| Roberta Blackman-Woods MP | In the House... |
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Speeches and parliamentary questions in the House of Commons in the current sessionWhile speaking in the chamber of the House is a high profile activity for an MP, much other work is done elsewhere, such as committee work etc., as well as a large casework load for constituents. The current session of Parliament commenced on 6 November 2007 following the State Opening of Parliament. This marked the start of the third session since Roberta was first elected as an MP at the 2005 General Election. Information about Roberta's work in the House during the previous two sessions can be found by following the links below. |
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A back bencher speaks for her constituents
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Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): What recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on alternatives to imprisonment for women. [212138]
Barbara Follett, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Government Equalities Office: The Government are fully committed to reducing the number of women in prison. I have had regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on that matter and the Government have agreed to promote community orders as an alternative to custody, in response to Baroness Corston's recommendations on women offenders.
Dr. Blackman-Woods: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. She will know that the Corston report talks about the need to inform sentencers of the need for alternatives to custody. What is being done specifically to make non-custodial sentences a reality so that the women who end up in Low Newton prison in my constituency get the support that they need in the community to direct them from crime in the first place?
Barbara Follett: First, I commend my hon. Friend on the work that she is doing in this particularly difficult area. She is quite right: we need to ensure that more women, who often get sentences for relatively minor offences, are dealt with in the community.
To that end, the Government are considering how we can promote a sentence package that targets offenders who might otherwise have received a custodial sentence with an intensive community order using the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and making use of the mix of requirements available to the courts. I am glad to say that a pilot project is under way in the Derbyshire area to promote such a community order and I look forward to hearing the results.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): What steps he is taking to support socially excluded families. [211624]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Phil Hope): As we all know, the experience of multiple problems such as poor mental and physical health, homelessness or substance misuse can have a corrosive effect on the life chances of children and adult family members. The social exclusion task force's families-at-risk review has helped to identify a specific set of innovative services that can make a real difference and improve the lives of vulnerable families. That is being embedded at local level through a new £16 million family pathfinder programme in 15 areas of the country.
Dr. Blackman-Woods: I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for that response, and I am sure he agrees that the family pathfinder project in my constituency is doing a wonderful job in its support for vulnerable families. What discussions is he having with ministerial colleagues about using such projects in a more co-ordinated way to reduce inequality as a means of tackling social exclusion?
Phil Hope: My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the family pathfinder project in her area will target some of the 100 most vulnerable families. We need to ensure that local services are joined up so that families who are in contact with social services, the education system and the probation system find that those services are working together and understand the family as a whole and how it can be helped. My role in promoting that message across the Government is to work with ministerial colleagues in other Departments to ensure that that basic message of "Think Family" informs all of our policies.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made towards meeting the target of providing 3,500 children's centres by 2010.
Beverley Hughes, Minister of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove).
There are currently 2,907 designated Sure Start children's centres offering services to more than 2 million children aged under five and their families. We met our manifesto commitment for 2,500 centres by March this year and we are on track to meet our target of 3,500 centres by 2010 - one for every community.
Anne Snelgrove: That is indeed good news. I am delighted that there are five Sure Start centres in my constituency. On average, 800 children use them each year, and I am committed to the Sure Start programme. What does my right hon. Friend believe the effect would be on those 4,000 children in South Swindon should the Sure Start programme be closed or not go ahead?
Beverley Hughes: My hon. Friend takes a great interest in the matter and she knows that we are progressively building a new universal service for the youngest children and their families, bringing together health, early years, parent support and employment services, to name but a few. The independent academic evaluation has shown that that is already having a positive impact on children's development and parents. If anything jeopardised the programme, I am sure that parents, professionals and any sensible person would greet that with dismay.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): What discussions she has had with regional development agencies on their support for the women into business and enterprise initiative. [204062]
The Minister for Equality (Barbara Follett): The regional development agencies have a vital role in tackling inequalities, as I know as Minister for the East of England, including delivery of the Government's new package of support for women that was outlined in the enterprise strategy. That is why the Minister for Women and Equality wrote to the RDA chairs on 1 May to ask about the progress that they had made on this vital agenda.
