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Recycled Computers
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the bidding process will commence for the second phase of the Computers Within Reach scheme. [138490]
Mr. Wills: We shall be extending the scheme in the areas listed in my answer to my right hon. Friend's earlier questions, of 10 November 2000, Official Report, column 437W. We are currently looking at opportunities for integrating the scheme with other related initiatives in disadvantaged areas, details of which will be given as soon as possible. We are also awaiting the evaluation of the first weeks of the scheme before we make final decisions on next steps.
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Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many low cost recycled personal computers have been provided to low income families since 1998; how the recipients have been selected; and what evaluation has been carried out of the programme to date. [138635]
Mr. Wills: I announced the commencement of the Computers Within Reach scheme on 25 October 2000 for those on certain benefits who were seeking to gain or retain employment. The first phase of the scheme will provide up to 35,000 recycled PCs in various areas in England until 31 March 2001. Potential applicants have been asked to contact the free telephone helpline 08080 100 900 in the first instance.
The PCs will be delivered following the applications being processed by the relevant regional contractor. I am writing to all MPs with details of the scheme and the pilot areas to be covered in this first phase. The PCs will be provided in areas where there are locally based groups that made a successful bid to be part of the scheme. The evaluation arrangements are currently being finalised. I will write to my hon. Friend with the outcome of the tender exercise once this has been completed.
The first phase pilots are located in areas within the following locations:
- Birmingham
- Bradford
- Hull
- Leeds
- Knowsley
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Plymouth
- Portsmouth
- Sheffield
City Learning Centres
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library a list of the addresses of City Learning Centres. [138634]
Ms Estelle Morris: A list of addresses of those City Learning Centres due to open in the financial year 2000-01 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Further Centres that will open from September 2001 have been allocated to Excellence in Cities areas and partnerships are currently working on detailed plans on where Centres will be sited and how they will operate.
Internet Safety Guidance
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Superhighways Safety Pack. [138639]
Mr. Wills: Copies of the new version of this comprehensive internet safety guidance have today been placed in the Library. We have produced, and recently updated, the pack for teachers and parents, providing guidance on the wide range of internet safety measures which they can adopt. These range from using "walled gardens" and filtering software, to monitoring and tracking pupil access and providing "user contracts" for pupils, spelling out how they should behave.
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The pack is also available on the internet at http://safety.ngfl.gov.uk
Online Learning
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library a list of the addresses of (a) UK online learning centres and (b) ISI support centres. [138643]
Mr. Wills: I will write to my hon. Friend with a full list of the successful first phase of UK online centres funded through the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF) by the end of November 2000, along with a list of DTI's UK online for business (formally Information Society Initiative) advisers and their contact details. Copies will also be placed in the Library.
TREASURY
Investors Compensation
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the average amount of compensation paid by the ICS in relation to the cases referred to the investors' compensation scheme by the Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman in each of the last two years, as a result of an award not having been paid due to the offending company having been struck off the PIA Register; [135271]
- (2) how many decisions made by the Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman in each of the last two years in favour of the complainant did not lead to the payment of compensation because the offending company was struck off the PIA Register before payment was made; and of these cases how many were referred to the Investors' Compensation Scheme; [135273]
(3) what was (a) the average amount of compensation paid and (b) the average amount of compensation awarded in cases where no payment was made due to the offending company having been struck off the Personal Investment Authority Register in relation to decisions made by the PIA Ombudsman in each of the last two years in favour of the complainant. [135272]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The previous history of cases dealt with by ICS is not centrally recorded, including whether they have been previously dealt with by PIAOB.
The information requested on compensation is not available. Compensation often does not take the form of a cash award to a complainant.
Census
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the printing of the census forms for Wales and England began. [135154]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 30 October 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
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Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Simon Thomas, dated 15 November 2000:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking when the printing of the census forms for Wales and England began. (135154)
The contractual arrangements for printing the forms were agreed in February 2000. The contract required printing of the forms for Wales to begin on 27 July. Printing of the Welsh language version of the household forms for Wales subsequently began on that date, followed by the printing of the English language version on 2 August.
Details of the arrangements for the consultation on the 2001 Census in Wales have been widely publicised. The shape and content of the Census has been formulated in consultation with users through a structure of Advisory Committees, working Groups and topic-related sub-groups, Census News, information papers, the Internet and ad hoc public meetings. The assessment of the resulting business cases for census topics culminated in the Government's proposals set out in the White Paper in March 1999. In Wales in particular, formal consultation is carried out through the Welsh Census Users Network Group at which each of the 22 local government authorities in Wales is represented as well as a range of other public bodies and authorities. Additional bilateral consultation is carried out with the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Language Board.
In addition to this extensive programme of consultation a major public rehearsal of the 2001 Census was carried out in April 1999, including coverage of around 7,800 households in Gwynedd and 6,900 households in Ceredigion.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for Ceredigion for reply on 30 October regarding the date upon which the printing of the Census forms for Wales commenced. [137210]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have done so today.
Import Duty
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase the limit above which import duty is paid on goods ordered through the internet, post and telephone. [136982]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 8 November 2000]: UK policy is not to discriminate in favour of certain types of trade.
Working Families Tax Credit
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families he estimates are eligible for the Working Families Tax Credit but not claiming it. [137615]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimating the number of families currently eligible for the Working Families Tax Credit requires, among other things, detailed survey data for 2000-01. These are not yet available.
The number of families receiving WFTC at the end of August is provisionally estimated at 1,123,000, compared to 817,000 families who were in receipt of Family Credit in August 1999.
Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to measure the level of fraud in applications for Working Families Tax Credit. [137389]
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Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 9 November 2000]: The Inland Revenue is currently undertaking an exercise to benchmark the level of fraud within Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit. The findings of this exercise will be used by the Inland Revenue to ensure their tax credits compliance work is carried out in the most effective way.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost to the Exchequer would be of disregarding the widow's maintenance allowance in respect of the Working Families Tax Credit. [137736]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 10 November 2000]: I am not aware of a widow's maintenance allowance.
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