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Schools: Well-being

Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Lord Adonis): The duty on governing bodies of maintained schools to promote the well-being of pupils was included, at Section 38, in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and came into force in September 2007. That section defines “well-being” by reference to the matters mentioned in Section 10(2) of the Children Act 2004, namely: (a) physical and mental health and emotional well-being; (b) protection from harm and neglect; (c) education, training and recreation; (d) the contribution made by [children] to society; and (e) social and economic well-being.

Smarter Choices

Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:



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Lord Bassam of Brighton: Smarter choices measures include travel planning, public transport information and marketing, travel awareness campaigns, car clubs and car-sharing schemes, teleworking, teleconferencing and home shopping. They can reduce environmental impacts, improve health and reduce congestion. However, reducing congestion in turn improves economic productivity and health.

The links between smarter choices and people’s decisions to travel by car or public transport or to walk or cycle were explored in depth in Smarter Choices, Changing the Way We Travel (2004). Further information is available, including the mid-term results for the sustainable travel towns and best practice guidance on workplace, personal, residential and school travel planning.

The links between congestion and productivity were discussed in detail in the Eddington study. The links between choice of transport mode and health are captured through valuing the health benefits of additional exercise and of lower air pollution. Various studies contribute to this. Part of the new approach to transport appraisal (NATA) covers guidance on walking and cycling schemes and the health benefits that can accrue from these. There is also a physical fitness element in the guidance, which looks at fitness benefits from switching to walking and cycling.

Further, as part of the recently announced NATA refresh exercise (a year-long consultative change process) and in light of a new World Health Organisation (WHO) methodology into valuing health benefits, we are looking into strengthening these parts of our guidance. Cycling England also plans, in due course, to publish figures on the health benefits of cycling.

In addition, the National Business Travel Network has initiated work to examine:

the impact of companies’ implementation of smarter choices measures on staff recruitment and retention; the economic case for the implementation of smarter choices measures by companies; and how travel plans might be mainstreamed withinthe UK.

Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The funding for travel planning and smarter choices initiatives will be finalised in the context of the Department for Transport’s Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 settlement announced on 9October. Final decisions on internal allocations have not yet been made. As set out in Towards a Sustainable Transport System, we intend to publish more detailed plans shortly. We will publish a breakdown of the department’s spending plans in the department’s annual report.



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Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Local authority-based school travel advisers work with schools to ensure that the plans that schools develop meet the national minimum standard for school travel plans.

To ensure that the standard is met, school travel plans that are of the highest quality receive a capital grant from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. More than 14,000 schools in England now have a travel plan that meets this standard. Regional school travel advisers quality-assure a proportion of the plans submitted for consideration of a grant by each local authority.

The Government have stated in planning policy guidance note 13 (PPG13) on transport that travel plans should accompany a planning application (in terms of both floorspace thresholds and where there are significant transport implications). In this way, travel plans are being introduced via the planning process both for new developments and where workplaces seek to expand. The planning approval process provides a means to ensure ongoing monitoring and quality assurance for these travel plans.

We have also published best practice guidance on travel planning:

Using Planning Guidance to Secure Travel Plans—2002 (update to be published winter 2007-08);Travelling to School: A Good Practice Guide—2003;Smarter Choices: Changing the Way We Travel—2004;Making Smarter Choices Work—2004;Making Car Sharing and Car Clubs Work—2005;Making Residential Travel Plans Work—2005;Making “In Town Without My Car!” Work—2006;Essential Guide to Travel Planning—2007; and Making Personal Travel Planning Work (research report)—2007.

Local authorities and scheme promoters have to use departmental guidance on transport appraisal if they require funding from the Department for Transport for major schemes. This guidance is known as the new approach to transport appraisal (NATA). Part of NATA covers guidance on walking and cycling schemes and the health benefits that can accrue from these. There is also a physical fitness element in the guidance, which looks at fitness benefits from switching to walking and cycling. As part of the recently announced NATA refresh exercise (a year-long consultative change process) and in light of a new World Health Organisation (WHO) methodology into valuing health benefits, we are looking into strengthening these parts of our guidance.

Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty’s Government:



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Lord Bassam of Brighton: Smarter choices, including travel plans, are a mainstream transport policy.

