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Scientific Research and Development
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money was spent or is budgeted to be spent on scientific research and development in each of the last 10 financial years; and how much is budgeted to be spent in 1997-98. [17423]
Mr. Rooker: The Department's total research and development expenditure for each of the last 10 financial years is set out as follows, together with the budgeted expenditure for 1997-98.
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1996-87 | 118.3 |
| 1987-88 | 113.8 |
| 1988-89 | 115.0 |
| 1989-90 | 112.2 |
| 1990-91 | 119.1 |
| 1991-92 | 121.5 |
| 1992-93 | 132.9 |
| 1993-94 | 135.0 |
| 1994-95 | 137.2 |
| 1995-96 | 139.7 |
| 1996-97 | 137.4 |
| 1997-98 | (12)146.3 |
(12) Budgeted figure.
Research Institutes
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the redundancy costs caused by reductions or redeployments of his Department's research and development funding to (a) MAFF-sponsored research institutes, (b) AFRC/BBSRC-sponsored institutes and (c) other public sector research institutions, in each year from 1987-88 to 1997-98; and of these costs, how much in each year was borne by MAFF and how much by which other Departments. [17424]
Mr. Rooker:
I regret that information on redundancy costs in these bodies is not held centrally. Much would be available only at disproportionate cost. Moreover, it would not be possible to link directly the changes in the
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Ministry's R and D funding at public sector research establishments to the particular decisions they reached on staff redundancies, and their costs, given the wide variety of other factors involved.
Charlotte Atkins:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what support his Department gives to farmers wanting to change to organic farming practices. [17632]
Mr. Morley:
Prospective organic farmers can obtain free technical advice under the Organic Conversion Information Service. Financial help for those converting to organic systems is available under the Organic Aid Scheme. In addition, there is a research and development programme for organic farming and we also fund the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards.
Charlotte Atkins:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the Krebs Report on badgers and bovine tuberculosis to be published. [17631]
Mr. Rooker:
I expect Professor Krebs' Report to be published before Christmas.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 18 November 1997, Official Report, column 120 (1) what is the level of radioactivity associated with the miss-distance indicators disposed of in the Holyhead Deep in 1974; [17380]
Mr. Rooker:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) on 24 November 1997, Official Report, columns 409-10, and to the report by the National Radiological Protection Board, which was placed in the Library of the House.
(2) if he will place in the Library details of the advice he received on the implications for human health and the environment of the disposal of miss-distance indicators in the Holyhead Deep in 1974. [17381]
Child Care
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what incentives are being offered to child care providers to take on and train young people as child care assistants. [17273]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The New Deal for young unemployed people will create opportunities for young people to train as child care assistants on the Voluntary Sector, Employment, and Full Time Education and Training options. We have been talking to key child care organisations to facilitate their involvement. We will be providing financial assistance to help child care organisations employ and train young unemployed people, the amount of which will vary according to the type of placement on offer, and the needs of the participant.
26 Nov 1997 : Column: 588
Mr. Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his Department's expenditure plans for 1998-99. [18306]
Mr. Blunkett:
The Department's control total for 1998-99 is £13,372 million. We are committed to working within the Department totals for 1998-99 which we inherited from the previous administration and therefore this sum is the same as that announced in November 1996 except in respect of agreed inter-Departmental transfers. I have reallocated this expenditure to align the Department's programmes with the Government's new objectives, policies and priorities.
The voted expenditure for 1998-99 will be supplemented by up to £856 million from outside the control total, financed by the windfall tax, for the welfare to work programme and the New Deal for Schools. In addition, the bulk of expenditure on schools is provided through the local authority finance settlement. The level of expenditure next year on the New Deal for people with disabilities or a long-standing illness, and the New Deal for lone parents, will be announced when plans are finalised.
Schools
Local authority finance
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget an addition to local authority Education Standard Spending of £1,017 million, a year on year increase of 5.7 per cent., taking the total to £19,384 million including the transfer back into local government finance of the deduction made for the Nursery Voucher Scheme introduced by the previous administration. The details of the local authority finance settlement will be announced next week by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. It is for local authorities to decide how to allocate the available funding, but the Government expects that the funds will be passed on to schools and devoted to raising standards.
