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NORTHERN IRELAND
Land Law
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who were employed by his Department as consultants before the publication of the draft land law proposals ; from what dates they were employed ; and what was the cost to public funds.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 18 July 1991] : The Department of Finance, as it then was, appointed Professor J. C. W. Wylie as its consultant on land law reform on 4 April 1980. Professor Wylie was appointed on an individual basis in accordance with the normal conditions for such appointments. It is not our usual practice to disclose an individual's earnings.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Data Protection
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to publish the recommendations of the Interdepartmental Committee on Registration Procedures under the Data Protection Act 1984.
Mrs. Rumbold : The report of the interdepartmental review of the Data Protection Act was laid in the Library on 28 November 1990. Free copies may be obtained on request from room 677A, Home Office, 50 Queen Anne's gate, London SW1H 9AT.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the advice of the Data Protection Registrar on the procedure put forward in the European Commission's draft directive on data protection for a general requirement of notifying individuals whenever information about them is communicated to a third party ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : The views of the Data Protection Registrar on the notification requirements in articlee 9 of the draft directive are contained in appendix I of his seventh annual report, published on 17 July.
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Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the press and broadcasters on the European Commission's draft directive on data protection.Mrs. Rumbold : We have received written representations about the draft directive from press and broadcasting organisations, all concerned about its likely effects on their operations.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recommendations he has received from the Data Protection Registrar on the registration procedures in the Data Protection Act 1984 and the notification scheme proposed in the European Commission draft directive on data protection.
Mrs. Rumbold : In his fifth annual report to Parliament the registrar recommended that registration should be limited to sensitive data. On the draft directive's proposal for notification to supervisory authorities of data about to be communicated, he has recommended that this should be optional for member states which should be free to choose other methods of satisfying the data protection principles.
Greyhounds
Dame Janet Fookes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations he has received seeking an investigation into the prevalence of healthy young greyhounds being put down when no longer required for racing purposes ;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to ban the export of greyhounds to countries which cannot guarantee their well-being.
Mrs. Rumbold : We have not received any representations about the destruction of young racing greyhounds. The humane killing of animals is not against the law. The Home Office is responsible for the law on domestic animals in England and Wales, but not for the law on the sale or export of animals to EC countries or beyond.
Dame Janet Fookes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to require the greyhound racing organisations to set aside increased sums of money for the welfare of retired greyhounds.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Government believe that the welfare of retired greyhounds is ultimately the respon-sibility of the owners themselves. However, we are now considering the recent report of the Home Affairs Committee on the financing of greyhound racing, which included a recommendation on greyhound welfare, and will publish our response in due course.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The Home Office continues to place a high priority on helping small firms to obtain
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business from the various divisions of the Department by improving access and the information necessary to ensure they have opportunities to submit competitive bids. We have continued to distribute our booklet : "Selling to the Home Office" which summarises our purchasing needs and lists contact points for potential suppliers. In addition, we have been represented at several "Meet the Buyer" functions, seminars and conferences including those organised by manufacturers' associations and the Instutition of Purchasing and Supply.Home Office performance indicators on purchasing continue to be directed toward obtaining better value for the money we spend. We do not differentiate between the size of firms to which contracts are awarded and we cannot, therefore, provide statistical information about the volume of business we place with small firms.
Phone Tapping
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the video cassette and transcript of the "World in Action" programme on phone tapping broadcast on 15 July.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : My Department is well aware of the content of that broadcast.
Risley Female Remand Centre
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to close the female remand centre at Risley on a temporary basis ; where the prisoners and staff will be housed ; when it is planned they will return to Risley ; and what numbers of staff and prisoners will be housed at the new establishment.
Mrs. Rumbold : There are no plans to close the female remand centre at Risley, but some reduction in the population will occur later in the year because the electrical and central heating services are not adequate for the winter months.
I will write to the hon. Member when the detailed plans have been completed.