Towards a Sustainable Transport System clearly establishes the Government’s intention to consider smarter choices in all elements of transport policy. The framework further develops the positive role for sustainable travel measures that the Government set out in The Future of Transport.

Central and local government have agreed that local authorities will focus on delivering a smaller set of key outcomes than previously, reflecting the shared priorities agreed between central and local government. These are: improving access to jobs and services, particularly for those most in need, in ways that are sustainable; improved public transport; and reduced problems of congestion, pollution and safety. Smarter choices contribute to many of these objectives.

The Government’s recently published New Performance Framework for Local Authorities and Local Authority Partnerships, which provides a single set of national indicators, takes account of this. These will be used in local area agreements. Smarter choices are one way in which local authorities can address local area agreement indicators for climate change, air quality, obesity and congestion.

The assessment of the second round of local transport plans included consideration of their inclusion of smarter choices measures.

Sport: Amateur Clubs

Lord Stevens of Ludgate asked Her Majesty’s Government:

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): The OFT can offer general guidance on consumer credit licensing, but its advice cannot be taken as an authoritative view of the law. What is or is not regulated consumer credit business, within the meaning of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, is ultimately a matter for the courts. Whether or not a licence is required will be dependent on the individual circumstances applicable to the operation of each individual club. It is not possible to list all the specific circumstances that would require clubs to be licensed, since OFT cannot be aware of all the facts. Consequently, OFT would advise individual clubs to seek independent legal advice if they are in any doubt.



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However, if a club is carrying on business, allows payment of membership fees in more than four instalments and its agreements are not subject to any exemptions, it may need a consumer credit licence. Guidance on exemptions is available in the OFT publication Regulated and Exempt Agreements (OFT140), which is available on the OFT website at www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_ resources/publications/consumer_advice/money_credit_debt/oftl40.

Lord Stevens of Ludgate asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Lord Jones of Birmingham: Section 189(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 defines “consumer credit business” as “any business so far as it comprises or relates to the provision of credit under regulated consumer credit agreements”. Whether or not a club is carrying on a business will be dependent on the individual circumstances applicable to the operation of each individual club. The main issue that clubs need to consider is whether their credit activity would be classified as “occasional business”. This will be a question of fact. In addition, clubs should be aware that they may still be classed as carrying on a credit business even if they are non-profit making or have charitable status. If individual clubs are in any doubt as to whether they are carrying on a consumer credit business, they should seek independent legal advice.

Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles

Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The then Secretary of State for Transport announced on 5 July 2005 that the specific procurement exercise for a lorry road-user charging scheme would not continue, but that the Government would continue to work with the industry to ensure that the full experience gained from the project would be carried into the wider work on road pricing for cars and lorries.

Further announcements were made on 10 May 2006 and 23 May 2007 about the demonstrations project which will test the reliability and accuracy of

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road pricing systems and technology and ensure that privacy would be safeguarded.

The Government have this week moved to the next stage in procuring these demonstrations of time-distance-place charging, by issuing an invitation to participate in competitive dialogue to a number of companies that have expressed interest, ahead of some being selected to take part in the demonstrations.

Travel Plans

Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have promoted greater take-up of travel plans in four main ways: through best practice research, dissemination and provision of expert advice; through the funding of pilots and the evaluation of new techniques or approaches; through providing pump-prime funding to encourage local authorities to promote and invest in travel planning and to support the work of non-government organisations; and through fostering and supporting travel planning through tax incentives, local transport plans and the planning process.

Major initiatives have included: £140 million investment in the travelling to school initiative, which is working towards having travel plans in all schools by 2010; the three sustainable travel towns project, which has seen how walking, cycling and public transport use increased by at least 10 per cent while car trips have fallen by 10 per cent; the six cycling demonstration towns; and the National Business Travel Network to increase the take-up of travel plans among major businesses.

Our approach has been to encourage voluntary promotion and implementation of travel plans, rather than legislating to secure them. Research has shown that travel plans prove most effective and have greatest longevity when they generate a voluntary change in behaviour. However, with regard to new developments that are likely to have a major impact, we adopt a regulatory approach. In such cases, the granting of planning permission for the development to proceed is now generally linked with a formal requirement to prepare a travel plan. Enforcement for travel plans resulting from planning requirements is the responsibility of the relevant planning authority. We will shortly be publishing guidance on using the planning process to secure travel plans, which will cover how to ensure that enforcement is effective.

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