HC Deb 12 May 2004 vol 421 cc411-2W
Mr. Borrow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what public funding has been spent on adult(a) literacy and (b) numeracy in South Ribble in each of the last five years. [171707]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

[holding answer 10 May 2004]: The estimated total spend on Skills For Life (the Government's strategy for literacy, language and numeracy needs of all post-16 learners from pre-entry level up to and including level 2) and on Key Skills (essential skills of communication, application of number and information technology), from April 2001 to July 2003, in the Lancashire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area is set out in the following table:

£000
Basic skills Key skills
April 2001 to July 20011 3,370 1,270
August 2001 to July 2002 6,577 1,857
August 2002 to July 7,815 1,948
1The figures for April to July 2001 include costs incurred from August 2000 on learning aims continuing into April 2001.

From the information available to the LSC it has not been feasible to obtain estimates at constituency level or separate figures by subject without incurring disproportionate cost. Likewise it has not been feasible to obtain comparable figures for periods before April 2001 when the Skills for Life strategy was launched and the LSC was formed, but information shows it was considerably less than at present.

Mr. Borrow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many and what percentage of 11-year old pupils in South Ribble reached Level 4 in(a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the last seven years; [171660]

(2) how many and what percentage of pupils in South Ribble reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years. [171662]

Mr. Miliband

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to the hon. Member of Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Collins) on 10 May 2004,Official Report, column. 34W.

Mr. Borrow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in South Ribble on the last date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them. [171708]

Mr. Miliband

[holding answer 10 May 2004]: Information on teacher vacancies is not available by constituency as it is collected at local education authority level. In January 2003, the latest information available, there were 40 full-time teacher vacancies in Lancashire local education authority.

Like other areas, since 1997 South Ribble has benefited from the initiatives that the Government has put in place to recruit and retain teachers and to increase the number of staff supporting them in schools. Since 1997, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools in the former Lancashire LEA area has risen by 390, from 11,870 to 12,260 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of full-time equivalent school support staff in the area has grown by 2,870 from 3,620 to 6,490 in 2003.