Police Cells, Greater Manchester
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest figures for prisoners held in police cells in Greater Manchester ; and how he expects those numbers to alter over the next three months.
Mrs. Rumbold : On Friday 19 July there were 237 prisoners in Greater Manchester police cells.
Over the next three months there will be significant increases in accommodation available to the prison service in the north of England. Occupation of part of the new accommodation in Full Sutton prison is in progress and 150 refurbished places in Manchester prison itself should be available next month. As the hon. Member is aware, prison service management is also seeking to bring into use the second Full Sutton wing and 150 places at Acklington. In addition the opening this month of Moorland young offender institution and remand centre will enable management to clear large numbers of young men on remand from local prison accommodation. It is planned to
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use places made available in this way to clear prisoners from police cells in the north of England, subject to the resolution of continued difficulties in accommodating some of the young men on remand who must be kept close to the Manchester courts. I hope, therefore, that over the next few months the present use of police cells in the north-west will be substantially reduced.Airline Passengers (Documents)
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had over the Government's proposals to double fines for airline passengers entering the United Kingdom without valid documents.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : On 19 July representations relating to the raising of the charge payable under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987 had been received from four hon. Members ; the International Air Transport Association ; the Board of Airline Representatives in the United Kingdom ; and 25 individual carriers.
Security Industry
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has concluded his consideration of the report on the self- regulation of the security industry his Department received in July 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I am considering a wide range of options for improving the regulation of the security industry.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Out-of-School Provision
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children have been catered for in (a) after school and (b) holiday provisions for each of the last 10 years and in each local authority.
Mr. Fallon : The information requested is not available centrally.
Undergraduates
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what trends have been identified in the numbers of pupils from state schools and private schools going to universities.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The table shows the proportion of school leavers from maintained schools and from independent schools in 1984-85, 1986-87 and 1988-89, whose intended destinations were degree courses at university.
School leavers-England
Percentages of school leavers whose intended
destinations were
degree courses at university (not including
polytechnics)
By school type-1984-85, 1986-87 and 1988-89
|Maintained |Independent
---------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 |4.0 |27.6
all leavers (000s) |690.99 |45.22
1986-87 |4.2 |24.7
all leavers (000s) |671.20 |44.79
1988-89 |4.9 |27.0
all leavers (000s) |571.02 |46.70
Workers Educational Association
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the allocations made to each local education authority to support the activities of the Workers Educational Association under the education support grant programme for (a) 1990-91 and (b) 1991-92.
Mr. Eggar : The level of expenditure approved for the WEA activity in the education support grants (ESG) programme for (a) 1990-91 and (b) 1991-92 is shown for each LEA in the table below.
Local Education Authority |(a) |(b)
|1990-91 |1991-92
|(£ ) |(£ )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |690 |800
