(AQW 2097/01)

Mr M McGuinness: The 2001/02 Year 1-Year 7 enrolments are as follows:

¹ Includes one Irish Medium School with an enrolment of 202 pupils.

² Excludes one Irish Medium Catholic Maintained School.

(AQW 2099/01)

Mr M McGuinness: I understand that the South- Eastern Education and Library Board plans to build an extension to Portavogie Primary School. It hopes to start work on site towards the end of the next financial year and to complete it in the summer of 2003.

(AQW 2100/01)

(a) The number of teachers employed within the Catholic Maintained sector is 7,211;

(b) The Department of Education does not hold information on the religious denominations of teachers employed within the Catholic Maintained sector;

(c) The number of teachers employed within the Controlled sector is 10,979;

(d) The Department of Education does not hold information on the religious denominations of teachers employed within the Controlled sector.

(AQW 2103/01)

(a) The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools employs all the teachers that are required on the staff of Catholic maintained schools. It has overall responsibility for the procedures to be followed by the Boards of Governors of Catholic maintained schools in relation to the appointment of such teachers, including the specific criteria they set for particular posts. The address of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools is -

160 High Street, Holywood, Co Down, BT18 9AZ

(b) The Department of Education does not hold this detailed information. The recruitment and appointment of teaching staff to all permanent posts in Catholic maintained schools is the responsibility of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools.

(AQW 2104/01)

Mr M McGuinness: Complete data for 2001/02 are not yet available. The percentages (based on the 3-year old population) are as follows:

(AQW 2110/01)

Mr M McGuinness: My Department has 603 administrative staff of which 419 are located in Bangor and 122 are located in Derry. The Education and Training Inspectorate has 62 staff, the majority of which work from home at various locations.

I have no proposals at this time for any further relocation or decentralisation of my Department’s functions within the timescale that you specify. You will wish to note however that a Strategic Review of Civil Service Office Accommodation, which includes an examination of the scope for decentralisation of Civil Service jobs, is currently underway. Pending the outcome of the review, opportunities to relocate Civil Service jobs will continue to be examined on a case by case basis, as particular needs and issues arise. Where there are considered to be pressing accommodation needs or where short-term decisions are required, business cases are prepared taking full account of the current relocation policy.

(AQW 2122/01)

Mr M McGuinness: I recognise the importance of townland names as part of our local heritage and my Department, in replying to correspondence, will use townland names, where these have been included by correspondents in their addresses.

(AQW 2143/01)

Mr M McGuinness: Policy on dealing with children who bring weapons into school is a matter for the school. Schools are responsible for their own discipline policies and within these to determine the sanctions which will be applied in respect of any breaches.

(AQW 2152/01)

Mr M McGuinness: The Year 1-Year 7 enrolments of each currently open primary school in the constituency

(AQW 2173/01)

Mr M McGuinness: At the end of the 1999/2000 school year, some 753 pupils aged 16 left school having reached the end of compulsory education without formal qualifications.

These figures do not include pupils at special or independent schools.

(AQW 2179/01)

Mr M McGuinness: The number of pupils who left school at age 16 with no formal qualifications in each of the last 10 years is as follows:

These figures do not include pupils at special or independent schools.

(AQW 2251/01)

Mr M McGuinness: The information requested is not available. However, my Department’s Making a Good Start P1 Initiative provided resources to enable all P1 classes in primary schools to have at least one classroom assistant. Additionally, there are a number of classroom assistants employed in primary schools on a one to one basis for certain children with special educational needs.

The average Year 1 class size is 22.2.

(AQW 1931/01)

The Minister for Employment and Learning (Ms Hanna): New Deal, one of Government’s main Welfare to Work initiatives, is available to help unemployed people to re-train and find employment. In addition Focus for Work allows for early intervention into the unemployment cycle by offering a range of assistance, from help and advice in applying for jobs through to placement in vocational training and work experience opportunities.

(AQW 1932/01)

Ms Hanna: Young people making the transition from education to employment are assisted by professionally qualified staff within my Department’s Careers Service in making informed decisions about opportunities in education, training and employment. All 16 and 17 year old school leavers are guaranteed a vocational training opportunity within the Department’s Jobskills programme.

(AQW 1944/01)

Ms Hanna: The tables attached provide information on the number of students enrolled on Hospitality & Tourism, and Consumer Studies courses at the University of Ulster (i) Jordanstown Campus; and (ii) Magee Campus in the 2000/01 academic year.