§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 13 June,Official Report, column 287, which schools cannot arrange checks against list 99 through their local education authority; and in what circumstances local education authorities have access to the Department of Health's consultancy index. [35249]
§ Mr. Robin Squire[holding answer 1 July 1996]: Schools that are maintained by a local education authority can make checks through their maintaining authority. Other schools are not entitled to this service, but can make checks through the Department.
The Department of Health's consultancy index is intended to provide checks on the suitability of people seeking appointments in the field of child care. It has not been used by local education authorities which rely on checks of list 99 and criminal background checks to help assess the suitability of candidates.
§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 25 June,Official Report, column 99, if she will list the number of (a) adverse reports from employers made to the Department of Health's consultancy index for each year since 1979 and (b) notifications from the police for convictions for each year since 1979; and how many notifications to list 99 there have been for each year since 1979. [35250]
§ Mr. Squire[holding answer 1 July 1996]: The following table shows the number of reports about misconduct, or alleged misconduct, by teachers, and people whose work involves regular contact with children and young persons in education, that the Department has received in each year since 1 April 1979. Information about notifications to the Department of Health consultancy index is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.
377W
Year Reports Received 1 April 1979–31 March 1980 435 1 April 1980–31 March 1981 422 1 April 1981–31 March 1982 340 1 April 1982–31 March 1983 360 1 April 1983–31 March 1984 338 1 April 1984–31 March 1985 325 1 April 1985–31 March 1986 348 1 April 1986–31 March 1987 320 1 April 1987–31 March 1988 350
Year Reports Received 1 April 1988–31 March 1989 333 1 April 1989–31 march 1990 334 1 April 1990–31 March 1991 373 1 April 1991–31 March 1992 387 1 April 1992–31 March 1993 382 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 542 1 April 1994–31 March 1995 636 1 April 1995–31 March 1996 561