Dr. Blackman-Woods: I thank my hon. Friend for her response. Does she agree that support networks, such as Women Into the Network, which is hosted by the business school of Durham university in my constituency, have a vital role to play alongside the excellent initiatives that the regional development agency, One NorthEast, undertakes in unlocking women's business skills? Does she also agree that that is necessary if we are to continue to grow entrepreneurship in the North-East and exceed current trends?
Barbara Follett: We women came to networking rather late. We are doing it now in politics and business as fast as we can. I am pleased with the work that Durham business school has done and the partnership that it has forged with the RDA, One NorthEast. The latter has funded Durham business school's networking initiative and, with Business Link North East, helps to sponsor its annual awards. That is the way forward for women - getting together, mentoring and helping each other as far as we can.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the Government's policy is on (a) participation in and (b) funding of a future European space flight mission. [194520]
Ian Pearson, Minister of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills: The new UK Civil Space Strategy 2008-12 and beyond, published on 14 February 2008, stated that the European Space Agency (ESA) is a vital delivery partner. More than 60 per cent. of the UK Government's civil space expenditure is invested in ESA activities. The Government through the British National Space Centre considers participation and funding of each proposed European space flight mission on its merits.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on university physics departments and the physics community of withdrawal from the International Linear Collider.
Ian Pearson (Minister of State (Science and Innovation), Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills): I am informed that the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) expects that it will continue to provide support for generic accelerator R and D at a reduced level. The precise level will be determined once it has completed its current review of its programme priorities.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): I thank the Minister for accepting my amendment in Committee. It is indeed important to align housing policy with planning policy, particularly in respect of planning policy statements 1 and 3. It is also essential that the new agency looks at the infrastructure, so that the necessary schools, health centres, roads and so forth are in place to support these new communities.
Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government): My hon. Friend makes an important point. Although the rhetoric has been about 3 million new homes, I have said time and again that this is not just about more homes, important though that is to address the housing needs of this country; it is about better homes and greener homes. That is what the Bill will do for design, with the Academy for Sustainable Communities being placed in the agency and with the requirements in the code for sustainable homes. It is vital that homes, if they are to be truly sustainable, are not just plonked in a field; we need the related infrastructure, such as health facilities and schools. I hope that the HCA will build on the work done by English Partnerships in creating 11 new schools to provide the confidence to the market to ensure that development takes place. This is not just about more homes, important though they are; it is about better designed, greener homes in an appropriate setting, with excellent community infrastructure.
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Dr. Blackman-Woods: The Minister took on board the most important amendment, which dealt with including sustainability and the need to promote sustainable development in the objectives of the new homes and communities agency.
Mr. Wright: I agree. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend and the valiant manner in which she battled about that concern.
The other key element involved the whole regulatory regime. Members of the Committee expressed anxieties about the risks of policy passporting and micro-management by the Secretary of State through the regulator of registered providers and registered social landlords. That was never our intention and I believe that locks in the Bill will prevent that. However, we listened to hon. Members' concerns and tabled amendments to address them.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make representations for inclusion of a discussion on gender equality and women's empowerment at the UN High Level Meeting on 25 September 2008.
Gillian Merron (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development): My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development has agreed to promote gender equality at the UN High Level Meeting on 25 September 2008 through supporting the Danish Government who are leading on co-ordinating international support for Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 (Promote gender equality and empower women) within the MDG Call to Action Campaign. The UK's contribution to the Danish initiative is to co-sponsor an event in Copenhagen in April which will discuss how to put gender equality and women's empowerment at the heart of the MDG Call to Action. The UK will also support Danish efforts to organise a side meeting on the importance of gender equality to the MDGs at the UN High Level Meeting.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of levels of recruitment of children by armed groups in Afghanistan. [194518]
Dr. Kim Howells, Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no formal assessment of the recruitment of children by armed groups in Afghanistan. According to the report of the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (A/62/609-S/2007/757), children have been used in suicide attacks and as human shields in Afghanistan. We condemn all attacks, but they are of particular concern when they are carried out by minors.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle malnutrition amongst under-fives in Afghanistan. [194521]
Mr. Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State, Department for International Development: The Department for International Development (DFID) assists the Afghan Government in tackling malnutrition amongst under-fives and provides support to the health sector by funding the Afghan Government's recurrent budget which pays the salaries of public servants, including doctors and health workers. Since 2002 we have contributed £240 million to the ARTF, including £55 million this financial year. We plan to contribute £60 million in 2008-09. This contribution has led to 82 per cent. of the population living in districts that have access to a Basic Package of Health Services. In addition DFID has just provided £3 million of emergency funding to a joint appeal from the Government of Afghanistan and the World Food Programme to address the current food shortages facing the most vulnerable families in Afghanistan.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to advance progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 in Afghanistan. [194517]
Mr. Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State, Department for International Development: There have been significant improvements in meeting Millennium Development Goal 4 (decreasing child mortality) in Afghanistan since 2001: infant mortality has reduced to 135 per 1,000 in 2006 from 165 per 1,000 in 2003 and 76 per cent. of children under the age of five have been immunised against childhood diseases.
