Qualifications

HC Deb 11 November 1996 vol 285 cc37-8W

Mr. Rowlands

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of young people qualified in the last available year to level 3; and what comparison he has made with the percentages qualifying at a similar level in(a) England, and (b) Scotland and (c) each member of the European Union. [3040]

Mr. Jonathan Evans

Information on the percentage of young people who qualified to national vocational qualification level 3 in the last available year is not readily available. However the labour force survey for winter 1995–96 estimated that 45 per cent. of 21 to 23-year-olds in Wales were qualified to national vocational qualification level 3, advanced GNVQ or the academic equivalent of two GCE A-levels. The corresponding percentages for England and Scotland were 45 and 52 per cent. respectively, but this information is not readily available for each member of the European Union.

Mr. Rowlands

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what percentage of students achieved grades A to C at A-level in 1996; and what assessment he has made of how this percentage compares with(a) England and (b) the equivalent qualifications in Scotland; [3037]

	Simplified scheme			Main scheme
County	Total payments £	Cereal payments £	Oilseed payments £	Protein payments £	Linseed payments £	Set-aside payments £	Total £
Clwyd	800,026.12	675,097.78	88,816.01	50,314.77	3,795.78	174,216.20	992,240.54
Dyfed	1,806,674.34	1,522,674.79	261,232.71	57,839.70	70,928.34	421,522.09	2,334,197.63
Gwent	481,924.24	849,302.56	131,540.54	66,516.21	81,400.52	246,686.02	1,375,445.85
Gwynedd	335,677.34	199,583.92	14,753.47	6,289.57	0.00	67,683.53	288,310.49
Mid Glamorgan	86,467.20	238,594.61	55,767.44	11,111.69	12,859.21	58,510.28	376,843.23
Powys	703,938.20	793,113.14	105,049.37	17,467.83	343.70	184,646.26	1,100,620.30
South Glamorgan	175,555.78	580,217.37	121,566.30	7,453.30	46,668.09	145,344.22	901,249.28
West Glamorgan	126,012.48	80,950.71	11,562.34	0.00	8,129.54	33,737.69	134,380.28
Total	4,516,275.70	4,939,534.88	790,288.18	216,993.07	224,125.18	1,332,346.29	7,503,287.60

Mr. Tipping

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the maximum, minimum and average payment made under the arable area payments scheme in 1995. [3623]

(2) what percentage of students achieved A to C grades in GCSEs in 1996; and what assessment he has made of how this compares (a) with England and (b) with the equivalent qualification in Scotland. [3036]

Mr. Evans

I intend to publish information on examination results for 1996 in school and college performance booklets later this month.

Copies of the booklets will be sent to the hon. Member, and further copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

Booklets containing similar information will also be published for England and Scotland.