities and towns throughout the UK in the run up to the 2012 Games. The route for the Torch Relays will be devised in order to maximise the opportunities for as much of the UK population to be involved as possible.

Communities can also benefit from hosting sports events or pre-Games training camps for overseas teams in the run up to the Games.

The London 2012 website includes further details of venues:

http://www.london2012.org/en/ourvision/sport+and+venue+information/list+of+all+venues/

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of construction training programmes set up to ensure adequate numbers of skilled contractors to work on the construction stages of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. (136290)

I have been asked to reply.

ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry has developed the ConstructionSkills Network, a cross country alliance to provide the industry with a comprehensive model for forecasting capacity, productivity and skills to help employers and others plan for the impact of future trends on the construction workforce. Details of the numbers of people and the roles they will fulfil in the Olympics and Paralympics and other major projects such as the Thames Gateway are currently being refined and as plans are finalised for planned developments so the Network will be able to produce more accurate figures.

The newly established National Skills Academy for Construction (NSA) will support work-based learning centres for major construction projects including Olympics and Paralympics projects. This work-based learning approach will enable employers more easily to train local people. In Greater London 26 quality training providers have joined in partnership with the National Skills Academy in order to meet the customised needs of employers.

In addressing the skills needs of the Olympics and other major projects in London and the South East of England ConstructionSkills has set the following targets.

To deliver a NSA base on every Olympic project.

To deliver over 4,500 apprenticeships by 2012.

To provide specialised training at the National Construction College for Plant Operators and other identified skills gaps.

Using both On Site Assessment and Training (OSAT) and the Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA) programmes to deliver over 33,000 people qualified by 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidelines her Department has issued to national sports governing bodies on the sponsorship of sports events and competitions involving children by commercial organisations. (136282)

Neither the Department nor Sport England provide specific guidance to governing bodies on the sponsorship of sports events and competitions involving children by commercial organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's policy is on the sponsorship of sports events and competitions involving children by commercial organisations that produce food and drink products that are high in fat, salt and sugar. (136283)

Neither my Department nor Sport England provide specific guidance on the sponsorship of sports events and competitions involving children by commercial organisations.

However, the Public Health White Paper “Choosing Health”, published in November 2004, sets out the Government's commitment to help people lead healthier and more active lives. In particular, my Department shares with the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills a Public Service Agreement target to

"halt the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole".

In line with its corporate social responsibility, the food industry is an important partner in our cross-Government programme of work to achieve this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the applications from the UK which are under consideration for the status of World Heritage Site; and if she will make a statement. (136132)

The current UK nominations being considered by UNESCO for World Heritage inscription are Darwin at Downe, which will be considered by the World Heritage Committee in June 2007 and The Antonine Wall, which will be considered in summer 2008.

In addition, on 10 October 2006, I announced that Pontcysyllte Aqueduct would be nominated in 2008 for consideration in 2009 and the twin Monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow would be nominated in 2009 for consideration in 2010.

Excluding the sites named above, 13 sites remain on the UK’s Tentative List and some 46 sites, including Colchester, have expressed their interest in being considered for inclusion on a possible revised List.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued on the making of statements to the media on policy matters by spouses of military members of the Army Board. (134175)

[holding answer 26 April 2007]: No guidance has been issued to the spouses of military members of the Army Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what methods other than financial incentives are being used to improve recruitment and retention in the armed forces. (131698)

All three services undertake numerous and varied initiatives, both at national and local level, aimed at sustaining and increasing the level of recruitment to the armed forces. Included among the many current initiatives are:

The use of multi-media advertising campaigns.

Services’ recruiting teams’ attendance at schools, careers fairs and graduate recruitment seminars, road shows, exhibitions, youth clubs and organisations.

Specialist teams to attract doctors, dentists, nurses, lawyers and padres by promoting service careers within specialist recruitment shows and through professional bodies.

Work experience placements within service establishments.

Personal development courses and look at life courses for young people who express an interest in the armed forces.

Taster day visits to HM ships and service establishments.

A dedicated careers website for each of the services complete with a dedicated information support call centre.

An Army ‘on-line’ recruiting office, with plans for this to be replicated by the other services.

Specialist ethnic minority recruiting and diversity action teams aimed at promoting Armed forces careers among the UK’s ethnic minority and faith communities.

