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Schools Resources (Romsey)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the cash resources to be paid directly to schools in the Romsey constituency, by sector, in 2001-02; and if he will list the sums to be allocated to each school. [155884]

Ms Estelle Morris: The estimated amounts of School Standards Grant and devolved formula capital grant to be paid to schools in the Romsey constituency for 2001-02 are, for each sector:

£

	School Standards Grant	Devolved formula capital
Nursery	7,000	6,876
Primary	580,000	306,992
Secondary	514,000	207,246
Special	88,000	37,902
Pupil Referral Units	7,000	6,092

Amounts for individual schools cannot yet be listed as data from the Annual Schools Census have not yet been finalised. However, a typical primary school is expected

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to receive £24,000 in School Standards Grant and £9,750 in devolved formula capital grant; and a typical secondary school £70,000 and £28,500 respectively.

Computers for Teachers

Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to continue the computers for teachers initiative. [156544]

Mr. Wills: We have now agreed further funding and secured a total of £50 million which will be available over the next three years. This unprecedented investment in personal access to ICT for teachers will enable many more teachers who want access to have it. It will enable around 70,000 more teachers to have subsidised computer purchases.

I want to see a wider debate on the future strategy related to this scheme and so I am seeking views on the best way forward via a consultation. Anyone who would like to take part in the consultation can get a copy of the questionnaire on the CFT website (www.cft.ngfl.gov.uk) or by phoning the CFT consultation line (0870 241 4938). The main teaching associations will also be consulted.

New Deal

Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the extension of the New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People. [156638]

Ms Jowell: From 23 April 2001, partners of those receiving Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Invalid Care Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowance will be eligible to participate in New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People. To reflect the wider group, from that date New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People will formally become New Deal for Partners.

About 450,000 partners of existing long-term claimants of those benefits will become eligible with a further 80,000 partners becoming eligible during the first year.

The aim of New Deal for Partners is to help reduce the number of workless households. Partners will have the opportunity to use the services of a personal adviser to help them directly into a job or, for those who are not job-ready, to training, education and other support.

TREASURY

Euro

15. Mr. Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take account of the performance of the euro since 1999 in addition to the five economic tests under his policy towards the single currency. [154611]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government have said that the determining factor underpinning any Government decision on membership of the single currency is the national economic interest and whether the economic case for joining is clear and unambiguous.

20. Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he will take of the performance of the eurozone since 1 January 1999 in reaching a decision on British membership of the euro. [154617]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government have said we will recommend joining a successful single currency only if it is in our national economic interest to do so, and if the economic case for the UK joining is clear and unambiguous.

Family Allowances

16. Mr. Connarty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to ensure a high take-up by families with children of allowances to which they are entitled. [154613]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are actively encouraging families to take up the support to which they are entitled. Publicity campaigns have provided information to clarify entitlement. Reductions in the administrative burden for recipients have made it simpler and more straightforward to apply.

Taxation (Pensioners)

18. Mr. Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on taxation of those over 65. [154615]

25. Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his future taxation policy towards pensioners. [154624]

Dawn Primarolo: By April, as a result of the Government's personal tax and benefit changes, pensioner households will be £600 a year better off on average compared to 1997.

Climate Change Levy

19. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on business activity of the climate change levy. [154616]

Mr. Timms: The climate change levy will raise an estimated £1 billion in its first year, all of which will be recycled back to business via a 0.3 percentage point cut in employers' National Insurance Contributions and substantial investments in energy efficiency.

The Government expect the levy to be broadly neutral between services and manufacturing. The effect on any specific business, sector or region will depend on a number of factors, including their future energy consumption, the level of employment, eligibility for discounts, use of renewable or combined heat and power energy, and take-up of enhanced capital allowances.

Debt Relief

21. Mr. Hope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from charities and the churches on Government plans to write off debt owed by the poorest countries. [154620]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Campaigns by non- governmental organisations, faith groups and members of the public have helped to maintain the issue of debt relief at the top of the international agenda. Last year, around a third of all letters received by the Treasury related to debt relief.

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Faith groups and charities were just two of the groups who participated in the recent "International Action Against Child Poverty" conference, which the Government hosted in London. This was also attended by representatives of developed and developing countries, businesses and civil society groups, the heads of the IMF, World bank, UNICEF and UNDP, and the conference was addressed by Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela.

Faith groups and charities also attended three special seminars in Downing street last year, where they were able to put their concerns about debt relief directly to the Chancellor, the Secretary of State for International Development, and international figures such as the head of the IMF, Horst Kohler. A further seminar will shortly be arranged, to keep up the momentum from the child poverty conference.

Working Families Tax Credit

22. Dr. Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Working Families Tax Credit in reducing child poverty. [154621]

Dawn Primarolo: The introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, along with other changes to the tax and benefit system during this Parliament, will lift 1.2 million children out of relative poverty.

The personal tax and benefit measures introduced over this Parliament mean that by October 2001 families with children in the poorest fifth of the population will on average be £1,700 a year better off. These families include around 4 million children.

Largely as a result of the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, real living standards for a single- earner family on half average earnings and with two young children will rise by 28 per cent. over this Parliament.

Married Couples Allowance

23. Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been affected by the abolition of the Married Couples Allowance. [154622]

Dawn Primarolo: We are replacing the Married Couples Allowance with the Children's Tax Credit as part of a package of measures to focus resources on families with children. The Children's Tax Credit is worth over twice as much as the Married Couples Allowance and will benefit about 5 million families.

24. Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the abolition of the married couples allowance will cost the average couple of working age in a full financial year. [154623]

Dawn Primarolo: By October 2001, as a result of personal tax and benefit measures, UK households will be on average £590 a year better off, and families with children will be on average £1,000 a year better off from measures introduced over this Parliament as a whole.

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