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Modern Apprenticeship Scheme
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people are now on the modern apprenticeship scheme. [15080]
Mr. Paice: The number of modern apprentices in England and Wales is currently well over 15,000. Because the numbers are growing rapidly, it is not possible to give a precise up-to-the-minute figure.
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what have been the costs to date of the advertising campaign to promote the modern apprenticeship scheme; and what is the estimate of the total cost. [15079]
Mr. Paice: There have been two phases of advertising promotion modern apprenticeships in the year 1995-96. The first phase ran from September to December 1995 at a cost of £2.425 million.
The second phase runs throughout February this year. The estimated cost is £1.274 million.
The estimate of the total costs is £3.699 million.
Mr. Byers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the cost incurred in carrying out the evaluation of training for work funding pilots. [15078]
Mr. Forth:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to him on 15 January 1996. Official Report, Column 475.
Mr. Spearing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list for each of the areas of local education authorities for (a) Wandsworth, (b) Westminster, (c) Kensington and Chelsea and (d) Norfolk, (i) the number of three and four year olds, (ii) the number receiving nursery education in nursery schools or classes maintained by the authority, (iii) the number in nursery schools or classes not maintained by the education authority and (iv) (ii) and (iii) as a percentage of (i). [15101]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The information requested is shown in the table:
-- negligible (i.e. less than 0.5 per cent.)
(13) Excludes pupils who became 5 years of age by 1 January 1995.
(14) Inludes reception and other classes.
(15) Pupils aged 3 and 4 years old expressed as a percentage of the 3 and 4 year old population at 31 December 1994.
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Nursery Vouchers
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of Thursday 8 February, Official Report, column 321, concerning responses to the advertised contract for administering the proposed voucher system, if she will place a list of the unsuccessful applicants in the Library. [15102]
Mr. Robin Squire: A list has been placed in the Library of the House.
Thefts
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen or are otherwise unaccounted for from each region of the former Department of Employment in each of the past five years, listing by name such items valued at £5,000 or more. [13360]
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 2 February 1996]: The Employment Department group kept site records of each incident of loss, which were subject to audit; these records included details of the numbers of items lost in each incident, and the nature of the loss--that is, theft or other hostile action, or other causes. However, the large majority of these records are retained regionally or locally. It would be disproportionately costly and time consuming to search these records to provide the information on a regional basis.
Summary reports were made to the head offices of the former Employment Department and its agencies for central recording.
These reports included a valuation of the loss, which was based on either the cost of the item at purchase or the estimated value at the time of the loss or the replacement cost; the measure chosen in each case was the one giving the most accurate picture of the loss to the Department. It was not always appropriate for the summaries to show the number and details of items of equipment involved in an incident.
I am able to provide the following information about items of equipment stolen or unaccounted for in the last five financial years. One incident involving loss of
13 Feb 1996 : Column: 534
furniture is recorded. No items of equipment valued individually at £5,000 or more are recorded as lost. The following table gives the information available:
| Number of items (where recorded) | Number of incidents (number of items not recorded) | Total value (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92: | |||
| ES (total for all regions) | -- | 2 | 886 |
| ACAS | 0 | 0 | -- |
| ED | 0 | 0 | -- |
| HSE (total for all regions) | 34 | -- | 51,405 |
| DE group total 1991-92 | 34 | 2 | 52,291 |
| 1992-93: | |||
| ES (total for all regions) | -- | 24 | 34,877 |
| ACAS | 0 | 0 | -- |
| ED | 2 | -- | 3,420 |
| HSE (total for all regions) | 86 | -- | 197,362 |
| DE group total 1992-93 | 88 | 24 | 235,659 |
| 1993-94: | |||
| ES (total for all regions) | -- | 34 | 20,150 |
| ACAS | 3 | -- | 14,400 |
| ED | -- | 3 | 400 |
| HSE (total for all regions) | 275 | -- | 507,518 |
| DE group total 1993-94 | 278 | 37 | 542,468 |
| 1994-95: | |||
| ES (total for all regions) | -- | 70 | 59,389 |
| ACAS | 21 | -- | 16,200 |
| ED | 24 | -- | 2,875 |
| HSE (total for all regions) | 22 | -- | 25,760 |
| DE group total 1994-95 | 67 | 70 | 104,224 |
| 1995-96 (part-year): | |||
| ES (total for all regions) | -- | 48 | 84,928 |
| ACAS | 40 | -- | 79,191 |
| ED | 517 | -- | 285,570 |
| HSE (total for all regions) | 98 | -- | 37,352 |
| DE group total 1995-96 (part-year) | 655 | 48 | 487,041 |
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Internet
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to the answer of 18 January, Official Report, column 711, if he will make a statement on his Department's current policy in respect of regulation of the Internet and encryption. [12610]
Mr. Ian Taylor:
The Internet represents a significant range of commercial opportunities and it is important for the competitiveness of the UK economy that business take full advantage of it. It is crucial that the regulatory framework should not discourage this.
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Although child pornography and obscenity are covered by the same laws on the Internet as in any other media--recent prosecutions have been encouraging--the Government recognise that there are legitimate concerns about the distribution of unsuitable material over the Internet. The Government consider that a voluntary approach is now most likely to be effective in addressing these issues further. Constructive discussions have been held with service providers to establish how action by them can help control access to undesirable material and this will be pursued over the coming months.
On encryption, I described the consideration being given to the provision of encrypted services on public networks in the reply I gave my hon. Friend on 23 October 1995, Official Report, columns 421-22. Discussions within Government and within Europe are continuing.
Mr. French:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 13 December, Official Report, column 639, what further progress has been made in assessing the feasibility of regulating the content of material disseminated via the Internet; and if he will make a statement. [13402]
Mr. Taylor:
DTI and Home Office officials have had a constructive meeting with Internet service providers to discuss concerns about the availability of pornographic material on the Internet, and ways of controlling access by children and young people to such material. The Government consider that a voluntary approach is most likely to be effective in addressing the problem and will be pursuing this with service providers over the coming months. There are service providers who will assist parents and schools in providing restricted access, but this is a matter for individuals to pursue.
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