Under fives
We are returning to local education authorities the deduction of £527 million from standard spending assessments made by the previous administration. These funds will allow authorities to work in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors to develop their Early Years Development Plans, designed to provide a high quality nursery education on demand to all four-year-olds. Central government funds of £135 million will provide additional grant support to local authorities, to support expansion of the number of places available, and the development of Early Excellence Centres.
School standards and effectiveness
We have set up a new and expanded Standards Fund, replacing the Grants for Educational Support and Training programme. The total Standards Fund programme expenditure is to be £500 million.
Schools capital and the New Deal for Schools
£250 million will be made available from the windfall tax in 1998-99 for the New Deal for Schools, to start tackling the backlog of repairs to school buildings and to develop public private partnerships to maintain an repair schools. The total includes £15 million for school security, to be deployed as part of the Standards Fund. These sums are in addition to the existing schools capital
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programme of £648 million, including the Department's contribution to the Government's local authority capital challenge fund.
National Grid for Learning
£50 million of the New Deal for Schools funds in 1998-99 will support expenditure of £100 million on the capital and infrastructure requirements of setting up the National Grid for Learning, to give schools easier access to high quality materials to support the raising of standards. This will be delivered through the Standards Fund.
Specialist schools
The specialist schools programme will be increased by £6 million to £41 million to support public/private partnerships, allowing the expansion of the programme to 330 schools by September 1998. At the same time we shall broaden the reach of the programme, ensuring that it is open to as many children as possible--both those attending specialist schools, and those in neighbouring schools enjoying their facilities.
Teacher Training Agency
The total grant for the Teacher Training Agency will be £206 million in recognition of the central role they have to play in the Government's drive on standards through action to recruit sufficient high quality entrants to teaching; to ensure that new and existing teachers receive the support and training they need to raise pupil achievement, particularly in the priority areas of literacy, numeracy and ICT; and to underpin effective school leadership.
Lifelong learning, further and higher education
Lifelong learning
The Government is committed to creating a learning society. This will involve both greater and wider participation, giving access and opportunity to those hitherto excluded so that equality of opportunity and lifelong learning become a reality. We have been able to redirect expenditure so as to make a start on the recommendations of the Kennedy report to widen participation in lifelong learning amongst disadvantaged groups with low or no qualifications.
Further Education
A total of £83 million, including £63 million of new public funding and an estimated £20 million increase in employers' contributions to course fees, will be available to the further education sector in 1998-99, taking the Further Education Funding Council's grant for 1998-99 to £3,114 million.
Higher Education
I have already announced a package of measures that will allow an extra £165 million to be spent on higher education in 1998-99. Universities and colleges will have an extra £125 million to maintain quality and improve standards and to make a start on the backlog of maintenance and equipment replacement. There will be a £36 million access package to benefit part-time students and those facing particular hardship, allowing the doubling of access funds. £4 million will be made available to increase HE participation through sub-degree programmes. The grant for the Higher Education Funding Council will be set at £3,504 million.
Training and Enterprise Councils
The Government is committed to the role of TECs in meeting local needs and contributing to local economic development. The Department's programmes to be delivered through TECs in 1998-99 amount to £1.3
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billion. In addition, TECs will be playing an important strategic role as a key local partner in a wide range of other initiatives including New Deal, the Single Regeneration Budget, and European funding schemes.
Employment programmes
Welfare to work
The Government is committed to helping unemployed people, particularly the most disadvantaged, enhance their employability and get into work as quickly as possible. Following my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's announcement in the Budget, we will be spending up to an additional £606 million in 1998-99 for the introduction of the New Deal for unemployed 18-24 year olds and for those over 25 unemployed for two years or more. The New Deal for unemployed 18-24 year olds will be launched in January next year in pathfinder areas, with the national start in April. The New Deal for the long-term unemployed will start in June 1998.
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