HC Deb 21 July 1986 vol 102 cc56-8W
Mr. Key

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list additional statutory responsibilities and other initiatives which have had manpower implications for his Department since 1979 and the number involved in each category where identifiable.

Mr. Chris Patten

The principal statutory responsibilities and initiatives undertaken by the Department since 1979 include the following:

Statutory Responsibilities Education Act 1980: new arrangements for school government; new responsibilities on the Secretary of State in respect of parental appeals; the assisted places scheme and other provisions. Education Act 1981: new responsibilities on the Secretary of State in respect of parental appeals and the approval of special schools and other provisions. National Heritage Act 1983: new arrangement for Victoria and Albert and science museums. Education (Grants and Awards) Act 1984 and Education (Amendment) Act 1986: provision for the payment of education support grants to local education authorities and other provisions. Local Government Act 1985: setting of the precept limit for the Inner London education authority. Further Education Act 1985. Education Act 1986

Other Initiatives Education Bill 1986 Managing the contraction of the schools system to cope with falling rolls Reform of examinations to create a single 16+ examination Proposals for an 18+ examination Re-examination of school curriculum to establish its main content and standards to be attained Curricular policies for key subjects Initiating a national system of records of achievements for school leavers White Paper "Better Schools Follow-up work on the Swann committee of inquiry into the education of children from ethnic minority groups Devising action to deal with drug abuse and AIDS Establishment of the microelectronics education programme (MEP) and its successor the microelectronics education support unit (MESU) Abolition of the Schools Council and setting up of the Secondary Examinations Council (SEC) and the School Curriculum Development Committee (SCDC) Reform of the Inner London education authority Programme of development projects for lower attaining pupils Technical and vocational education initiative (TVEI) Certificate of pre-vocational education (CPEVE) Education (Corporal Punishment) Bill 1985 Publication and follow-up reports from Her Majesty's inspectors of schools Review of higher education policy and issue of Green Paper "The Development of Higher Education into the 1990s Pursuing quality and cost effectiveness in higher education. Follow-up to the Jarratt efficiency review of universities and the Lindop Report of public sector validation. Croham review of the university Grants Committee Professional industrial and commercial updating programme (PICKUP) Adult unemployed programme (REPLAN) Student grants reviews Setting up of the National Body for Public Sector Higher Education (NAB) College-employer links project (CELP) Educational contribution to the Manpower Services Commission's initiatives on training, including White Papers "Training for Jobs" and "Working Together—Education and Training New arrangements for in-service training for teachers Work towards long term reform of teachers' pay, duties and contract Establishment of the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (CATE) Major reviews of science policy and its support, including support of university scientific research (1982), Social Science Research Council (1982), postgraduate education (1982), in-house and university research (1983), commissioned research (1983), the UK's role in high energy particlephysics (1985, special complementing (1986) and private funding of research (1986) Development work on the educational component of the needs assessment for the rate support grant system Financial management initiative and centrally imposed initiatives on personnel management Financial management review of non-departmental public bodies

It would not be possible to quantify the number of staff involved without a disproportionate effort. So far the Department has managed to contain these new demands within the manpower ceilings.

Mr. Key

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of full-time equivalent employees in (a) administrative and (b) other grades in his Department in each year since 1970.

Mr. Chris Patten

The full-time equivalent staff-in-post figures for the Department of Education and Science including the UGC are as follows:

Staff-in-post on 1 April
Administrative Grades HMI Total
1970 2,562 532 3,094
1971 2,516 478 2,996
1972 2,527 459 2,986
1973 2,519 440 2,959
1974 2,430 441 2,871
1975 2,475 433 2,908
1976 2,491 427 2,918
1977 2,397 411 2,808
1978 2,277 401 2,678
1979 2,286 401 2,687
1980 2,222 421 2,643
1981 2,140 407 2,547
1982 2,036 392 2,428
1983 2,024 381 2,405
1984* 1,993 390 2,383
1985* 1,971 460 2,431
1986* 1,948 464 2,412
* From July 1983 staff assigned to the Office of Arts and Libraries were no longer part of the Department