A partnership with Jobcentre Plus, making use of its network (totalling in excess of 1,100) of local outlets. As a measurement of the success of this partnership, in financial year 2005-06 some 1,200 referrals went on to become enlistments.

Taken across the armed forces, retention is generally satisfactory. Nevertheless in some areas, exit rates are still too high and require us to work hard at retaining people in these areas. Retention measures such as:

Initiatives to improve work/life balance include proposals such as allowing personnel to work flexibly where it is operationally possible to do so and where personnel have reached a certain stage in their careers.

Within the naval services, the re-balancing lives initiative (RBL) seeks to improve the work/life balance of our people.

The future Army structure will lengthen tour intervals, improve career development and effectiveness of our soldiers and, with more robust structures, the quality of life for them and their families. The whole Army will be on a system of individual postings, which together with other linked initiatives will improve stability for Army personnel and their families.

The RAF continues to explore the scope to allow greater employment flexibility and achievement of work/life balance aspirations, which might help improve the recruitment and retention of its personnel, including: flexible working hours, job share, career breaks, sabbaticals and secondments, greater family stability. Recent improvements have been made to the operational welfare package, the aim of which is to maintain the strength and morale of service personnel in order to optimise and maintain effectiveness. It does so by providing support for the physical and emotional well-being of service personnel deployed on operations. Recent improvements to the package include an increase in the free weekly telephone calls from 20 to 30 minutes and a tax bonus. Other benefits of the package include free e-mails facility, free “blueys” (mail), free packages from families to personnel of up to 2 kg over the Christmas period and up to 14 days rest and recuperation break during a six month tour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long members of the armed forces are seconded to the households of non-ministerial members of the Army Board. (134510)

Postings conform to normal Army rules and vary in length depending on circumstances. The normal tour length for chefs is three years, and for other posts is two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen and women were waiting for treatment by the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, Surrey on 16 April. (132846)

The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court offers a range of in-patient rehabilitation services and is the base for the Defence Medical Services’ Rheumatology and Rehabilitation (R&R) consultants. Broadly, three categories of patient attend DMRC:

Patients requiring immediate assessment and treatment, often from overseas locations, who can be seen by DMRC without prior hospital treatment. Patients are admitted directly with no waiting time.

Patients with complex rehabilitation requirements following hospital treatment for trauma or other physical injuries. Such patients include the operational casualties typically treated in NHS hospitals in Birmingham. The care pathways for these patients are planned to ensure that they come to DMRC at the most appropriate time in their clinical treatment, with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Evaluation and Coordination Cell at Headley Court coordinating the case management of these patients. There is no waiting list for such patients—in other words, there are no such patients who ought to have started their treatment at Headley Court but who have been delayed in doing so because of any capacity limits at DMRC.

Patients for routine assessment and treatment are referred directly to the R&R consultants or via our Regional Rehabilitation Units. The consultants offer appointments depending on clinical need, the availability of the patient and the start date of suitable courses of therapy for the patient’s condition. Most patients in this category will be seen within six weeks of being referred to DMRC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s expenditure was on (a) the Defence Medical Service and (b) each cadre of the Defence Medical Service in each of the last five years. (132622)

The information is currently being collated. I will write to the hon. Member when this has been completed, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on polo ponies in each of the last five years. (136384)

The MOD does not own any polo ponies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for which Government websites he is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost (a) was of establishing and (b) has been of maintaining each site. (135732)

The Ministry of Defence and armed forces collectively maintain four corporate websites. Direct expenditure on these and the number of page views that each site received in the financial year 2006-07 were as follows:

The following websites are maintained by business units within MOD. We have embarked on a programme of rationalising content from these sites into the four corporate sites and expect to see a significant reduction in the number of sites over the next two years. This list does not include sites created and maintained by individual units or regiments.

Current Information was unavailable for the following websites—2005-06 figures have been provided:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings took place between Ministers in his Department and outside interest groups between 1 January and 31 March; and what the date was of each such meeting. (131028)

Between 1 January 2007 and 31 March 2007 Defence Ministers met with outside interest groups on the following occasions:

Secretary of State for Defence

10 January—Meeting with a representative from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers to discuss human rights issues in Columbia.

6 March—Meeting with a representative of the National Employers Advisory Board to discuss issues relating to Volunteer Reservists.

7 March—Meeting with a representative from the Transport and General Workers Union to discuss the Defence Diversification Agency.

