---

Clock Tower, Westminster

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the effects of the recent construction work around Westminster Station on the structural stability of the Clock Tower. [141272]

Mr. Hill: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Endangered Species

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to increase public awareness of trends in the number of endangered species and their conservation. [141276]

Mr. Mullin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Poll Tax

Mr. Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of poll tax has not been collected; what is its cash value; and how much has been written off as impossible to collect. [141273]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Floods (West Sussex)

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what account he will take of the recent flooding in West Sussex in revising PPG25; and if he will make a statement. [141278]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 802W

Audit Commission

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee report (HC 174-III) of its inquiry into the work of the Audit Commission and the second stage of the Financial Management and Policy Review of the Audit Commission; and if he will make a statement. [141299]

Ms Armstrong: I have today laid before Parliament the Government's response to the Select Committee Report on the Audit Commission. I have also today published the Government's response to the Financial Management and Policy Review of the Audit Commission (FMPR).

In formulating our response to the Select Committee we have had regard to the work of the School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham which recently completed the second stage of the FMPR. This Report, which we are also publishing today, recognises the Commission as a well managed organisation providing important benefits at reasonable cost. Copies of this Report and our response to it have been placed in the House Library. We have also published the FMPR Reports and Select Committee responses to them on the DETR website.

The Government welcomed the overall findings of both the Select Committee and the FMPR that the Audit Commission is a well respected body, which is doing a difficult task well. The Government have a high regard for the work of the Commission and this has been reflected in our decision to give the Commission a pivotal role in our best value plans for local government including the establishment of a Best Value Inspection service. The Commission has also been asked to develop a new inspection capacity in the NHS alongside that of the Commission for Health Improvement.

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 801W

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 803W

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

"Voices"

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the total revenue received from advertising in the most recent edition of "Voices"magazine. [139165]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 20 November 2000]: The total revenue raised from advertising in the November 2000 issue of "Voices" was £35,180.

Information Technology

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about broadening access to information technology within disadvantaged communities. [139192]

Mr. Wills [holding answer 29 November 2000]: The Prime Minister has given a commitment that, by 2005, all those who want it will have the opportunity to access the internet. We are currently investing more than £1.7 billion in initiatives to ensure that everyone is able to reap the rewards of the digital revolution.

Excellent progress is being made in improving computer/pupil ratios. 88 per cent. of all schools are now connected to the internet. In future, school leavers should be able to use and benefit from new technologies.

We are taking specific action to tackle the difficulties that a significant number of adults and communities currently face in accessing ICT. On 11 September the Prime Minister set out the Government's agenda to get the UK online. We have pledged that by the end of 2002 there will be around 6,000 UK online centres throughout England with access points in many public libraries, colleges and within local communities. The Prime Minister also announced over 600 successful applications in the first phase of UK online centres funded through the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF). These centres are specifically focused on the most deprived urban and rural areas. 50,000 free computer training courses are being made available for jobless people across the country under our UK online computer training scheme. We are also piloting an initiative to wire up homes and schools in some of the most disadvantaged communities in England, and we are introducing the "Computers within Reach" pilot scheme. In the period up to the end of March 2001, we intend to provide up to 35,000 subsidised computers in local pilots in deprived communities.

Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about the Government's policy on widening access to information technology within local communities. [139194]

Mr. Wills [holding answer 29 November 2000]: The Prime Minister has given a commitment that, by 2005, all those who want it will have the opportunity to access the internet. Responsibility for ICT access in Scotland has been devolved, so for information on these issues in the Scottish context, I refer my hon. Friend to the Scottish Executive.

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 804W

The position in England is that we are currently investing more than £1.7 billion in initiatives to ensure that everyone is able to reap the rewards of the digital revolution.

Excellent progress is being made in improving computer/pupil ratios. 88 per cent. of all schools are now connected to the internet. In future, all school leavers should be able to use and benefit from new technologies.

We are taking specific action to tackle the difficulties that a significant number of adults and communities currently face in accessing ICT. We have pledged that by the end of 2002 there will be around 6,000 UK online centres throughout England with access points in many public libraries, colleges and within local communities. In September the Prime Minister also announced over 600 successful applications in the first phase of UK online centres funded through the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF). These centres are specifically focused on the most deprived urban and rural areas in England. We are also piloting an initiative to wire up homes and schools in some of the most disadvantaged English communities. And we are introducing the "Computers within Reach" pilot scheme. In the period up to the end of March 2001, we intend to provide 35,000 subsidised computers in local pilots in deprived communities. In addition, up to 50,000 free computer-training courses are being made available for jobless people across the country under our UK online Computer Training scheme.

Child Care

Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what financial assistance is available for child care for parents in (a) training and (b) full-time education; and what plans he has to make more such resources available. [140356]

Ms Hodge [holding answer 27 November 2000]: Child care support for parents in learning is a key component of Government action to increase participation in education and training. Those in training in Great Britain are primarily assisted by the New Deal programme, including the New Deal for Lone Parents, and through Career Development Loans. Where trainees receive a wage, they are eligible, under the normal rules, for Working Families Tax Credit. Students in full-time further education may also be assisted by these two schemes and through the Access Funds and the Childcare Support Fund (England only). For students in higher education, this year we have introduced a Mature Students Bursary, paid through universities' and colleges' Access Funds, of up to £1,000 a year, which is intended for the additional costs such as child care or travel that mature students incur. Students with children are also eligible for age-related child dependants grants and for the institutions' Hardship Funds which provide sources of funding for child care costs.

Expenditure for 2001-2002 on the schemes of support for those in training and in further education will be announced shortly. For higher education we plan to introduce next year a new child care grant for full-time students with dependent children. The grant, paid as a

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 805W

statutory entitlement, will be based on actual costs of £100 a week for one child in registered or accredited child care, with a higher costs ceiling for more than one child.

---