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11 May 2004 : Column 295W—continued
Computer Learning Centres
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Capital Modernisation Fund computer-learning centres have been established in Oldham, West and Royton. [170926]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Four Capital Modernisation Funded UK online centres have been established in Oldham, West and Royton.
Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) families in Bootle have benefited from the Computers in Reach programme. [171127]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Computers Within Reach (CWR) scheme closed on 31 October 2001 having delivered over 24,000 recycled computers to people in 22 pilot areas, at a cost of £7.1 million over two years. Those eligible were in receipt of certain working age benefits or a State Pension with minimum income guarantee.
At the same time as funding was made available for the Computers within Reach scheme, funding was also provided for the Computers for Teachers programme. For teachers who met certain criteria, this programme subsidised the cost of a computer. It was subsequently replaced by the current Laptops for Teachers scheme which dispensed with subsidies, and through which sufficient funding will be provided to enable two thirds of teachers to receive a laptop by March 2006.
Of the 24,000 computers delivered through the Computers within Reach scheme, approximately 3,000 were for people in the Liverpool area, including those in and around Bootle.
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many families in South Ribble have benefited from the Computers Within Reach scheme; and how many teachers have benefited from the Computers for Teachers programme. [171978]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Computers Within Reach (CWR) scheme closed on 31 October 2001, having delivered over 24,000 recycled computers to people in 22 pilot areas, at a cost of £7.1 million over two years. Those eligible were in receipt of certain working age benefits or a state pension with minimum income guarantee.
At the same time as funding was made available for the Computers Within Reach scheme, funding was also provided for the Computers for Teachers programme. For teachers who met certain criteria, this programme subsidised the cost of a computer. It was subsequently replaced by the current Laptops for Teachers scheme,
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which dispensed with subsidies, and through which sufficient funding will be provided to enable two-thirds of teachers to receive a laptop by March 2006.
South Ribble was not one of the pilot areas for the CWR scheme.
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Capital Modernisation Fund computer learning centres have been established in South Ribble. [171979]
Mr. Charles Clarke: 15 Capital Modernisation Fund UK online centres have been established in South Ribble.
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in South Ribble in each of the last seven years. [171980]
Mr. Charles Clarke: My Department does not collect information on school spend on computers at constituency level. However, South Ribble is in Lancashire LEA and in the last seven years schools in Lancashire have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA):
| Allocation to Lancashire LEA (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 2,500,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,627,867 |
| 2000–01 | 5,576,036 |
| 2001–02 | 6,483,142 |
| 2002–03 | 8,983,493 |
| 2003–04 | 9,169,124 |
| 2004–05 | 11,892,478 |
Computers (Bootle)
Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in Bootle have received a computer to assist in seeking employment or retraining. [171305]
Mr. Charles Clarke: At present no centrally funded schemes exist which provide people with a free or low cost computer to assist in seeking employment or retraining.
Computers within Reach
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) families in Oldham, West and Royton have benefited from the Computers within Reach programme. [170927]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Computers within Reach (CWR) scheme closed on 31 October 2001 having delivered over 24,000 recycled computers to people in 22 pilot areas, at a cost of £7.1 million over two years. Those eligible were in receipt of certain working age benefits or a state pension with minimum income guarantee.
At the same time as funding was made available for the Computers within Reach scheme, funding was also provided for the Computers for Teachers programme. For teachers who met certain criteria, this programme
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subsidised the cost of a computer. It was subsequently replaced by the current Laptops for Teachers scheme which dispensed with subsidies, and through which sufficient funding will be provided to enable two thirds of teachers to receive a laptop by March 2006.
Oldham, West and Royton was not one of the pilot areas for the CWR scheme.
Early Years Education
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Government expenditure on early years education was in each year since 1997, broken down by main budget heading. [171302]
Margaret Hodge: From April 2003, all funding to support the delivery of early years education was consolidated within the under-fives sub-block of each LA's Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)—the main source of education funding. Prior to that time, provision in the private, voluntary and independent sectors together with new places in the maintained sector was funded through separate ring-fenced grant and existing places in the maintained sector were funded through the Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs). Expenditure on early education and funding for the under-fives block was as follows:
| Early education (expenditure) | Under-fives block (funding) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 637 | 562 |
| 1998–99 | 134 | 1,170 |
| 1999–2000 | 150 | 1,280 |
| 2000–01 | 247 | 1,340 |
| 2001–02 | 224 | 1,490 |
| 2002–03 | 326 | 1,620 |
| 2003–04(26) | 42 | 2,600 |
(26) Provisional.
Notes:
1. Outturn figures for early education in 2003–04 are provisional. Final figures will be available later in 2004.
2. Funding for the under-fives block in 2003–04 includes an apportionment of the pensions transfer into EFSS.
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many nursery managers are qualified to NVQ level 3 or above. [171368]
Margaret Hodge:
According to the 2001 Childcare Workforce Survey, 78 per cent. of nursery managers were qualified to NVQ level 3 or above. Results from the 2003 survey are due to be published shortly.
11 May 2004 : Column 298W
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on recruitment and retention of staff in the nursery and childcare sectors. [171371]
Margaret Hodge: The Government are committed to increasing both Early Years provision and the quality of that provision. We have already created new childcare places for 1.6 million children and are now committed to creating at least 250,000 new places for 450,000 children by 2006. Recruiting and retaining sufficient numbers of good quality staff to support this expansion is essential and we are helping early years' employers to do so.
Over the next two years, we are providing local authorities with £129.9 million for workforce development, including £14 million to support recruitment in their local areas. Our childcare recruitment campaign has been running since 2000 and has been successful in raising the profile of job opportunities in the sector. To date, we have received over 200,000 responses to the campaign.
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many childminder inspections were carried out by Ofsted's Early Years Directorate in each year since 2000. [171372]
Margaret Hodge: The number of childminder inspections carried out by Ofsted is a matter for the Office of Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the HM Chief Inspector for Schools, David Bell will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.
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