Minister for Defence Procurement (from 6 March, Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support)

16 January—Meeting with representatives from NUMIS to provide an update on the Defence Industrial Strategy.

16 January—Meeting of the National Defence Industry Council.

7 March—The Minister was present at the Secretary of State’s meeting with the Transport and General Workers Union.

27 March—Meeting of the National Defence Industry Council.

28 March—Meeting with Clyde shop stewards to discuss shipbuilding.

Under-Secretary of State

9 January—Meeting with representatives from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

9 January—Meeting with representatives from the Armed Forces Memorial Project to discuss progress with the Memorial.

18 January—Meeting with a representative from the Army Benevolent Fund.

7 February—Meeting with a representative from the Bevin Boys to discuss recognition of the Bevin Boys.

19 February—Meeting with representatives from the War Widows Association.

21 February—Meeting with representatives from the Armed Forces Committee of the British Medical Association.

21 February—Meeting with a representative from Combat Stress.

27 February—Meeting with a representative from the Armed Force Parliamentary Scheme.

28 February—Meeting with a representative from the British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association.

6 March—Meeting with a representative from the Merchant Navy Association.

8 March—Meeting with a representative from the Merchant Mariners.

13 March—Meeting with a representative from Armed Forces Memorial Project.

21 March—Meeting with a representative from the Depleted Uranium Oversight Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have worked in field hospitals during Operation Telic; and what percentage of the total number were reservist medical personnel. (132850)

From the start of Op Telic in January 2003 to Operation Telic 9 at the end of April 2007, 2,887 individual medical specialist and non-medical support personnel have served in field hospitals in Iraq, of which some 43 per cent were reservists.

The number of service personnel who have worked in Operation Telic field hospitals is shown in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents of friendly fire have occurred since the coalition forces invaded Iraq in 2003. (130280)

[holding answer 27 March 2007]: The number of friendly fire incidents in Iraq since 2003 is not held centrally. Friendly fire incidents could be Multinational Forces (MNF) on MNF, MNF on Iraqi Security Force (ISF) or ISF on MNF. Recorded instances of these incidents could only be aggregated from individual records, some of which we would have to request from coalition partners and the Iraqi security forces. This could only be done at disproportionate cost.

However, eight UK service personnel have died as a result of actual or suspected friendly fire incidents in Iraq since the start of Operation Telic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many presentations were made to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst by private health providers between March 2006 and March 2007. (135482)

Three presentations were made by BUPA: one to each new intake to the Regular Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in May 2006, September 2006 and January 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an individual in his Department was responsible for the advance briefing given to the Daily Mirror newspaper in relation to the operation in Birmingham on 31 January by counter-terrorism officers of the West Midlands police. (135400)

[holding answer 2 May 2007]: No.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) instructions are issued to staff in his Department and (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night. (136093)

My Office is based in a Cabinet Office building, and I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband) on 27 April 2007, Official Report, column 1329W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions he visited India in each of the last 12 months; and what the length was of each visit. (135527)

This Government publish an annual list of Cabinet Ministers’ travel overseas costing over £500 along with the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006 and is available in the Library for the reference of Members. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready.

All travel is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for which Government websites he is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost (a) was of establishing and (b) has been of maintaining each site. (135741)

Subsequent to my answer to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 14 December 2006, Official Report, column 1304W, in the period January to April 2007 my Department's website recorded 18,179 separate visits and 39,311 page views.

For details of costs, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 4 September 2006, Official Report, column 1721W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complaints of sexual harassment have been investigated in his Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld. (135369)

No complaints have been made.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what role the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit will play in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. (136314)

In the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit is supporting Her Majesty’s Treasury to develop a practical performance monitoring and management system for new PSA targets.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of the organisational chart for the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit; (136315)

Organisationally, the Unit is headed by Ian Watmore at Permanent Secretary level; three Directors lead on Education and Health, Crime and Justice, and Asylum and Migration and other projects.

The Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit’s reports comprise confidential policy advice to the Prime Minister and Ministers, and are not published.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what funding has been allocated to the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit for 2007-08. (136327)

Funding details for the financial year 2007-08 are in the process of being finalised. Funding for 2006-07 is set out in the Cabinet Office annual report, to be published later this month.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the date was of each leak inquiry initiated by the Cabinet Office since 1997; which Department was concerned in each case; and what leak was being investigated in each case. (136332)

Individual Departments are responsible for initiating leak inquiries relating to material from within their own Departments. The Cabinet Office has conducted 15 leak inquiries since May 1997. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the subject matter of leak inquiries, which might reveal specific techniques or information that could jeopardise future investigations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adult learners were studying vocational courses in Copeland in 2005-06. (133487)

The available figures for numbers of adult learners participating in Further Education in England funded by the Learning and Skills Council are shown in the following table. These figures show the numbers by sector subject Area and provided an indication of the numbers on vocational and non-vocational courses. Learners undertake a wide range of courses and it is difficult to classify all courses as either vocational or non-vocational.