The Department of International Development provides support to the health sector by funding the Afghan Government's recurrent budget which pays the salaries of public servants, including doctors and health workers. Since 2002 we have contributed £240 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), including £55 million this financial year. We plan to contribute £60 million in 2008-09.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department is providing for education in Afghanistan (a) in budget support, (b) directly to non-governmental organisations and (c) by other means in 2007-08. [194519]
Mr. Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State, Department for International Development: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the education sector by putting the majority of our money through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). Through our contribution to the ARTF, DFID helps to fund the Afghan Government's recurrent budget which pays the salaries of public servants, including teachers. Since 2002 we have contributed £240 million to the ARTF, including £55 million this financial year. We plan to contribute £60 million in 2008-09. DFID does not provide for education in Afghanistan via budget support or directly through NGOs.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what formal mechanisms exist for non-governmental organisations funded by his Department to provide feedback on the effectiveness of UK aid in Afghanistan.
Shahid Malik (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development): In the UK, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) meet quarterly with representatives of the UK Government on Afghanistan. These meetings are an opportunity for the UK Government to update NGO stakeholders on the UK strategy and progress in Afghanistan; and for the UK Government to receive feedback on all elements of the comprehensive approach, including on DFID's aid programme.
In Afghanistan, 97 members from the national and international humanitarian, reconstruction and development NGOs community are co-ordinated by the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR). Some NGOs are implementers of DFID funded, but Government owned, National Priority Programmes. ACBAR are represented at monthly meetings of lead donors and Afghan Government representatives on the Government of Afghanistan's own plan for reconstruction and development, the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS).
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the future of the Leamside Line following the conclusion of the Rail Utilisation Strategy for the East Coast Main Line.
Tom Harris (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport): The publication of the East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy by Network Rail at the end of February did not promote increased use of the Leamside Line for the foreseeable future. The Secretary of State does not propose any further assessment.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the kidnapping of foreign workers in Afghanistan; what impact this has on diplomatic and Department for International Development activities in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Meg Munn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Foreign & Commonwealth Office): Kidnapping is considered a high threat throughout Afghanistan, with a number of kidnappings in the country in the past 12 months.
Our diplomatic and development staff are protected as much as possible by robust security measures. All threats, including kidnap, are constantly reviewed to ensure our staff have appropriate levels of protection. We try to strike a balance that allows staff to carry out useful work in Afghanistan, while making reasonable provision against the risk of kidnap and other security threats.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): If she will undertake a review of the extent to which public and community transport services meet the needs of vulnerable passengers. [190980]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Ms Rosie Winterton): Good public transport is key to reducing social exclusion. That is why £2.5 billion a year is invested by central Government and local government to support buses and community transport services.
Dr. Blackman-Woods: I thank my right hon. Friend for that response. Will she encourage local councils such as those in County Durham to use the measures in the Local Transport Bill to make greater use of community transport in their plans to improve bus services locally? Does she agree not only that that would improve access to public transport for isolated and vulnerable communities in my constituency, but that it could meet their needs more fully than standard commercial services?