Barnet |9,445 |10,700
Bexley |6,920 |8,300
Brent |1,125 |1,400
Bromley |6,920 |8,300
Croydon |1,210 |1,500
Ealing |1,820 |2,200
Enfield |1,905 |2,300
Haringey |695 |700
Harrow |7,555 |9,100
Havering |810 |1,000
Hillingdon |3,645 |4,400
Hounslow |1,125 |1,400
Kingston upon Thames |1,905 |2,300
Merton |1,210 |1,500
Newham |1,125 |1,400
Redbridge |2,020 |2,200
Richmond upon Thames |3,035 |3,600
Sutton |1,125 |1,400
Waltham Forest |605 |1,000
Camden |17,810 |21,400
Greenwich |430 |500
Hackney |1,735 |2,100
Hammersmith and Fulham |430 |500
Islington |430 |500
Lambeth |650 |800
Lewisham |430 |1,700
Southwark |1,515 |1,800
Tower Hamlets |865 |1,000
Birmingham |9,145 |11,300
Coventry |15,695 |11,300
Dudley |3,135 |3,800
Sandwell |3,135 |3,800
Walsall |6,280 |7,500
Wolverhampton |5,480 |6,600
Knowsley |3,255 |3,900
Liverpool |29,340 |35,200
St. Helens |3,255 |3,900
Sefton |4,070 |4,900
Wirral |7,330 |8,800
Bolton |9,375 |11,300
Bury |1,485 |1,800
Manchester |12,550 |15,100
Oldham |3,720 |4,500
Rochdale |3,500 |4,100
Salford |3,060 |3,700
Stockport |7,470 |9,000
Tameside |3,000 |4,000
Trafford |9,625 |11,600
Wigan |2,922 |3,300
Barnsley |4,450 |5,300
Doncaster |3,505 |4,200
Rotherham |9,680 |11,600
Sheffield |18,455 |22,100
Bradford |6,505 |7,800
Calderdale |2,395 |2,900
Kirklees |3,990 |4,800
Leeds |16,500 |19,800
Wakefield |4,070 |4,900
Gateshead |3,290 |4,000
Newcastle upon Tyne |9,870 |11,800
North Tyneside |3,375 |4,100
South Tyneside |2,665 |3,200
Sunderland |10,615 |12,700
Avon |24,345 |29,200
Bedfordshire |5,305 |6,400
Berkshire |20,025 |24,000
Buckinghamshire |21,455 |25,700
Cambridgeshire |11,375 |13,700
Cheshire |23,405 |28,100
Cleveland |11,630 |14,000
Cornwall |17,355 |20,800
Cumbria |23,925 |28,700
Derbyshire |27,753 |33,100
Devon |40,500 |48,600
Dorset |12,340 |14,800
Durham |16,445 |19,700
East Sussex |10,835 |13,000
Essex |26,980 |31,800
Gloucestershire |11,830 |14,200
Hampshire |31,000 |37,400
Hereford and Worcester |12,555 |15,100
Hertfordshire |16,760 |20,100
Humberside |18,125 |21,800
Isle of Wight |1,075 |1,000
Kent |24,500 |29,400
Lancashire |21,320 |25,600
Leicestershire |19,840 |23,800
Lincolnshire |18,845 |22,600
Norfolk |10,615 |12,700
North Yorkshire |27,580 |33,100
Northamptonshire |6,065 |7,300
Northumberland |6,545 |7,800
Nottinghamshire |40,215 |48,300
Oxfordshire |30,040 |36,000
Shropshire |6,280 |7,500
Somerset |7,610 |9,100
Staffordshire |13,340 |16,000
Suffolk |12,890 |15,400
Surrey |6,340 |7,600
Warwickshire |5,180 |6,200
West Sussex |18,665 |22,400
Wiltshire |19,720 |23,600
Economic and Social Research Council
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Economic and Social Research Council to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Alan Howarth : I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 14 October to Friday 18 October.
Speech Therapy
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue formal guidance to local education authorities on the implication of the recent Appeal Court judgment concerning local education authorities' duties to provide speech therapy for pupils with statements of special education needs ; and
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what plans he has to ensure that the implications of this judgment are known to parents and relevant voluntary organisations.Mr. Fallon : The Department intends to issue for consultation a draft addendum to DES circular 22/89 on assessment and statement procedures shortly. DES circulars offer advice and guidance to local education authorities. They are also sent to relevant voluntary organisations some of which represent and advise parents. In addition, local education authorities and the Department would be expected to advise parents, as necessary, as individual cases arise.
Standard Assessment Tasks
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether results of the 1991 assessments of seven-year-olds will be collated in such a way that it will be possible to identify the class size and the age mix of classes with their results ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 19 July 1991 at column 302-3.