The available figures on the numbers of entrants to undergraduate courses at Higher Education Institutions are given in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome have statements of special educational needs. (136085)

The available information is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities in England have specialist units for Asperger’s syndrome. (136117)

The information requested is not collected centrally.

The Department collects, via School Census, the number of schools which have special units or resourced provision. It does not, however, ask schools to specify what the area of support is. Provisional 2007 data show that there are 1,558 schools in England with a special unit or resourced provision with 21,130 pupils attending such units.

The way in which provision is organised is a matter for individual local authorities and their schools to determine in the light of local needs, priorities and resources. Similarly, decisions on which pupils should attend any such units are for the schools and local authorities to make, in the light of their individual needs and parental wishes and any special educational provision as specified in a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many looked after children there were in the Peterborough city council area in each year since 1997. (121184)

The number of children who were looked after by the local authority of Peterborough since 1996-97 is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class sizes in Copeland (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools were in financial year (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 2006-07. (136271)

The information requested is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the report commissioned by his Department entitled, “Getting It. Getting It Right”; and if he will make a statement. (117959)

The Department published “Getting It. Getting It Right”, a priority review on black pupil exclusions on 2 March 2007. The report is available in the House of Commons Library and at

www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Diplomas for England are recognised by universities and colleges as entry qualifications; and whether agreement has been reached with those institutions. (134543)

All Diplomas at Level 3 are being designed to give progression routes into Higher Education including Honours Degrees. Higher Education Institutions are members of the Diploma Development Partnerships developing the qualifications and are participating in the Local Consortiums which will be delivering the Diplomas. Four champions have agreed to promote the Diplomas, two from the HE sector. Deian Hopkin, Vice Chancellor, London South Bank University and Michael Arthur, Vice Chancellor, Leeds University are working to raise awareness and improve understanding of the reforms across the HE sector.

A Higher Education Engagement Project Board with representation from each of the university groupings within the HE sector and FE has been set up to promote an understanding of the 14-19 reforms and to encourage the HE and FE sector to become involved in Diplomas. Diplomas have received “in principle” support from most HEIs. We do not expect HEIs to confirm their support until they have had the opportunity to see the content of the Diplomas in detail. The Board is also supporting a number of projects to map the Level 3 Diploma curriculums against degree courses and to illustrate progression pathways as well as working with UCAS to determine an appropriate point score.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are on the waiting list for English for Speakers of Other Languages in (a) England and (b) each London borough. (131009)

[holding answer 16 April 2007]: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is not required to collect waiting list data, and as such does not ask that all providers maintain such lists. Some providers will maintain their own lists and local LSC partnership and regional LSC teams sometimes review these individual lists. We are therefore unable to provide the number of people on waiting lists nationally.

Anecdotal evidence, further supported by the recent Race Equality Impact Assessment, indicates that waiting lists in parts of the country are as much as two years in London and 18 months elsewhere.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Learning and Skills Council has to work with the Building Research Establishment on a methodology for the environmental assessment of capital development projects in the further education sector; and if he will make a statement. (134437)

[holding answer 8 May 2007]: The Learning and Skills Council and Building Research Establishment (BRE) have recently agreed proposals for BRE to develop a dedicated Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) which will simplify the basis upon which FE colleges can obtain environmental assessments for their capital projects. These new arrangements should be operational by the early autumn. Colleges will be able to use BREEAM rather than commissioning individual assessments, which will bring the assessment cost down significantly from an average of £25,000 to £23,000 per project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A-level points score per pupil was for 11 to 18 years schools with sixth forms containing (a) 50 or fewer, (b) 51 to 100, (c) 101 to 150, (d) 151 to 200, (e) 201 to 250 and (f) more than 250 pupils in each of the last three years for which figures are available. (127637)

The information requested is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have more than 50 per cent. of pupils receiving free school meals; and how many and what proportion of pupils in those schools did not achieve (a) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics, (b) five A* to G grades at GCSE and (c) any GCSEs in the last school year for which figures are available. (133243)

In 2005/06, 181 schools had more than 50 per cent. of pupils receiving free school meals. The figures^1,2 requested for these schools are given in the following table.