Ms Winterton: My hon. Friend is a great advocate of public transport in her constituency and she is right to say that the Bill contains measures to help to improve community transport services. For example, it will allow community bus permits, which will enable payment for people who run community bus services. At the moment, there are certain restrictions on that, but the Bill will allow payment of community drivers in such circumstances. That is exactly the kind of service that could be a solution in rural areas and could be particularly applicable to vulnerable people who are perhaps isolated in such areas. It could be a good solution to some of the transport problems that they face.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating Durham university and its partners on bidding to sponsor three academies in Durham? Does he agree that, if successful, that could be a very positive step forward in terms of raising aspirations further in this country and securing more opportunities for our young people?
Mr. Denham, Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills: I absolutely join my hon. Friend in congratulating Durham university. The structural link that needs to be built between universities and schools, whether in the form of academies, trusts or in other ways, is critical to raising aspirations and improving social equity and access to university in the way that Members of this House want. I hope that all universities will look at the opportunities that exist in their local communities and regions to see how they can build those strong and deep structural links in the way that Durham is trying to do.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to reduce the number of young people not in training, employment or education. [186562]
Mr. Timms, Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions: The proportion of young people not in training, education or employment has fallen over the past decade. To make further progress, we will give early new deal access to 18-year-olds who claim Jobseeker's allowance having already spent a period not working or studying.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of cases of MRSA recorded in NHS hospitals was in 2007; and how many such cases were recorded at the University Hospital of North Durham in the same period. [178713]
Ann Keen, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health [holding answer 30 January 2008]: The best available information is from the mandatory surveillance system operated for the Department by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). This provides data on the number of reports of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream (bacteraemia) infections. All acute national health service trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of MRSA bacteraemia infection processed by their laboratories and the data are published at trust level.
MRSA bacteraemia data are currently available for the first three quarters of 2007 only (January to September). During these nine months, 3,823 episodes of MRSA bacteraemia were reported by acute NHS trusts in England.
University Hospital of North Durham is part of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which reported 34 episodes of MRSA bacteraemia between January and September 2007.
The HPA does not publish average counts for comparative purposes, as this does not take account of differences between trusts in terms of factors such as size and case mix. National and trust rates are published which allow more valid comparison by taking account of variations in levels of activity.
During the nine-month period January 2007-September 2007, the MRSA bacteraemia rate at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust was 1.45 cases per 10,000 bed-days, compared to a national rate of 1.34 cases per 10,000 bed-days.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects money allocated to the University hospital of North Durham to tackle MRSA to be spent. [178714]
Ann Keen, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health: To support ongoing improvements in improving cleanliness and tackling infections, the comprehensive spending review (CSR) identified £270 million additional funding per year by 2010-11. For 2008-09, this additional funding is reflected in the 5.5 per cent. increase in primary care trust allocations and the 2.3 per cent. uplift to the national tariff - the latter specifically recognising the importance of tackling health care acquired infections and improving cleanliness. Ultimately spending decisions are taken by local trusts.
The information is not held centrally.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): Will my hon. Friend ensure that the implementation teams that are moving local authorities, such as those in County Durham, towards unitary status are required to produce a proper information strategy for local residents so that they are kept fully informed of the implications of change, the time scales and the significant milestones that the Government require local authorities to meet on the way?
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Hazel Blears): I thank my hon. Friend for raising the important issue of the process that will need to be undertaken to implement the proposals. It is important that local people are kept fully informed about the proposals as they are developed and that there is complete openness and transparency in that process. My experience of any big change process is that it is important to get on with it. The sooner it is done the better, but it has to be done rigorously and properly. I have no doubt that my hon. Friend will continue to monitor it, as will I.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): I know that my hon. Friend is aware of the concern in the science community, in particular the physics sector, about the allocation of science funding, not least from the volume of questions asked by hon. Members this morning. I am sure that many will welcome the review of science funding announced by the Secretary of State. I am not certain that institutions that have invested heavily in physics, such as Durham university in my constituency, will be comforted by simply referring the matter to the research councils. Is there more that the Government could do to protect physics research in those excellent institutions, so that they remain economically competitive in terms of international research?