Mr. David Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from school governors concerning the conduct of standard assessment tests for seven-year-olds ; and what measurements he has made of the effectiveness and value of these tests in relation to the time spent on them by teachings
Mr. Eggar : An extensive evaluation of the first national tests for seven-year-olds in English, mathematics and science is now taking place. The School Examinations and Assessment Council is gathering a range of qualitative and quantitiative information about the performance of the tests and Her Majesty's inspectorate have held a series of regional conferences to get reactions direct from teachers. The Department has also received a number of letters and reports from schools and governors, which will be taken into account as part of the evaluation.
The Government will come to a final view about the effectiveness of the 1991 tests and about the nature and coverage of the 1992 tests when the full evidence of this evaluation work is available in the autumn.
Student Awards, Tower Hamlets
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students in Tower Hamlets received (a) discretionary awards and (b) mandatory awards for each year since 1979.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Data in the form requested are not available for Tower Hamlets, which formed part of the Inner London education authority until 31 March 1990.
GCSE
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by education authority in London, in rank order, the percentage of all pupils gaining (a) one GCSE certificates of grade A to C, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five, (f) six, (g) 7-10 and (h) 11 and above in 1990.
Mr. Eggar : This information is not available in the form requested.
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Mrs. Currie : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in rank order the English local education authorities, showing for the most recent year available, and the national averages (a) the proportion of pupils of maintained schools obtaining five or more GCSEs at grades A to C and (b) the proportion of such pupils obtaining grade A to C in GCSE in English, mathematics and a modern language.Column 350
Mr. Eggar : The table shows for each English local education authority the proportion of school leavers from maintained schools gaining five or more grades A to C in GCSE, O-level or grade 1 CSE, and the proportion of those gaining grade A to C in English, mathematics or a modern language, and also the rank order.
Column 349
Maintained school leavers in England
Aggregated over 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1988-89
Percentage of leavers gaining 5+ grades A-C GCSE/O-level/CSE gaining 1 or more
pass at grade A-C in the subject shown
