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EDUCATION
School Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he is making for the appointment of the proposed school curriculum and assessment authority.
Mr. Patten : To ensure that the appropriate preparations can be made for the establishment of the school
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curriculum and assessment authority, my Department has appointed a firm of management consultants to help draw up a list of appropriate candidates with the qualities and skills necessary to a successful chairman. A panel, chaired by the first civil service commissioner, will consider their advice, interview those on the shortlist and make recommendations to me. Any appointment will be subject to the passage of the legislation.Sir Anthony Durant : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he has made for setting up the new school curriculum and assessment authority.
Mr. Patten : The Government intend, subject to the passage of the necessary legislation, to establish a new authority in England to be responsible for matters relating to the national curriculum and the associated assessment arrangements. Parliamentary approval to expenditure associated with preparing for the establishment of the new authority will be sought in a supply estimate for the schools, research and miscellaneous services vote (class X, vote 1, in 1993-94). Pending that approval, essential preparatory expenditure estimated at £90,000 in 1992-93 will be met by a repayable advance from the contingencies fund.
Teacher Training
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the bursary scheme for students on courses of initial teacher training in shortage subjects.
Mr. Forth : The shortage subject bursary scheme provides incentive payments to students taking postgraduate certificate in education and two- year BEd courses in mathematics, science, technology and modern foreign languages. Although recruitment to these and other courses of initial teacher training is buoyant and the vacancy rate for teachers is now lower than it has been for over 10 years, the bursary scheme is still needed to help maintain teacher supply in those subject areas which are most difficult to recruit to. My right hon. Friend will therefore make expenditure provision available for the scheme in the next financial year ; but, to reflect spending priorities, the current bouyancy of recruitment to teacher training and the lw loevel of teacher vacancies, my right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales intend to seek parliamentary approval for a change in the relevant statutory instrument to alter the level of payment at which the bursary will be set.
The current main rate of bursary is £1,500 a year, and there are extra payments to those on courses in physics and craft, design and technology. We intend to introduce a flat-rate bursary of £1,000 for all students commencing eligible courses on or after 1 September 1993.
Engineers
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans his Department has to encourage qualified engineers to enter teaching ; how many qualified engineers and electrical engineers have been recruited to the teaching profession for each of the last five years ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is the total number of (a) qualified engineers and (b) electrical engineers currently in the teaching profession at (i) school and (ii) university and higher education level ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Forth : The Government do not collect statistics on the number of qualified engineers in or joining the teaching profession in schools and higher education.
The Department provides bursaries to encourage graduates in appropriate disciplines--including engineering--to undertake initial teacher training in certain secondary school subjects including technology and physics. The Department has also initiated a number of specific measures to encourage mature career changers, including engineers, to enter school teaching. These include organising and part funding a programme of "Taste of Teaching" courses run by higher education institutions ; encouraging the development of new shortened teacher training courses for mature entrants, including engineers ; and introducing and financing new entry routes into the profession via the licensed teacher and articled teacher schemes.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to increase the use of outside engineers in technology courses.
Mr. Forman : There has been a considerable expansion of links between industry and education over the last decade. Government have encouraged and welcomed this development which has led to an increase in the involvement of engineers with education at all levels. Within this context, it is for individual institutions to decide the form particular links with industry should take, and the extent to which this could include the involvement of practising engineers in engineering and technology courses.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to encourage qualified engineers and electrical engineers to enter teaching at university and higher education level.
Mr. Forman : It is for institutions to recruit the staff they need to provide high-quality teaching in engineering and other subjects. The Government have no plans to intervene in this process. More flexible pay structures in recent years have enabled management to target pay on specific areas of recruitment difficulty.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to promote engineering within technology courses in the national curriculum ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : A number of national curriculum subjects, including mathematics, science, technology and art, offer pupils the opportunities to acquire fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding appropriate for the study of engineering after the age of 16. My right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Education and for Wales are currently considering the recommendations of the national curriculum technology review group and will make a full statement when their joint proposals are published for consultation later in December.
Technology
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to promote technology courses within the national curriculum in (a) city technology colleges and (b) other schools ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Forth : Under the national curriculum, the study of technology is now compulsory for all pupils in maintained schools aged between five and 14 (unless specifically excepted) and will become so for pupils aged between 14 and 16 from August 1993. It is for local authorities and individual schools to decide how best to support this study from within the £176 million of expenditure supported through the Department's grants for education support and training programme to assist with the implementation of the national curriculum. City technology colleges have been established specifically to promote the teaching of mathematics, science and technology. Similarly, schools funded under the technology schools initiative are committed to promoting particularly their technology teaching and its vocational aspects. My right hon. Friend will be announcing a further tranche of funding under this initiative shortly.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list for each city technology college (a) the total number of pupils taking GCSE in technology, (b) the total number per grade obtained and (c) the percentage of pupils who participated in technology courses for the latest year figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The first pupils to have undertaken a full CTC secondary education will not take GCSE until 1993, and the majority not until 1995. There are therefore no GCSE results for CTC technology yet. All CTC pupils undertake technology courses.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of pupils participate in technology courses in schools other than city technology colleges ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Under the national curriculum, the study of technology is compulsory for all pupils in maintained schools aged between five and 14 (unless specifically excepted) and will become so for pupils aged between 14 and 16 in August 1993. Information about the number of pupils aged between 14 and 16 following general courses in technology in the current academic year is not available centrally.
Higher Education
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the proportion of students in England who currently go on to higher education.
Mr. Forman : The usual indicator of participation by young people in higher education is the age participation index (API)--that is the number of full-time and sandwich home initial entrants aged less than 21 expressed as a percentage of the averaged 18 to 19 age group. The API for Great Britain in 1991-92 was 23.5 per cent. and is thought to have reached about 28 per cent this autumn. No corresponding figures for England are available.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Coastal Protection
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many miles of (a) sea defences and (b) coast protection works there are in Northern Ireland ; where each is situated ; who is responsible for them ; and what is the residual life of each.