Mr. Denham: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. It is important to make a big statement of principle on this issue. The Haldane principle, established many years ago, says that Ministers should not intervene directly in the funding decisions of research councils. That is to protect the autonomy of research councils in deciding where research should take place. When the Science and Technology Facilities Council made its proposals, despite its above-inflation increase in grant, to reduce certain areas of physics expenditure, it would not have been appropriate to breach the Haldane principle, to step in and to take money away from the Medical Research Council and give it to the STFC. However, because of the concerns, I did my job by asking Professor Bill Wakeham, the Vice-Chancellor of Southampton university, to produce a report on the health of physics as a discipline, which will consider our overall funding of physics, including those areas that have attracted controversy. As the Secretary of State, I have done what it is right for me to do and -
Mr. Speaker: Order. I have to stop the Secretary of State there.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): I was just wondering whether the hon. Gentleman is, very helpfully, going through the Labour briefing in such detail because he does not have any policies or points of his own to raise.
Stephen Williams: I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. We in the Liberal Democrats are going through a fundamental review of our policies at the last general election.
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Dr. Blackman-Woods: Has the hon. Gentleman considered that the Leitch proposals suggest that many more people should have level 4 qualifications and above? There will therefore be a pool of adults from which the OU and other higher education institutions will be able to draw additional students in the future.
Mr. Willis: I shall return to the subject of the pool, because there is a real question about where the 20,000 extra students will come from, especially as we will have a significant demographic downturn. The number of 18-year-olds going to universities will decline significantly over the next decade. I take the hon. Lady's point that there will be a pool of people which will need to be tapped, especially married women who are returning to the work force.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): Does my hon. Friend accept that the comments made by the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable), in running down the bank, will make it much more difficult to secure a viable future through the private sector for it?
Kitty Ussher: I am grateful for my hon. Friend's intervention. I have been slightly confused by the Liberal Democrats' comments throughout. On the one hand, they seem to want a sale to the private sector; on the other, they seem to want to nationalise Northern Rock in order to get that sale. However, I shall come to that shortly.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and the priority he is giving to Afghanistan issues. Does he agree that if the Afghans are to buy into the new state we must not only maintain security, but make progress in terms of economic development? Will he therefore press the United Nations to encourage the international community not only to be better co-ordinated, but to do more on security and economic development?
The Prime Minister: I want to praise the work of my hon. Friend in linking up with women in Afghanistan to encourage the emerging process of democracy in the country. She is right that we need the UN co-ordinator appointed for February, and we need that role to better than the current one in co-ordinating the development efforts of all the different countries involved in Afghanistan and in building a strong relationship that is supportive to the Afghan Government. We also of course need the international effort she talks about to be expanded. We will, as a result of this statement, make all our efforts to do that.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to help the world's poorest countries address the effects of climate change. [171082]
Mr. Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Christine Russell) today (UIN 171079).
Mr. Thomas: DFID is helping developing countries prepare for climate change by, for example:
contributing to UN funds for developing adaptation strategies;
carrying out climate risk assessment of our own programmes in a number of countries and funding further climate adaptation research.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): With three prisons and a youth offender institution in my constituency, I greatly welcome the statement and the measures to reduce prison overcrowding. However, will my right hon. Friend assure me that prison officers and probation staff will be fully involved in developing non-custodial sentences and deciding the circumstances in which they can be applied, including finding alternatives to prison for non-violent, vulnerable women and people with mental health problems?
The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Jack Straw): Yes, I can give my hon. Friend that commitment. I hope that she is looking forward to the publication of the Government's response to the Corston report tomorrow.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Can you advise me on the convention of the House that Members should at least inform the local MP if they seek to raise an issue concerning that MP's constituency? All Members - none more so than myself - want to ensure that matters relating to the Durham Green development in my constituency are properly investigated. Had the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) informed me of his intentions, I could have told him that it was a Liberal Democrat council that gave planning permission and that the lifting of article 14s in the region was the subject of a campaign organised by The Journal, and backed by the chamber of commerce and all political parties in the region, to support job growth in the area.
Mr. Speaker: It looks as though the hon. Lady can handle the affairs of her constituency very well, and I will not be drawn into that matter either.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): Does my hon. Friend accept that some apprenticeships are of very good quality? I can give examples from my constituency, where there is an excellent partnership between Durham community business college and a further education college; they have a centre of excellence. Those good quality apprenticeships are responsible for pushing up completion rates from 707 two years ago to more than 1,300 now. That is why we should be supporting and extending apprenticeships.
