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EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Special Educational Needs

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many higher education institutions in England submitted successful bids under the Special Educational Needs Training and Development Fund 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [71686]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Special Educational Needs Training and Development Fund 2002–03 was established to provide one-off pump priming support to aid the creation of new, or extended, in-service training and development opportunities for teachers and other staff, both in mainstream and special schools, to help improve and reinforce skills in the area of special educational needs and disabilities. Under the fund, higher education institutions were invited to submit competitive bids, in the range of £50,000–100,000. There was a good response, with 41 individual bids received from 34 institutions. Within the £1 million available for allocation we have approved 16 bids from the following institutions:


The training and development opportunities will, in the main, be available either in the autumn of 2002 or the spring of 2003.

In addition, a further £1 million has been also been allocated, under Strand 2 of the Department's SEN Small Programmes Fund 2002–03, in support of work by voluntary organisations, to produce a range of training resources for SEN and disabilities.

Individual Learning Accounts

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of ILA learning provider claims have been met since the closure of the Individual Learning Account programme. [70446]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: At the end of June 95 per cent. of Individual Learning Account learning provider claims had been paid since the closure on 23 November 2001.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what loss of public funds has been identified, and what frauds have been uncovered, in the work of learning providers using individual learning accounts. [70444]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The loss to public funds will not be identified until investigations are complete. From the start of the programme to date £16.8 million has been withheld from 267 learning providers, subject to validation checking.

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The potential frauds under investigation are: funding removed from individual learning accounts (ILAs) without the account holder's consent; no, or incorrect, learning delivered; fictitious account holders created; and accessing account holders' details on the ILA Centre database—using information to claim funds or selling information to providers. In addition other abuses identified are: personal contribution not sought from the account holder; cash or other incentives offered to enrol on course; and ILA discounts claimed for ineligible learning.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of how many ILA learners have had to leave their courses because of the closure of individual learning accounts. [70448]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We do not have information on the number of individual learning account holders who were in training at the point of closure of the ILA programme on 23 November 2001 and who subsequently may have been required to leave their courses.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Departmental Website

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the President of the Council what plans he has to make changes to his Department's website. [69870]

Mr. Robin Cook: I am today re-launching my Department's website www.privycouncil.gov.uk.

The website has been redesigned by XM London to better reflect my responsibilities as Leader of the House of Commons and also to give a better overview of the work of the Privy Council Office.

New additions to the website include:


TRANSPORT

Residential Property

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the empty residential properties in each London borough in the ownership of his Department and its agencies, giving (a) the type of accommodation, (b) how long each property has been vacant and (c) what the intended future use is of the property. [69496]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department currently owns no empty residential properties in any of the London boroughs.

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M4

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the number of lanes on the M4 from London to Reading. [69165]

Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The capacity of the M4 motorway is currently being considered by the Thames Valley Multi Modal Study, which is expected to report in November.

Roads (Expenditure)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) public resource expenditure, (b) private resource expenditure and (c) private investment is provided under the 10-Year Plan for road maintenance by (i) local authorities and (ii) the Highways Agency, (A) at today's prices and (B) at outturn prices. [70651]

Mr. Jamieson: Planned public resource expenditure on road maintenance over the period of the 10-Year Plan for Transport amounts to: £19.2 billion at today's (ie 2001–02) prices and £21.5 billion at outturn prices for local authorities; and £2.5 billion at today's prices and £2.8 billion at outturn prices for the Highways Agency.

There is no planned private resource expenditure on road maintenance in the 10-Year Plan. There is no planned private investment on road maintenance on local roads.

All of the Highways Agency's new build private finance schemes include a provision for maintenance in the contract. However it is not possible to identify separately a figure for this maintenance work.

Road Safety

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work has been conducted by and for his Department and predecessor Department to update the findings of the report entitled "Road Safety Strategy: Current problems and future options"; and if he will make a statement. [70659]

Mr. Jamieson: "Road Safety Strategy: Current problems and future options", published in October 1997, was a forerunner to the Government's current strategy document "Tomorrow's roads—safer for everyone", published in March 2000. Quarterly progress reports on implementing the new strategy are published on the Department's website.

Roads Circular

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place a copy of the Roads 2/92 Circular in the Library. [70648]

Mr. Jamieson: Circular Roads 2–92 is already available in the Libraries of the House.

EU Public Service Requirement Regulation

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) discussions, (b) correspondence and (c) representations his Department has had with (i) the European Commission, (ii) the Council of Transport Ministers and (iii) Members of the European Parliament

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regarding the February 2002 draft EU Public Service Requirement Regulation; and if he will make a statement. [70649]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 359W.

Additionally, officials from my Department have attended a number of council working groups where the Commission's proposals have been discussed and they have liaised with the Commission officials who have responsibility for the draft regulation.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place copies of the progress reports relating to the July 2000 European Commission Proposal for Regulation of Public Service Requirements (a) produced and (b) received by his Department in the Library. [70650]

Mr. Jamieson: My Department has neither produced nor received written progress reports on the Commission's proposal. The progress reports that I referred to in my reply to the hon. Member of 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 359W, were given orally by the Commission.

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