Local education authority |Percentage |Rank |Mod Lang |Rank |Mathematics |Rank |English |Rank
|of leavers
|with 5+
|grades A-C
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |11.3 |95 |35.4 |94 |83.7 |71 |87.1 |96
Barnet |38.9 |2 |58.6 |8 |92.8 |1 |94.0 |81
Bexley |28.5 |28 |46.5 |62 |84.5 |65 |96.7 |31
Brent |20.6 |78 |46.9 |57 |84.6 |61 |97.2 |20
Bromley |29.9 |20 |53.2 |26 |84.7 |59 |97.2 |17
Croydon |22.1 |70 |53.0 |28 |83.6 |72 |95.0 |64
Ealing |22.5 |67 |41.1 |84 |86.3 |36 |90.9 |95
Enfield |26.9 |41 |55.8 |19 |90.3 |4 |93.4 |88
Haringey |16.6 |89 |45.6 |67 |82.8 |78 |94.5 |74
Harrow |38.6 |3 |42.7 |81 |85.8 |43 |98.7 |2
Havering |24.4 |57 |44.1 |72 |87.4 |22 |96.9 |26
Hillingdon |22.7 |65 |46.6 |59 |86.7 |32 |93.9 |83
Hounslow |25.2 |50 |47.6 |53 |78.7 |95 |95.0 |67
Kingston upon Thames |32.2 |10 |58.8 |6 |85.3 |47 |96.1 |42
Merton |24.6 |55 |53.0 |29 |90.1 |5 |95.0 |65
Newham |14.9 |93 |29.7 |96 |79.7 |92 |91.4 |94
Redbridge |25.5 |48 |47.8 |52 |84.9 |56 |92.4 |91
Richmond upon Thames |32.4 |8 |60.9 |5 |85.7 |44 |96.0 |44
Sutton |39.1 |1 |66.8 |3 |90.3 |3 |97.1 |21
Waltham Forest |12.7 |94 |38.0 |93 |75.2 |96 |97.0 |23
Birmingham |19.1 |85 |49.3 |46 |83.4 |76 |95.8 |51
Coventry |21.2 |76 |43.7 |75 |81.3 |87 |95.9 |47
Dudley |25.5 |47 |52.6 |30 |81.1 |88 |95.9 |45
Sandwell |15.5 |92 |38.6 |89 |81.6 |86 |96.9 |25
Solihull |31.7 |12 |58.3 |9 |86.8 |29 |97.1 |22
Walsall |23.4 |61 |51.2 |39 |80.2 |89 |95.9 |48
Wolverhampton |19.9 |81 |47.9 |51 |82.1 |82 |94.8 |69
Knowsley |8.5 |96 |38.3 |92 |79.7 |93 |93.9 |82
Liverpool |19.4 |84 |46.7 |58 |79.6 |94 |95.8 |49
St. Helens |20.5 |79 |57.5 |12 |89.7 |7 |98.8 |1
Sefton |28.5 |27 |51.1 |40 |83.5 |73 |97.3 |13
Wirral |27.8 |32 |56.6 |16 |85.3 |46 |97.4 |11
Bolton |28.7 |24 |51.5 |37 |86.6 |33 |95.2 |61
Bury |27.7 |34 |42.8 |79 |89.2 |11 |93.4 |90
Manchester |16.4 |90 |45.3 |69 |84.8 |58 |93.7 |85
Oldham |18.1 |86 |55.7 |20 |89.2 |12 |97.5 |9
Rochdale |20.9 |77 |39.4 |88 |87.5 |21 |94.5 |75
Salford |23.2 |62 |46.4 |64 |81.8 |85 |96.2 |37
Stockport |28.6 |25 |51.5 |36 |85.2 |50 |98.3 |3
Tameside |27.1 |40 |45.4 |68 |86.0 |39 |97.6 |6
Trafford |30.7 |16 |70.0 |1 |92.1 |2 |95.8 |52
Wigan |30.2 |18 |55.2 |21 |83.4 |75 |97.3 |14
Barnsley |19.7 |82 |45.0 |70 |88.4 |17 |93.5 |87
Doncaster |21.7 |73 |43.0 |78 |87.4 |23 |95.3 |59
Rotherham |23.0 |63 |53.1 |27 |87.1 |26 |94.7 |71
Sheffield |22.2 |69 |50.0 |42 |82.5 |80 |96.1 |39
Bradford |16.9 |88 |50.5 |41 |86.8 |30 |97.5 |8
Calderdale |21.5 |75 |54.4 |23 |82.1 |83 |97.5 |7
Kirklees |25.6 |46 |58.1 |11 |85.9 |40 |96.9 |24
Leeds |22.0 |71 |51.6 |35 |86.0 |38 |95.4 |57
Wakefield |17.5 |87 |52.3 |32 |84.5 |63 |95.9 |46
Gateshead |20.4 |80 |38.6 |90 |83.9 |69 |95.3 |58
Newcastle upon Tyne |21.6 |74 |48.3 |50 |79.9 |91 |92.1 |92
North Tyneside |27.5 |36 |41.9 |83 |82.0 |84 |97.9 |5
South Tyneside |22.2 |68 |49.0 |47 |88.8 |14 |96.2 |38