Mr. Gordon Marsden (Blackpool, South) (Lab): I completely agree with my hon. Friend, and she makes the point well that the co-operation of universities and others is key to what we need to do. We also need a culture change at an earlier stage in schools, because without the right sort of careers guidance, if the right attitudes are not inculcated in schools and without the involvement of hands-on advisers from businesses and organisations, people will not take up apprenticeships later. This is a whole-school and whole-area option.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision will be made in the Housing and Regeneration Bill to enable more affordable homes to be built. [168038]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Housing and Regeneration Bill will set up the new Homes and Communities Agency, which for the first time will bring together land and money to deliver new housing. The new agency will have responsibility for land and a budget of billions for affordable housing, including shared ownership.
The Bill will also make it easier for councils to build council homes by making changes to the Housing Revenue Account system.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): Does my right hon. Friend agree that unlike the Opposition, who wrote off huge chunks of my constituency with the closure of the mining industry, these proposals will continue to extend people's opportunities not only to get into work but to undertake vocational training and to upskill, and that that is important not only for individuals and their communities but for the economy as a whole if it is to prosper?
The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Mr. John Denham): My hon. Friend is absolutely right, both about the historical attitude of the Conservatives and in recognising that the statement says that the world has changed and moved on. When we came into power, we had to deal with the backlog of people who had previously been written off and the backlog of a party that had said that mass unemployment is a price worth paying. Today, the issue has changed. Unless we raise skill levels not only for people who are still workless but for millions of people in work, we will not be able to be a prosperous country in the future, nor will we be able to ensure that nobody is left out. The challenges have changed; today's announcement is about how we will meet those challenges.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): If she will ensure that crime statistics are compiled at constituency and ward level. [167489]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Vernon Coaker): The Government have committed to making consistent monthly local information on crime available throughout the country. My starting point is that the information should be available at ward level and more locally where possible, subject to constraints around data availability. The Home Office is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of Police Authorities and other stakeholders to identify how that can be achieved.
Dr. Blackman-Woods: I thank my hon. Friend for that response. Does he agree that if crime statistics were more widely used and available at neighbourhood level it would help us to address the fear of crime in constituencies such as mine? In Durham, overall crime rates are low and falling, but the public are not necessary fully aware of that.
Mr. Coaker: I agree totally with my hon. Friend. That is one of the reasons why the Home Secretary announced that by July 2008 we want local crime statistics to be available to local areas - at ward level, if possible - so that local people can make sense of what is happening in their areas with respect to acquisitive and violent crime. When people see those matters locally, the figures obviously become much more real to them than the national statistics. As my hon. Friend says, if people see the local figures, public confidence will rise and people will know more properly what is going on with policing in their area.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): I wonder whether my right hon. Friend is aware that my constituents are very grateful to the Government for the way in which they acted to support Northern Rock depositors and to secure a future for the bank, but that confidence in the bank, and the well-being of my constituents, is not helped by the comments of Opposition Members? Can he tell us whether the public interest criterion will extend to trying to secure a future for the Northern Rock Foundation as well as for the bank itself?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Alistair Darling): I know that many people in the North-East are concerned about the foundation, which has provided support in excess of £24 million for projects. That is important, so I hope that anyone making proposals will bear it in mind; it is one of the reasons why Northern Rock is so appreciated in the North-East. I can only repeat what I said earlier: we will do everything we can to help. There are considerable difficulties, and the period for assessing the proposals will allow us to see whether we can make progress.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): What plans he has to extend support for people on maternity leave to students and those paid a stipend or grant rather than a wage. [165003]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mrs. Anne McGuire): The Government view individuals studying full-time in further or higher education as students and, therefore, the responsibility of the education system. However, support may be available for some students through income support and tax credits, depending on their individual family circumstances.
Dr. Blackman-Woods: I thank my hon. Friend for that response. She may be aware of the situation of Beth Porteous, one of my constituents, who is a post-graduate student at Durham university and is expecting a baby. She gets paid quarterly by the university for research work that she undertakes, but she has been told that she does not qualify for statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance and that she must take unpaid leave and return to work eight weeks after the baby is born. I would be grateful if my hon. Friend would undertake to look at cases such as Beth's to see what additional support can be given to women who find themselves in that unfortunate situation.