¹ Includes those schools with results published in the Achievement and Attainment tables.

² Includes all maintained schools. Independent schools are not included as this data is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will report recent progress on the implementation proposals for the International Education strategy. (130324)

Implementation of the International Education Strategy is ongoing and there has been progress recently on a number of fronts. For example, building on the success of the first phase of the Prime Minister’s Initiative (PMI) to increase student numbers by 75,000 (which was exceeded ahead of schedule), the Prime Minister last year launched a second phase with even more stretching targets to be achieved by 2011. These include an increase of a further 100,000 international students, to double the number of countries sending more than 10,000 students p.a. to the UK and to see a demonstrable improvement to student satisfaction ratings in the UK.

We are also making progress against our objectives in multilateral forums. Within the European Union, for example, we are working with other member states and the Commission to develop the role of education and skills in achieving the Lisbon goals of jobs and growth. At the EU Education Council of November 2006, a UK-driven proposal for a compendium of good practice on Higher Education won widespread support. The Commission and member states are taking forward this proposal within the framework of the EU Peer Learning Cluster on Modernizing Higher Education.

The Department remains committed to the implementation of actions under the International Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2007, Official Report, column 705W, on language courses, how many (a) special and (b) independent schools entered no pupils for a GCSE in (i) history, (ii) geography and (iii) a modern foreign language in each year since 1996. (123178)

The information requested is given in the following tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the amount of time scheduled for PE and sport during the school day that is taken up by changing; and if he will make a statement. (135389)

This data have not been collected centrally. The guidance that accompanied the 2005/06 School Sport Survey advised schools that “curriculum time” was the total time provided for PE lessons during the school day. This included changing time but not travelling time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what advice his Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) school sports co-ordinators on the collection of data on the number of school children who take part in a minimum of two hours of PE or sport in school time; and if he will make a statement; (135390)

The Department has commissioned TNS, an independent research company, to conduct the annual school sport surveys. Data are supplied by schools and partnership development managers and compiled by TNS. A validation exercise is carried out by TNS.

A copy of the 2005-06 school sport survey guidance has been placed in the House Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of PE lessons cancelled each year as a result of (a) examinations, (b) exam preparation, (c) poor weather and (d) facility use clashes; and if he will make a statement. (135391)

This data have not been collected centrally. Schools have a duty to teach the full programmes of study set out in the PE national curriculum to all pupils. It is for them to decide how they arrange the timetable to achieve this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which statistics are used to determine whether his Department’s public service agreement (PSA) targets have been met, broken down by PSA target; and which of these are classified as national statistics. (115345)

[holding answer 15 January 2007]: The Department for Education and Skills public service agreement incorporates technical notes which contain information about the statistics used to monitor progress towards meeting the Department’s PSA targets. The Agreement can be accessed using the following URL:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/SR2004/PSA/

A report by the independent Statistics Commission entitled “PSA Targets: the Devil in the Detail,” which was published on 20 March 2006, contains an independent analysis of each Department’s PSA targets. Copies of that report are available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed using the following URL:

http://www.statscom.org.Uk/C_467.aspx

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 on schools’ policies on bullying; (134774)

The Department has not carried out a specific assessment of the impact of the Sexual Orientation Regulations on schools’ bullying policies. However, the Regulations will ensure schools tackle homophobic bullying as seriously as other forms of bullying. We will clarify how the Regulations apply to school bullying policies in our forthcoming guidance “Preventing and Responding to Homophobic Bullying”.

We are currently considering all the Education and Skills Select Committee’s recommendations, including that to require schools to record all incidents of bullying, and will issue a formal response very soon.