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Mr. Atkins : Roads service of the Department of the Environment carries out work to deal with coastal erosion at the following locations where the structural stability of the road is threatened :
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Road |Location |Length (miles) |Approximate residual
|life (years)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A2 |Warrenpoint |1.55 |20
A2 |Drumesk Road, Rostrevor |0.12 |20
A2 |Rostrevor Quay |0.12 |20
U6573 |Harbour Road, Kilkeel |0.06 |20
G316 |Benagh Road, Kilkeel |0.06 |20
C317 |Benagh Road, Kilkeel |0.19 |20
A2 |Islandmagee |4.35 |20
A2 |Larne-Garron Point |15.50 |20
B202 |Point Road, Magilligan |1.25 |10
A2 |Garron Road, Waterfoot |6.00 |3
A2 |Coast Road, Waterfoot |0.75 |3
B92 |Main Street, Cushendum |0.10 |10
B92 |Bay Road, Cushendun |0.50 |0
B15 |Whitepark Road, Ballintoy |0.25 |1
U88 |Murlough Road, Ballycastle |0.75 |0
U83 |Carrickmore Road, Ballycastle |2.50 |3
U26 |Giants Causeway Road, Bushmills |0.50 |0
U5113 |Dunseverick, Bushmills |0.50 |5
U5115 |Harbour Road, Ballintoy |0.30 |3
U5114 |Portbraden Road, Bushmills |0.10 |5
U5224 |Dalriada Park, Cushendall |0.25 |3
A2 |Quay Route (Craigavon Bridge/Guildhall) |0.50 |25
A2 |Quay Route (Craigavon Bridge/Boating Club Lane) |0.50 |25
U1119 |Point Road, Culmore |0.75 |10
U1515 |Bay Road, Panneburn |0.50 |25
U3557 |Beach Road, Portballintrae |0.10 |10
A2 |Portstewart Promenade |0.40 |20
U3533 |Strand Head, Portstewart |0.10 |10
A20 |Newtownards to Greyabbey
A20 |Kircubbin
U301 |Portaferry |11.20 |20
A2 |Donaghadee/Millisle/Ballywalter/Ballyhalbert/Cloughy
A2 |Holywood |0.93 |20
A2 |Killough }
A2 |South of Strangford} |5.90 |20
U240 |Ballyhornan }
Northern Ireland Railways carries out running repair sea defence work on the following lines :
Location |Length |Approximate residual
|life
|(miles) |(years)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Larne line |8.00 |20
Londonderry line (along Foyle Estuary) |10.00 |20
Bangor line at Holywood |0.25 |20
The Department of Agriculture has statutory powers under the Drainage (NI) Order 1973 to maintain sea defences which have been designated by the Drainage Council for Northern Ireland. The locations and lengths of designated sea defences are :
|Miles
--------------------------------------
North Down
Newtownards/Comber Dyke |3.0
Holywood |0.2
North Londonderry
Myroe Embankment |3.0
Ballykelly Embankment |2.0
Longfield Embankment |3.8
Black Brae Embankment |2.0
It is not possible to determine accurately the residual life of each designated sea defence as this depends on future weather and tidal combinations as well as the condition of the defence.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what surveys have been carried out funded by his Department on coastal erosion in Northern Ireland in recent years ; and where the conclusions were published.
Mr. Atkins : Two studies have been carried out by Professor R. W. G. Carter and funded by the environment service of the Department of the Environment.
(i) "Coastal Erosion and Management in Antrim Coast and Glens and Causeway Coast AONBs" published by HMSO Belfast in early 1991 as "Shifting Sands" ; and
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(ii) "Monitoring Sand Removal in Antrim Coast and Glens and Causeway Coast AONBs". The findings of this survey were published in "Aquatic Conservation" Vol 2 in 1992.In addition the Department of Agriculture has agreed to make a contribution towards a feasibilty study which was commissioned by Coleraine borough council into coastal erosion problems at Portballintrae. The study report has just been completed and its publication is now a matter for Coleraine borough council.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve (a) sea defences and (b) coastal protection in Northern Ireland in each of the next three years.
Mr. Atkins : Subject to the availability of finance, the roads service of the Department of the Environment proposes to spend approximately £21,000 and £50,000 in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 financial years respectively to improve existing coastal protection measures in the Coleraine and Ballycastle areas. The Department of Agriculture has plans to commence works in 1993 to refurbish the Myroe embankment at Lough Foyle. Following a recent preliminary inspection of the other three Lough Foyle embankments, the Department is about to commission more detailed feasibilty studies on the Ballykelly and Longfield embankments. A study of the Black Brae embankment will also be initiated within the next three years.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sums were expended by Government on (a) sea defences and (b) coastal protection works in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years ; and how much in each year was expended on (a) capital works, (b) repairs and (c) maintenance.
Mr. Atkins : The information is as follows :
Financial year |<1>Roads service |<2>Northern Ireland|<3>Department of
|Department of the |railways |Agriculture
|Environment
|£'000 |£'000 |£'000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |146 |2 |40
1988-89 |291 |137 |109
1989-90 |93 |15 |164
1990-91 |251 |21 |223
1991-92 |202 |99 |332
<1> Expenditure on repairs and maintenance to protect coasts where structural stability of a road
was threatened-no capital expenditure incurred.
<2> Mostly capital expenditure on running repairs.
<3> Expenditure on maintenance and repairs of designated sea defences.
In addition the environment service, Department of the Environment has paid out the following amounts in grant-aid towards local anti-erosion schemes carried out by agencies :