Mrs. McGuire: I thank my hon. Friend for that question on behalf of her constituent. I think that the complication in this particular case is that her constituent is designated as being on a research grant as opposed to receiving a wage from the university. However, I will of course give her a commitment to look into the precise situation and come back to her with a written response.
Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham): I thank and pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Mrs. Hodgson) for raising the issue of free school meals. We saw an excellent system operating in Sweden, and I too urge the Government to take note of what is being delivered there and to think about setting up pilots here.
I congratulate the Government on setting up the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills - evidence, if it were needed, of their looking to the future needs of the economy and putting our universities at the centre of the agenda, not only to foster innovation but to deliver skills that are needed for the future. I strongly support the measures in the Gracious Speech to support skills development, and I suppose that I am therefore speaking against the amendment.
It is vital that we continue to upskill our population so that we can compete in the global economy, not at the bottom end of the market but at the top. The importance of concentrating on higher-level skills is demonstrated by even a quick glance at future skills requirements. As our Prime Minister has pointed out, we have 6 million unskilled workers today, but by 2020 we shall need only half a million such workers. The rising demand for skilled employees is the reason why we have to ensure that our young people leave school with skills and qualifications, and why we have to upskill our work force.
In passing, I applaud the Government for their bold step of wishing to guarantee training or education for every young person up to the age of 18. It is important that we do not allow the Opposition, or sloppy journalism, to package the change as simply raising to 18 the age below which staying on school is compulsory. The policy is one of providing training, which will be made available in a range of settings to meet the needs and aspirations of the young person concerned. Of course, we have to pay attention to the quality of that training and ensure that it is implemented properly in a way that does not further alienate the young person. Lord Leitch set the agenda and outlined the rationale for improving skills to meet the needs of the individual as well as those of the economy. He showed that better skills lead to better-paid jobs and improved social mobility. It is therefore important that we consider the development of individuals and communities as well.
I say to the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson) that the Government are not ducking the huge cultural change that needs to take place to ensure that education and qualifications are valued in all sections of our society. We know that that is a difficult task, and the Government are leading the discussions that say that there is no quick fix to the problem. It requires long-term investment and gradual change, including working with parents, young people, the wider community and employers to instil respect for education in all sectors of our society. Some of the measures being introduced, such as diplomas, apprenticeships and work-based training, will help to do that.
Despite the huge challenges that undoubtedly exist, the Government have set their sights high. There is a commitment to become a world leader in skills by 2020, benchmarked against the upper quartile of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which will mean 95 per cent. of adults achieving functional literacy and numeracy, and a shift in the balance of intermediate skills from level 2 to level 3. It will also mean, as many other hon. Members have said, boosting the number of apprenticeships to 500,000.
In many constituencies such as mine, where there has been a tradition of heavy industry, the increased emphasis on apprenticeships and vocational-based subjects is very much welcome, as is the opportunity to move from an apprenticeship to an advanced apprenticeship, and then on to degree level. Such progression routes are extremely important if we are to deliver world-class training. "Train to gain" and learner accounts will, we hope, encourage employers and adult learners to improve their skills as well. The commission for employment and skills is also to be welcomed, not least because it will advise on necessary skills and give employers an important voice.
Clearly, further education has an important role to play, but we must also look at what our higher education institutions are doing. There are some who think that universities should not be dragged into the murky world of skills for employment and should concentrate on education for its own sake. In reality they can, and do, do both. That will be increasingly important as we move towards the 50 per cent. target. It is important that we use our universities to develop in as many young people as possible the ideas, creativity and innovation needed if we are to compete successfully in a global market. Science is essential, but high-level skills in a range of sectors, including creative industries, art and design, are also important.
The Government are raising their expectations of universities but they are also continuing to improve investment in them. The DIUS budget following the comprehensive spending review will rise 2.2 per cent. above inflation. I am stressing that point because the increased investment in universities is not always recognised by people who work within the sector, and sometimes not by those outside it. Additional money has certainly been given to universities so that they can reach out to the wider community and support knowledge transfer, so that constituencies such as mine can be ahead of the game in developing a knowledge-based economy for the future.
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