Sunderland |21.8 |72 |38.5 |91 |80.1 |90 |94.2 |78
Inner London |15.9 |91 |43.2 |77 |82.3 |81 |94.2 |80
Avon |27.8 |31 |49.7 |43 |84.7 |60 |97.2 |19
Bedfordshire |24.9 |53 |46.4 |63 |83.0 |77 |95.5 |54
Berkshire |32.3 |9 |56.2 |17 |89.5 |8 |96.4 |34
Buckinghamshire |36.0 |5 |67.8 |2 |90.1 |6 |97.9 |4
Cambridgeshire |28.0 |30 |57.1 |14 |84.4 |67 |95.8 |50
Cheshire |29.1 |23 |54.4 |22 |85.0 |53 |96.1 |40
Cleveland |26.5 |43 |44.1 |73 |88.3 |18 |95.1 |63
Cornwall including Isles of
Scilly |30.0 |19 |43.8 |74 |85.3 |48 |97.3 |12
Cumbria |28.0 |29 |46.6 |61 |88.3 |19 |93.5 |86
Derbyshire |24.6 |54 |45.6 |66 |86.3 |35 |96.1 |41
Devon |26.3 |44 |44.2 |71 |84.5 |64 |95.5 |55
Dorset |27.6 |35 |57.1 |13 |85.0 |55 |96.8 |28
Durham |23.4 |60 |41.0 |85 |85.9 |41 |96.7 |30
East Sussex |31.4 |13 |45.8 |65 |85.2 |49 |97.2 |15
Essex |27.4 |37 |53.9 |25 |89.0 |13 |96.2 |36
Gloucestershire |31.2 |14 |55.8 |18 |86.5 |34 |94.9 |68
Hampshire |29.6 |21 |48.5 |48 |88.7 |15 |94.6 |73
Hereford and Worcester |29.2 |22 |48.4 |49 |83.5 |74 |95.3 |60
Hertfordshire |31.9 |11 |58.2 |10 |87.1 |28 |96.8 |29
Humberside |22.6 |66 |52.1 |33 |86.1 |37 |94.2 |79
Isle of Wight |19.5 |83 |34.2 |95 |84.4 |66 |93.4 |89
Kent |27.3 |38 |58.6 |7 |89.4 |10 |97.2 |16
Lancashire |26.8 |42 |52.0 |34 |84.9 |57 |95.0 |66
Leicestershire |25.1 |51 |39.6 |87 |87.3 |25 |96.8 |27
Lincolnshire |25.2 |49 |57.0 |15 |88.5 |16 |97.5 |10
Norfolk |24.5 |56 |47.5 |54 |89.4 |9 |94.3 |76
North Yorkshire |34.5 |7 |61.9 |4 |87.8 |20 |95.7 |53
Northamptonshire |22.8 |64 |42.7 |80 |83.9 |70 |96.2 |35
Northumberland |30.7 |15 |42.4 |82 |87.1 |27 |95.2 |62
Nottinghamshire |23.4 |59 |43.7 |76 |86.8 |31 |96.6 |33
Oxfordshire |27.7 |33 |49.5 |44 |84.3 |68 |93.7 |84
Shropshire |30.3 |17 |51.5 |38 |85.0 |54 |94.6 |72
Somerset |27.1 |39 |47.4 |55 |85.8 |42 |91.9 |93
Staffordshire |24.9 |52 |47.4 |56 |85.0 |52 |94.8 |70
Suffolk |24.2 |58 |41.0 |86 |85.1 |51 |94.3 |77
Surrey |38.0 |4 |46.6 |60 |84.6 |62 |97.2 |18
Warwickshire |28.5 |26 |54.0 |24 |87.3 |24 |96.7 |32
West Sussex |35.5 |6 |52.4 |31 |85.4 |45 |96.1 |43
Wiltshire |25.9 |45 |49.4 |45 |82.7 |79 |95.4 |56
All England |25.8 |50.3 |85.9 |95.8
East London TEC
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the percentage of English school leavers within the area covered by the East London TEC.
Mr. Fallon : The information is not available in the form requested.
Compulsory Courses
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the provision in secondary schools and sixth form colleges of compulsory courses on the effects of leaving home to go into further education.
Mr. Fallon : Section 1 of the Education Reform Act 1988 requires that the curriculum of every maintained school shall prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. It is for individual schools to decide how this requirement should be fulfilled.
