Statistics (Hansard, 19 June 1996)

§ Mr. Robin Squire

Changes in the basis of compilation, presentation and publication of statistical series are made from time to time in response to the requirements of the Government and international organisations for statistical information. Others reflect changes in administrative systems on which some series are based, the developments of new statistical techniques and technological developments affecting the compilation and dissemination of statistical data. When such changes are made, they are fully documented in the relevant statistical publications. It would be disproportionately costly to identify all the changes in our surveys and publications since 1989, therefore this reply covers those regular surveys and publications which have entirely ceased.

Exams
The last school examinations survey, SES, which provided statistics on school leavers was conducted for the academic year 1991–92. Also discontinued at that time were surveys associated with the SES—the form 113FE survey, which collected information on the academic achievements (A-level and AS) of students in further education; and the advanced supplementary, AS, survey of entries and achievements of pupils in schools.
Schools
The security in schools and ethnic monitoring of school children surveys have been discontinued since 1989. The ethnic monitoring survey collected information about ethnicity, mother tongue and religious affiliation. Ethnicity is still collected via the annual schools' census, but mother tongue and religious affiliation have been discontinued.
Teachers
Data on the ethnic origin of teachers were collected on a supplement to form 618G from 1990 to 1993. Returns were incomplete and statistics were never published.
Higher and Further Education
Shortly after the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, PCFC, was set up in 1989, some collection and publication of data on staff and finance for these institutions previously conducted by the Department through the annual monitoring survey, AMS, and the further education revenue account survey, FERAS was taken on by the PCFC. The Department continued to conduct these surveys for Local education authority-funded institutions, although FERAS was discontinued in 1992–93.
Following the creation of the unified higher education sector in 1993 and the setting up of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, HEFCE, responsibility for the collection and publication of higher education statistics passed in 1994–95 from the Department and the universities statistical record, USR, to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, HESA. Similarly, the creation of the a new further education sector in 1993 and the setting up of the Further Education Funding Council for England, FEFC, led to the transfer to it of responsibility for the collection and publication of further education statistics from the end of 1994–95.
Consequently, a number of surveys previously conducted by the Department were discontinued and replaced by systems introduced by HESA and FEFC. The surveys discontinued were the further education statistical record, FESR, the examination results and first destinations survey, ERFDS, the annual monitoring survey, AMS, the short course record, SCRS, and the return of students enrolled at the Worker's Educational Association—the AE2 return.
Employment
The confirmed redundancy series was discontinued after the publication of statistics for June 1992. After changes in the payment of rebates from the redundancy fund in 1986 removed the financial incentive for employers to provide the information, it was found to be seriously understating the number of redundancies taking place.