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e-Government Interoperability Framework

The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The e-GIF is regularly reviewed every six months, and at each review all content is updated as necessary. The next review is due in October 2003 when the current advice

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on the use of wireless and mobile technologies will be revised if the current security concerns about the use of those technologies have been resolved.

Employer Task Force on Pensions

Lord Carter asked Her Majesty's Government:

    When they will announce the membership, terms of reference and timetable for the Employer Task Force on Pensions. [HL3224]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): The Membership and terms of reference for the task force on pensions are set out below. We expect the task force to report in around 18 months.

Employer Task Force on Pensions: Members Appointed by Andrew Smith on 4 June 2003
Company/Organisation Member
J Sainsburys plc Sir Peter Davis
Group Chief Executive Task Force Chairman
BP plc Dr David Allen
Group Managing Director
Task Force Vice Chairman
Acme Whistles Simon Topman
Managing Director
Aircraft Research Group Brian Timmins
Group Chief Executive
Amicus Lucy Anderson
Deputy General Secretary
Co-operative Group Mervyn K Pedelty
Chief Executive
Corporation of London Peter Derrick
Finance Chamberlain
Emap Ralph Turner
Group Benefits Manager
ICI Philip Gillett
Tax Controller
Marks & Spencer Graham Oakley
Company Secretary
Scottish Catering Enterprises Susan Karim
Managing Director
Scottish Power David Nish
Finance Director
USDAW Sir Bill Connor
General Secretary
Whitbread Geoff Mellor
Pensions Director
Wimpey Anna Edgeworth
Group HR Director

Terms of Reference

Role

Employer-led body with a mission to increase and extend occupational and private pension provision.

Aim

to work in partnership with government and individuals to help employees achieve security and independence in retirement by identifying and promoting employer-led solutions which enable and encourage employees to save more and for longer;

And to provide the Secretary of State with advice on the role of the employer in the pensions partnership.

Key Responsibilities

To develop and promote employers' role in pension provision and encourage employees to save, with particular emphasis on:

increasing employees' access to high quality pension schemes;

improving advice available to enable employees to make informed choices;

encouraging employees to take up pension provision;

identifying the needs of specific sectors to develop targeted pensions solutions.

To act as a catalyst in the development and promulgation of best practice; and

To advise the Secretary of State on the role of the employer in the pensions partnership.


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Oxford and Cambridge Universities: Independent and State School Entries

Lord Skidelsky asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will give the figures for the proportion of students entering Oxford and Cambridge universities from independent and state schools respectively every year since 1960.[HL2549]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The latest available information is shown in the table below.

Comparable data for earlier years are not held centrally.