Column 352
Reading Standards
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which body is now responsible for quantifying changes in reading standards ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The national curriculum sets clear national targets for reading and provides for pupils' progress in relation to those targets to be tested at the ages of 7, 11, 14 and 16. The School Examinations and Assessment Council is responsible for advising the Government on the testing arrangments and, as a function of that, will be monitoring and evaluating the results. In order to undertake this latter aspect of its work, the School Examinations and Assessment Council has taken over the Department's former assessment and performance unit which now forms the council's evaluation and monitoring unit. My right hon. and learned Friend has also asked Her Majesty's inspectorate to continue to monitor reading standards and to provide regular reports.
Expenditure
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of Britain's gross domestic product is spent on education.
Column 353
Mr. Eggar : Gross domestic product is calculated on a United Kingdom basis. Provisional outturn data indicate that central Government and local authority expenditure in the United Kingdom on education and science in 1990-91 was 4.9 per cent. of the gross domestic product for that year.Source : Cm. 1520 Public Expenditure Analyses to 1993-94, tables 2.1 and 2.2.
Smoking
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards education on the dangers of smoking for children in primary and secondary schools.
Mr. Fallon : The statutory order for national curriculum science requires that primary school pupils should know that tobacoo is a harmful substance, and that its avoidance contributes to good health ; and that secondary school pupils should consider its effects on the human body. The National Curriculum Council's guidance on health education advises that both primary and secondary school pupils should study topics relating to the dangers of smoking.
Hospital Education
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines nationally cover provision of education in hospitals for children ; and what monitoring of the service takes place.
Mr. Fallon : It is for LEAs to decide on the type of educational provision to be made for children in hospital and to monitor the services which they provide. At the national level, Her Majesty's inspectorate's reviews include hospital and home education services.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
Mr. Eggar : The Government continue to place high priority on helping small businesses, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and other measures and through specific programmes of support and assistance. Consonant with this, the Department operates a policy of including small firms on tender lists where appropriate. In 1990- 91 it is estimated that about 35 per cent. of the Department's orders were placed with small firms : of the estimated £15.9 million which the Department spent on goods and services, some £4 million benefited small firms. Comparable estimates for last year are £11.5 million and £4.2 million. The Department is developing mechanisms to monitor more closely the proportion of its orders placed with small businesses.
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Seven-year-olds (Assessment)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has commissioned any public opinion research on parental attitudes to assessment of seven-year-olds.
Mr. Eggar : The Department has commissioned market research into the format for reporting the progress of five to 14-year-olds to their parents which was issued to all schools earlier in the year. The School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC) has also, at Ministers' request, commissioned market research into the reporting to parents of the results of the pilot tests for 14-year-olds deployed in a sample of secondary schools this summer.
Leeds General Hospital
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the staffing complement of the hospital teaching service at Leeds general infirmary in (a) 1988, (b) 1989, (c) 1990 and (d) 1991 ; and what is the proposed staffing complement in 1992.
Mr. Fallon : This information is not collected centrally.
Arnewood School, Hampshire
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he held with parents of children at Arnewood school, Hampshire prior to his visit to the school.
Free School Meals
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish figures showing the number and proportion of children receiving free school meals in 1989 and 1990 as a percentage of the numbers of children in attendance.
Mr. Fallon : The number of children in maintained schools in England receiving free school meals on the census date in January 1989 and 1990 were 781,362 and 764,641 respectively. The figures represent 11 per cent. of the total pupils on roll for each year.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the latest figures for the number and proportion of children who are in families on supplementary benefit/income support who are not taking up their entitlement to free school meals.
Mr. Fallon : Pupils are entitled to free school meals only if they or their families are in receipt of income support, not supplementary benefit. In May 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, 1,010,815 children aged between five and 16 were in families in England who received income support. The take-up of free school meals in English schools on the census date in January 1990 was 764,641.