On the merits of issuing non-compulsory guidelines for schools, head teachers are under a statutory duty to determine measures to prevent all forms of bullying. The Department took a deliberate decision not to make its anti-bullying guidance statutory, or for that matter legally require schools to sign up to the Anti-Bullying Charter. We believe it is better to work with schools to encourage them to take ownership of their policies, and to tailor them to their own needs and circumstances. We recommend that, as best practice, schools consult the entire school community, including parents and pupils, in drawing up their behaviour policies, and indeed they are now under a legal requirement to do so under the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

Ofsted reported in 2003 that most schools make good use of DfES anti-bullying guidance, and use the materials to raise staff awareness, revisit anti-bullying policies and strengthen their procedures. Our current overarching guidance to schools on tackling bullying, “Don’t Suffer in Silence” was externally evaluated by researchers from Goldsmiths College London in 2003, who found that the pack met schools’ expectations and helped in drawing up their anti-bullying policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006, Official Report, columns 130-1W, on school meals, what proportion of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, attending secondary schools falling within each percentage point in terms of the proportion of pupils attending the school who are eligible for free school meals, achieved five or more GCSEs at A*-C including English and mathematics in 2006. (119176)

The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discussions he has had with (a) manufacturers, (b) suppliers and (c) installers of roof-mounted microgeneration technologies for the Eco-Schools programme; (136513)

The hon. Gentleman’s questions refer to an “Eco-Schools” programme.

The only Eco-Schools programme that we are aware of is one for existing schools which results in three levels of award to acknowledge increasing levels of pupil involvement in a range of environmental issues. The Department is not involved in running this Eco-Schools programme^1.

The Department and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have, however, been involved in discussions with manufacturers, suppliers and installers of roof-mounted microgeneration technologies. The DTI has also recently made grant funding available for the installation of these technologies in existing schools within the Low Carbon Buildings Programme². In addition, it is already a requirement of Building Regulations that all new school buildings over 1,000 m² in area should consider the use of microgeneration and some regional and local planning policies require new schools of this size to install on-site renewable energy to supply a proportion (typically 10 per cent.) of the predicted building's energy load. Furthermore, on 10 April this year the Secretary of State for Education and Skills announced that:

“We’re already rebuilding and refurbishing every Secondary School in the country and, as part of this programme, we will put £110 million over the next three years to test a bold aim—even higher standards for new and refurbished schools to reduce their carbon emissions, in some cases up to carbon neutrality.”

DfES has made it a condition of funding for our capital programmes that “BREEAM Schools³” assessments are carried out for all major new and refurbishment projects above a certain size. “BREEAM Schools” awards credits for good environmental practices of contractors and good environmental performance of building elements, including roofs. DfES and CIRIA have also recently produced a guide “Sustainable Water Management in Schools” which encourages designers to use eco-friendly roofs to harvest rainwater.

¹ www.eco-schools.org.uk

² http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/micro/

³ http//www.breeam.org/schools.html

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to tackle the development of eating disorders by children through interventions in schools. (126621)

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 6 March, Official Report, column 1918W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's policy is on the singing of the national anthem in schools. (134621)

Singing is an integral part of the National Curriculum for Music from Key Stages 1 to 3. At each stage teachers are required to introduce a range of music from different times and cultures. It is for schools to decide whether singing the National Anthem will meet the needs of their pupils in respect of the requirements for Music. Learning about the national anthem may also be included in Citizenship which became statutory for 11-16 year olds in September 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of schools which have been awarded the Active Mark scheme by the Youth Sport Trust; and if he will make a statement. (135394)

50 per cent. (7,049) of the primary schools taking part in the annual school sport survey in 2005/06 met the standard and were awarded Activemark 2006. The award is only available to primary schools plus special schools and Pupil Referral Units which have primary aged pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many schools have been in special measures for two years or more; (136427)

There are currently four schools that have been in special measures for two years or more. The total number of pupils in these schools is 2,461.

The serious weakness category was replaced by a new category of requiring significant improvement under revised procedures for schools causing concern from September 2005. 18 schools which have yet to be inspected under the revised procedures have been in serious weakness category for two years or more. There are 6,025 pupils in these schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial support his Department gives to (a) science centres and (b) other projects which (i) promote (A) science, (B) engineering and (C) technology to the general public and (ii) are involved in adding value to the teaching of those subjects in schools. (136250)

The Department provided £1 million, as part of a £2 million joint DfES/DTI funding package, to science centres in 2004-06 to help alleviate short term funding problems.

Since then the Department has paid a further £250,000, as part of a £750,000 joint DfES/DTI funding package over the period 2006-08, for ECSITE-UK to work with the science centres to:

demonstrate their impact and the added-value they deliver;

encourage the centres to work more effectively together, and collaboratively with museums, SETNET, Science Learning Centres and Science Cities; and,

maximise their future financial viability.

