§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in involving faith communities in the work of Connexions at(a) central and (b) local levels. [66705]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggOne of the principles of the Connexions strategy is to take account of the views of young people both individually and collectively. This includes young people from faith communities and the organisations that represent them. Nationally, the Connexions Service National Unit has discussed and agreed with the Catholic Education Service the basis on which Connexions personal advisers work in Catholic schools and colleges. Locally, Connexions partnerships work with many different voluntary and community groups which support young people, including faith-based organisations. There are examples across the country of faith based organisations being involved in local Connexions management or advisory groups. Some local faith based organisations receive grants from Connexions Partnerships. Organisations with a faith basis also feature prominently among the National Voluntary Youth Organisations (NVYOs) who receive funds from the Department's NVYO Grant Scheme. This is administered by the Connexions Service National Unit to support personal development programmes for young people.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much Connexions(a) spent and (b) transferred to other bodies in the last financial year; and how many members of staff it employs. [66706]
725W
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggIn the last financial year (2001–02) the Connexions Service spent approximately £320 million. Of that, £107 million was incurred by Connexions Partnerships—i.e. those fifteen that were operating during 2001–02; twelve of which were in place for the full 12 months and three for the last seven months. The remainder was used to support careers services in those areas where Connexions was not operational and to fund central costs such as the training of personal advisers.
We do not collect information centrally on the exact amount of funding transferred to other bodies, mainly because the variety of different ways in which Partnerships operate makes it impractical to do so. It is for each Connexions Partnership to determine, within broad guidelines, how best to use its funding to meet identified local needs. In some cases this involves sub-contracting work to other organisations such as voluntary and community bodies.
According to the latest available information (relating to the situation at the end of March 2002), the 15 Connexions Partnerships operational at that time employed 3,933 staff-this includes all staff involved in the delivery of Connexions i.e. delivery staff (mainly personal advisers), managerial and administrative staff. etc.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding Connexions receives from Government sources; what non-governmental sources of income Connexions has; how much Connexions disburses to other organisations; and by what mechanisms Connexions makes this money available. [66708]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggIn the current financial year (2002–03), Connexions has been allocated £446 million from central Government funds. The majority of that funding (ie £359 million) is devolved to Connexions Partnerships through the main Connexions grant-this relates to the 27 partnerships operational at the start of 2002–03 and the remaining 20 due to become operational during the financial year. The remainder of the overall Connexions budget is used to support careers services in those areas where Connexions is not yet fully operational and to fund central costs such as the training of personal advisers.
We do not have an exhaustive list of other sources of income but they include the European Social Fund, the National Lottery, the private sector, the Learning and Skills Council and local partners such as local authorities, etc. The strength of Connexions is its ability to pull together the contributions of a range of local partners to eliminate any gaps and duplication in the provision of support for young people. Much of the contribution of local partners is, therefore, of an "in-kind" nature rather than simply financial.
We are not yet able to quantify how much funding Connexions partnerships expect to receive in 2002–03 from sources other than the main Connexions grant. However, in the last financial year (2001–02), operational Connexions Partnerships received approximately £1.4 million in cash plus an estimated £8 million in contributions "in-kind" from sources other than the main Connexions grant. Early data from partnerships' business plans show that those figures are expected to be substantially greater this year.
726WWe do not collect information centrally on the exact amount of funding disbursed to other organisations, mainly because the variety of different ways in which partnerships operate makes it impractical to do so. Once their funding has been allocated to them by DfES, Connexions Partnerships have the flexibility to use it in whatever manner they judge to be the most effective in relation to their local circumstances. In some cases this involves delegating work to partner organisations such as voluntary and community bodies. In those cases, the Connexions Partnership raises a grant or sub-contract with the organisation concerned in order to control the flow of funding.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps have been taken to train Connexions advisers in respect of mental health matters as recommended in the Bridging the Gap report published in July 1999. [67975]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggI refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 March 2002,Official Report, column 1600W.
Connexions Partnerships will provide a full service to all young people aged 13 to 19 and will co-ordinate the delivery of appropriate support and opportunities when needed. This includes liaison with key organisations who can provide specialist support in respect of mental health matters.