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EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Golden Jubilee Celebrations

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what events (a) she is and (b) other Ministers in her Department are planning to attend as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations; and what events her Department is planning to arrange to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. [33259]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 4 February 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 11 February 2002, Official Report, columns 58–59W.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the average cost of processing each information request under the Data Protection Act 1998. [33443]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the period of time elapsed is for the oldest outstanding request for information under the Data Protection Act 1998, since receipt of the (a) original request and (b) administration fee. [33444]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for Education and Skills has five outstanding requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998.

For the oldest request, 36 days have elapsed since the original request for information was received.

The Department does not charge a fee for requests for information under the Act.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the longest period of time elapsed is between receiving (a) the administration fee and providing the information requested and (b) a request for information and providing the information requested, under the Data Protection Act 1998. [33453]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The longest period of time that has elapsed between a request for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the provision of that information is 60 days.

The Department for Education and Skills does not charge a fee for requests for information under the Act.

The data controller is also not obliged to comply with the request until he has been supplied with such information as he may reasonably require to confirm the requester's identity and to locate the information that the requester requires. The 40-day period begins when this information is received.

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Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what administration fees are charged by the Department for information requests made under the Data Protection Act 1998; [33460]

(2) what percentage of responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 the Department has completed (a) within 40 days of receipt of the £10 fee, (b) between 40 and 60 days of and (c) over 60 days after receiving the administration fee; [33467]

(3) how many responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 the Department has completed (a) within 40 days of receipt of, (b) between 40 and 60 days of receiving and (c) over 60 days after receiving the £10 administration fee. [33562]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for Education and Skills does not charge a fee for requests for information under the Act.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the policy of the Department is for ensuring responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 are completed within 40 days; and what their procedure is to achieve this. [33472]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 are logged by the departmental Data Protection Officer (DPO).

When the DPO has either to trawl the Department or approach individual divisions for information, he ensures that a deadline is set for response that gives him sufficient time to co-ordinate the response within the requirements of the Act, and ensures that any non-response is followed up promptly.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Department's procedure is for responding to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998; if she will place a copy in the Library; and if she will make a statement. [33481]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 are logged by the departmental Data Protection Officer (DPO) who also co-ordinates the completion of the response within the requirements of the Act.

The DPO may write to the requester seeking such evidence as he may reasonably require to confirm the requester's identity and to locate the information that the requester requires. Depending on the response, he will initiate a search either with the relevant division(s) or Department-wide. The DPO is responsible for sifting the information provided and co-ordinating the final reply within the required 40-day deadline.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been completed (a) within 40 days, (b) between 40 and 60 days and (c) over 60 days after receiving the original letter; and how many are still outstanding. [33569]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The data controller is not obliged to comply with the request until he has been supplied with such information as he may reasonably require to confirm the requester's identity and to locate the information that the requester requires. The 40-day period begins when this information is received.

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With reference to that date, the numbers completed are as follows: (a) 20 (b) 6 (c) 0.

There are five requests outstanding.

Individual Learning Accounts

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her latest estimate is of the losses sustained by learning providers following the closure of the ILA scheme in November 2001; whether she intends to accept claims for compensation for such losses; and if she will make a statement. [35208]

John Healey [holding answer 11 February 2002]: The Department is in no position to estimate the losses sustained by learning providers following the closure of the individual learning account programme on 23 November 2001. The Department has no plans to compensate learning providers in relation to the closure.

Our intention is that all bookings of validated eligible learning made with the ILA centre by 23 November will be honoured. The extent to which organisations made business decisions around their participation in ILAs is something each organisation determined for itself.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her latest estimate is of the amount of fraudulent claims made under the individual learning accounts scheme; and if she will make a statement. [35209]

John Healey [holding answer 11 February 2002]: The Department's Special Investigations Unit is investigating 96 registered learning providers. Of these, police are investigating 13 and the Department's Special Investigation Unit is discussing a further 53 with the police. 44 arrests have been made in relation to allegations of fraud with the operation of the individual learning account programme, 13 have been charged one of whom has been convicted.

As at 31 December, the Department had received some 5,800 complaints from individuals claiming that money had been drawn from their individual learning account without their knowledge or consent. Complaints received will be followed up with providers, and where we have evidence of fraud we will make referrals to the police. It is not possible at this stage to determine costs in relation to the abuse of the individual learning account programme. Costs will become clearer as learning provider and police investigations progress.

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the reason was for the closure of the individual learning account scheme; and if she will make a statement. [33986]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 26 November 2001, Official Report, column 591W.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 7 February 2002, Official Report, column 1, ref 31413, on ILAs, if she will place in the Library the terms of the consultation being conducted, the means by which providers, learners and other stakeholders have been informed and the closing date for receipt of responses. [35826]

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John Healey [holding answer 12 February 2002]: The consultation exercise is aimed at seeking views on the strengths and weaknesses of the ILA scheme and ideas on what a replacement scheme should include. We have written to all registered ILA providers and to 32 national stakeholders to inform them of the exercise. There will be a telephone survey of a sample of 1,000 ILA holders. There is also a consultation website (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/ ilaviews), through which learners, providers and others can give their views and enter into debate. The website also provides information about the various strands of the consultation exercise. It is planned that surveys and interviews will be completed by the end of February. There will then be a series of workshops, which will be held in March.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the total (a) number and (b) cost of individual learning accounts issued to persons with special educational needs. [35578]

John Healey [holding answer 13 February 2002]: Data collected from individual learning account holders during the application process did not require them to supply information about special educational needs.

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