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Programme Report, published in October 2006, arose from the recommendations of the 2004 STEM Mapping Review. Its aim is to bring coherence and co-ordination to the many initiatives identified during the review, and to address any gaps in policy. The programme is working to reinforce the priorities set out in the Government’s “Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-14: Next Steps” DfES funded projects that promote science, engineering and technology to the general public, or are involved in adding value to the teaching of those subjects in schools include:

a £51 million partnership with the Wellcome Trust to set up a national network of Science Learning Centres providing professional development for science teachers and technicians

a £5 million initiative to pilot 250 after school science and engineering clubs offering an engaging and stretching programme of activities to Key Stage 3 pupils with interest and potential in science.

more than £2 million to the CADCAM programme, managed by the Design and Technology Association, which provides training and support for teachers to use industrial design software in secondary schools. An estimated £10million worth of software has been donated to UK schools by software companies

£125,000 support to the Engineering Education scheme, run by the Engineering Development Trust, working with young people to increase the number of students experiencing the benefits of engineering, science and technology.

increasing the value of the teacher training bursary for science graduates to £9,000 and increasing the ‘Golden Hello’ for new science teachers to £5,000 for trainees entering PGCE and equivalent courses.

implementing the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body on improving the use of current pay incentives and flexibilities to improve the recruitment, retention and quality of science teachers.

introducing a new statutory entitlement for all students to study science courses leading to at least two GCSEs, to come into effect from September 2007.

making GCSEs in the individual sciences of physics, chemistry and biology accessible to all pupils achieving at least level 6 or above at Key Stage 3, from September 2008.

reviewing the secondary curriculum to make it more manageable and focus on the key conceptual underpinnings of science, as well as its excitement and relevance. The revised Key Stage 3 science curriculum will be introduced into schools for first teaching from September 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) professional development and (b) technical assistance the Department plans to provide to schools for the implementation of the secondary curriculum review's findings. (136360)

We are developing a comprehensive package of communications, training and support for teachers, subject leaders and head teachers. This will be delivered both face to face and online by a range of partners, including the professional subject associations, National Strategies and the National College of School Leadership.

Professional development will begin in June and July, with nine high-level regional events run by the QCA for local authorities, school leaders, deputies and curriculum managers. These will be followed up by a series of DfES events in the autumn which will set the new curriculum in the context of wider changes, 11-19, and explain what schools need to do next and what support is available.

In September 2007, the QCA will launch a new website for the revised secondary curriculum which will enable teachers, deputy heads and curriculum managers to link areas of learning across subjects. It will provide cross-references to information outside the curriculum and offer a wide range of supporting material in easily accessible ways.

As well as the revised Programmes of Study, the website will include information about the curriculum aims; inclusion; personal development and skills across all subjects. Teachers will be able to use interactive features to track areas of learning such as sustainability, diversity, enterprise and creativity across the curriculum, and there will be on-line support for curriculum planning and assessment. Throughout the site, there will be links to explanatory text, supporting guidance, teaching materials and case studies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1575W, on secondary education: curriculum, what the evidential basis was for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s decision to reduce the amount of specific and particular subject content in the secondary curriculum review programmes of study. (136361)

The QCA’s advice to reduce the amount of specific and particular subject content in the secondary curriculum programmes of study was in line with the remit given in February 2005.

Reducing the amount of subject content will increase opportunities for learners to secure the functional skills required for life and work. It will create the flexibility to stretch more able learners and ensure that those at risk of falling behind are able to catch up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1575W, (1) on secondary education: curriculum, what the main principles of effective teaching identified by the review of research into effective teaching carried out in the preparation of the secondary curriculum review were; (136388)

In preparing for the secondary curriculum review the QCA considered evidence from research and reports into effective teaching produced by: Ofsted; various specialist subject and professional associations; national agencies, such as national strategies; and others. Documents containing evidence on the principles of effective teaching are available on the websites of each of these organisations.