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Acceptances to Oxford and Cambridge Universities by previous educational establishment
of which, percentage from
Total Acceptances(1) Maintained schools and colleges Independent schools(2) Other(3) Total
Oxford
1970 2,417 43 55 2 100
1971 2,382 41 55 4 100
1972 2,497 42 55 3 100
1973 2,500 42 53 4 100
1974 2,537 41 53 6 100
1975 2,719 45 52 4 100
1976 2,744 45 52 3 100
1977 2,817 47 50 3 100
1978 2,850 47 50 3 100
1979 2,788 47 50 3 100
1980 2,814 49 48 3 100
1981 2,836 50 47 3 100
1982 2,840 49 47 4 100
1983 2,686 50 47 3 100
1984 2,853 49 48 4 100
1985 3,120 43 54 3 100
1986 2,940 47 45 8 100
1987 3,070 46 46 8 100
1988 3,226 45 48 8 100
1989 3,164 46 46 8 100
1990 3,110 45 48 7 100
1991 3,189 42 48 10 100
1992 3,184 43 49 9 100
1993 3,157 44 47 10 100
1994 3,276 43 46 11 100
1995 2,848 49 51 n.a. 100
1996 2,948 48 52 n.a. 100
1997 2,942 48 52 n.a. 100
1998 3,044 50 50 n.a. 100
1999 2,964 51 49 n.a. 100
2000 2,928 53 47 n.a. 100
2001 2,980 55 45 n.a. 100
2002 3,088 55 45 n.a. 100
Cambridge
1970 2,715 40 57 3 100
1971 2,868 40 53 7 100
1972 2,907 41 52 7 100
1973 2,887 44 49 7 100
1974 2,878 43 50 7 100
1975 2,948 44 49 7 100
1976 3,032 42 52 6 100
1977 3,004 41 52 7 100
1978 3,224 46 46 8 100
1979 3,066 43 47 10 100
1980 3,300 44 45 10 100
1981 2,905 42 49 9 100
1982 2,792 43 48 9 100
1983 2,899 44 46 10 100
1984 2,985 39 49 12 100
1985 3,098 39 50 10 100
1986 3,129 35 50 16 100
1987 3,020 41 47 13 100
1988 2,933 43 45 12 100
1989 3,013 47 43 11 100
1990 3,117 44 44 11 100
1991 3,015 48 47 5 100
1992 3,052 46 44 10 100
1993 3,068 45 45 9 100
1994 3,095 46 46 9 100
1995 2,989 53 47 n.a. 100
1996 2,767 55 45 n.a. 100
1997 3,001 54 46 n.a. 100
1998 2,982 53 47 n.a. 100
1999 2,985 55 45 n.a. 100
2000 2,999 55 45 n.a. 100
2001 3,088 56 44 n.a. 100
2002 3,053 57 43 n.a. 100

Source:

UCAS from 1995 to 2002 and Oxford Gazette and the Cambridge Reporter from 1970 to 1994.

Percentages may not sum to totals because of rounding. N.a. = not applicable.

(1) Figures for 1994 and earlier years include overseas students who cannot be separately identified. Figures since 1995 cover UK domiciled students only.

(2) Includes direct grant schools in years prior to 1982.

(3) Includes overseas students in the years up to 1994; and, (for Cambridge in years prior to 1987, and Oxford in years prior to 1978), students from Scotland and Northern Ireland whose school type was not specified.


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Slug Pellets

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 10 March (WA 152), what evidence they have that the use of slug pellets is increasing in United Kingdom gardens.[HL2869]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Figures for slug pellet use in gardens are not collated.

Rural Delivery Review

Lord Harris of Haringey asked Her Majesty's Government:

    When they will publish the guiding principles of Lord Haskins's Rural Delivery Review.[HL3223]

Lord Whitty: Lord Haskins's Rural Delivery Review will help improve the way rural policies are delivered and make a real difference to local people.

The seven guiding principles of the review—the first outcome of Lord Haskins's work—were published today. They are:

Better accountability: policy development should be managed separately from policy delivery, whilst ensuring that proper communication exists at all stages between the two functions. Accountability for

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success or failure cannot be determined if there is confusion between the two.

Readiness for policy change: the Government must prepare for the delivery of a major new agri-environmental agenda in the coming years.

Devolution: delivery of economic and social policy must be devolved in accordance with the principles of public service reform.

Customer focus: the services available to rural businesses and rural communities, and visitors to the countryside, need to be more accessible and transparent.

Simplicity: the complex range of agencies currently engaged in delivering the Government's rural policies should be simplified.

Co-ordination: the environmental, social and economic elements of rural delivery should be better co-ordinated at a regional level.

Value for money: the taxpayer must get better value for money as a result of changes to the current arrangements.

Ministers are very grateful for all the work Lord Haskins has done so far, meeting hundreds of individuals and organisations throughout England, as

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well as visiting Scotland, Wales, France, Germany and Belgium. The principles he has developed are a very useful first indication of his thinking and are consistent with existing work across government bringing services closer to local people, for example through devolution and decentralisation.

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Ministers want to see real improvements in service delivery to rural people and we expect the Rural Delivery Review to build on these principles to produce imaginative and effective proposals. We now look forward to receiving Lord Haskins's final conclusions in the autumn.



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