School Premises (Political Events)
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance his Department has issued to local education authorities and grant-maintained schools on the use of school premises for party political events ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Eggar : None. Under the Education Acts, responsibility for the conduct of schools and the use of their premises lies with school governing bodies. At elections, candidates have the use of school buildings for meetings, free of charge and at reasonable times, under the Representation of the People Act 1983.ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Police Inquiries
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Attorney-General (1) if he will make a statement on the role of the Crown prosecution service and the Director of Public Prosecutions in determining whether the evidence in any particular case is such as to justify the institution of police inquiries ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the role of the Crown prosecution service and the Director of Public Prosecutions in advising the Metropolitan police on whether evidence in particular cases justifies the institution of police inquiries ; and what formal powers are exercised in such circumstances.
The Attorney-General : The duties of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Crown prosecution service, of which the Director is head, are set out in section 3(2) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. Section 3(2)(e) of the Act states that it shall be the duty of the Director to give, to such extent as he considers appropriate, advice to police forces on all matters relating to criminal offences.
In deciding whether the evidence in any particular case is such as to lead the Director or the service to advise the police that inquiries would be justified, the Director and the service may take a number of factors into account. One of these factors would be the likelihood of such inquiries disclosing sufficient evidence to justify the institution of criminal proceedings. In determining whether the evidence in any particular case is sufficient to justify the institution of criminal proceedings the Director and the service will apply the criteria set out in the code for Crown prosecutors issued pursuant to section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.
Mr. Tam Dalyell : To ask the Attorney-General what discretion the Metropolitan police have to disregard the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions or Crown prosecution service that the evidence in a particular case is not such as to justify the institution of police inquiries.
The Attorney-General : Neither the Director of Public Prosecutions nor the Crown prosecution service has any responsibility for, or operational control over, any police force. It is a matter for the chief officer of police to decide whether the evidence in any particular case is such as to justify police inquiries. In reaching that decision the chief officer will no doubt take into account any advice that the Director or service may offer, but the chief officer is not obliged to accept it or follow it.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Attorney-General (1) in how many cases since 1 January the Director of Public Prosecutions has advised the Metropolitan police that the evidence in a particular case is not such as to justify the institution of police inquiries ;
(2) in how many cases since 21 September 1990 the Metropolitan police have sought the view of the Director
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of Public Preosecutions or Crown prosecution service on whether the evidence in a particular case justifies the institution of police inquiries.The Attorney-General : The information requested is not collated in records maintained by the Director of Public Prosecutions or Crown prosecution service and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department and the Lord Chancellor's Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
The Attorney-General : The Government continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and other measures and through specific programmes of support and assistance.
The Departments for which I am responsible are the legal secretariat to the Law Officers, the Treasury Solicitor's department, the Crown prosecution service and the Serious Fraud Office. The services provided by the first two are largely internal to government. The functions of the Crown prosecution service and the Serious Fraud Office relate purely to the criminal justice system. While both organisations are aware of the serious consequences caused by some criminal offences when perpetrated against small businesses, decisions to prosecute are taken in accordance with the evidential sufficiency and public interest criteria laid down in the code for Crown prosecutors. The provisions of the code do not specify classes of victim, and accordingly do not distinguish between small businesses and other victims.
As regards purchasing, all the Departments for which I am responsible have regard to the desirability of encouraging small businesses in line with the policy of the Government as a whole. The Lord Chancellor's programme of reforms to streamline procedures in the civil courts will benefit all litigants, including small businesses. For example, higher value claims can now be brought in a county court following the removal, on 1 July this year, of the financial limits to the county courts' general jurisdiction. From the same date, the level at which defended claims are automatically referred to the informal small claims arbitration procedure has been lifted from £500 to £1,000. The effect of these changes on the number of cases brought in the county courts will be monitored, but no separate statistics are kept in relation to small businesses. In its purchasing activities the Lord Chancellor's Department continues to encourage the use of small businesses as suppliers. The Department recognises that the prompt payment of bills is a matter of concern to small businesses and has agreed to participate in an interdepartmental exercise to help monitor payment performance generally. The Department's estimated total expenditure with small businesses in 1990-91 was £16 million, as against £14 million in 1989.
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