In the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1575W, on secondary education: curriculum, 10 specific principles of effective learning were referenced. The 10 principles are that:

students learn more when they are engaged actively during an instructional task;

high success rates (and to a less certain extent, moderate success rates) are correlated positively with student learning outcomes and low success rates are correlated negatively with student learning outcomes;

increased opportunity to learn content is correlated. positively with increased student achievement. Therefore the more content covered, the greater the potential for student learning;

students achieve more in classes in which they spend much of their time being directly taught or supervised by their teacher. In general, teacher instructional time that is spent with large groups is correlated positively with student achievement;

students can become independent, self-regulated learners through instruction that is deliberately and carefully scaffolded;

the critical forms of knowledge associated with strategic learning are (a) declarative knowledge, (b) procedural knowledge, and (c) conditional knowledge. Each of these must be addressed if students are to become independent, self-regulated learners;

learning is increased when teaching is presented in a manner that assists students in organising, storing and retrieving knowledge;

students can become more independent, self-regulated learners through strategic instruction;

students can become independent, self-regulated learners through instruction that is explicit;

by teaching sameness both within and across subjects, teachers promote the ability of students to access potentially relevant knowledge in novel problem-solving situations.

The document containing these principles, by Ellis, E.S., Worthington., L. A. and Larkin, MJ. (1996) is entitled “Research synthesis on effective teaching principles and the design of quality tools”. It is produced by the Worthington National Centre to Improve the Tools of Educators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the process is for deciding the date of publication of statistics prepared by or relating to the Department; and who is involved in that process. (113088)

The National Statistics Code of Practice (2002)—which serves as a model for all public sector statistical work—established the principle that

“final responsibility for the content, format and timing of release of National Statistics”

rests with the Head of Profession for Statistics in each Department. The Head of Profession has published a statement describing how the Department’s release practices comply with the Release Practice Protocol. This can be accessed at:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/compliance06.pdf.

In reaching their decisions, Heads of Profession take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the “National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices”.

Copies of the code and its 12 supporting protocols are available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed using the following address:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which statistics released by his Department and its agencies are classified as (a) national statistics and (b) official statistics; and if he will make a statement. (115470)

[holding answer 16 January 2007]: A list of the titles of all of the National Statistics produced by each Department and Agency was placed in the Library of the House on 8 January 2007 to accompany the Second Reading of the Statistics and Registration Bill. An equivalent list was also placed on the National Statistics website. These lists can be accessed using the following URL:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/ns_ons/nsproducts/default.asp

In addition to National Statistics, the Department for Education and Skills publishes a wide range of other numerical information in a variety of forms including other data produced from the management and administration of the Department and in research reports. There is no centrally held information on the total published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many (a) primary school teachers, (b) primary school teaching assistants, (c) secondary school teachers and (d) secondary school teaching assistants were employed in Copeland in financial year (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 2006-07; (136268)

The following table shows the full-time equivalent number of regular teachers and teaching assistants employed in maintained primary and secondary schools and the pupil to teacher ratios in Copeland constituency, January 1997 and 2006 which is the latest information available at constituency level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) 16 year olds, (b) 17 year olds and (c) 18 year olds in each local education authority area were not in employment, education or training in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. (135319)

The following table gives the number and proportion of (a)16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 year olds not in education, employment or training by local authority in England, for December 2005 and 2006.

Data are drawn from the operational client management systems maintained by Connexions services. They only include those people known to the service (about 85 per cent. of the population); some young people who attended independent schools or were at school outside England are excluded. The age relates to those of calendar year age 16-18 on the date of measurement. Data are only available at the local authority level from 2005.

These NEET measures are those used for setting and monitoring local authority NEET targets. The definition differs from that used to measure the national departmental PSA NEET target. Along with not covering the entire population, the Connexions NEET measure excludes those on gap years, those in custody and those undertaking voluntary work. The PSA measure is for academic rather than calendar age 16-18.

It is estimated that 220,000 (11 per cent.) 16 to 18 year olds were not in education, employment or training (NEET) at the end of 2005. Not all of these young people are out of work—the figures include young people taking a break from study, caring for families, or simply between jobs or courses. Annual surveys carried out on a group of young people at ages 16, 17 and 18 found that nearly 20 per cent. were NEET at one of the three survey dates, while only around 1 per cent. were NEET at each of the three survey points.

Record numbers of 16 year olds are in full-time education. But, we recognise the need to take action to reduce the proportion of young people not in any form of education, employment or training, and have set ourselves a very challenging target to get the proportion down to 8 per cent. by 2010.

Our 14-19 reforms are vital: the implementation plan makes a commitment to make an offer of learning to every young person after they complete year 11. They also give us the platform for agencies working with young people to plan and develop learning and employment opportunities that meet local needs.

To keep them in learning, we need to help them tackle the other issues in their lives that might cause them to leave, which we are doing through our Every Child Matters reforms.