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24 Jun 2004 : Column 1537W—continued

Student Loan Company

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the results of the pilot project for the Student Loan Company protocol computer system conducted in 2003, including feedback from local education authorities. [179589]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 21 June 2004]: We have no plans to publish operational reports. However, the hon. Gentleman may wish to know that the 2003 pilot of the Protocol system was successful. All but a very small number of students who applied by the published deadlines in the pilot areas were paid at the start of term; all students in these areas who applied on-time had a payment by 25 September 2003. These results were an important part of the decision to roll-out the new system to all local education authorities (LEAs): a decision which was agreed with all stakeholders including representatives from LEAs.

As with any pilot there were lessons learned and comments from LEAs about the way the system operated. The Student Loans Company have taken steps to address these issues in the design of the 2004/05 version of the system.
 
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Truancy

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what further steps he proposes to tackle truancy. [179904]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Promoting regular school attendance is a key component in the Government's strategy to raise educational standards. Tackling truancy, in particular, also contributes to the Government's objectives to reduce street crime and antisocial behaviour.

The Department for Education and Skills will continue to promote a full range of measures to raise attendance and reduce truancy including:

strengthening schools' capacity to manage attendance through audit and training materials and consultancy provided through the Key Stage 3 and Primary Strategies;

providing intensive support for schools facing the greatest challenges through the Behaviour Improvement Programme;

co-ordinating further national programmes of truancy sweeps, to generate local publicity and deter parentally condoned absences

national rollout of the "Fast-track" case management system the aim of which is to ensure that schools and LEAs deal with attendance cases quickly and in the most effective way to get the child back into school;

the introduction of new parenting contracts to enable schools and LEAs to engage earlier and more effectively with parents of children who are truanting. But where parents are unwilling to accept such voluntary and supportive measures we have introduced penalty notices for truancy as a speedy alternative to prosecution.

These measures indicate the Department's focus on truancy as a high priority for improvement.

Wirral Metropolitan College

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will inform Wirral Metropolitan College of its budget allocation for 2004–05. [179896]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 22 June 2004]: The LSC expects to confirm indicative allocations for all colleges immediately and final allocations including additional performance related funding by the 30 June 2004.

CABINET OFFICE

Government Car Service

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1569W, on Government cars, if he will list each occasion when Government whips have, since 1 January 2003, made use of a car from the Government car service pool, giving in each case the (a) date of use and (b) name of the whip. [160688]

 
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Mr. Alexander: The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive Mr. Nick Matheson to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Government Online Services

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the oral answer of 18 May 2004, Official Report, column 822, on e-Government, if he will break down by Department the £1 billion provided to improve take-up of Government online services. [179788]

Mr. Alexander [holding answer 22 June 2004]: The £1 billion my hon. Friend referred to is the amount which was allocated during the 2002 Spending Review to invest in broadband connectivity for public services. The main recipients of these are: the Department for Education and Skills, for plans to provide all primary and secondary schools with 2Mb and 8Mb broadband connections respectively by 2006; the national health service, to provide all general practitioners practices with 256k connectively, and all hospitals, primary care trusts and other health authorities with a minimum of 2Mb; the Criminal Justice System to provide information communication technology infrastructure across the six major criminal justice organisations-police, crown prosecution service, magistrates courts, crown court, probation and prisons.

Responsibility for effective co-ordination of this expenditure rests with the Department for Trade and Industry.

Government Websites

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what measures he proposes to take to rectify problems with (a) missing files, (b) management of website structures, (c) the use of illegal characters in web addresses, (d) problems with compliance with the Government's search index system and (e) hosting websites on servers that are not able to manage demand in respect of Government websites. [179768]

Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office has published the "Guidelines for UK Government Websites", which provides extensive advice to Government web managers. In practice the overall management, both technical and editorial, of Government websites is the responsibility of individual Departments and Agencies.

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the compliance of Government websites with Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines. [179769]

Mr. Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the response given to him on 14 June 2004, Official Report, column 721W, on Government Websites.

HEALTH

Health Services (Rochdale)

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the parliamentary
 
24 Jun 2004 : Column 1540W
 
constituency of Rochdale are receiving treatment for drug dependency; and what percentage are (a) women, (b) under 20 and (c) from an ethnic minority. [178501]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information is not available in the format requested.

In 2000–01, there were 712 people receiving drug treatment in the area covered by the drug action team in Rochdale. Data broken down by drug action team for 2001–02 and 2002–03 has not been finalised.

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on waiting times for heart surgery on the NHS in Rochdale. [178435]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The latest figures available show that no one waited more than nine months for a heart operation in the Rochdale Primary Care Trust (PCT) area. The total number of people waiting for a heart operation in the Rochdale PCT area was 264.

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in Rochdale awaiting heart surgery have had the option of choosing an alternative hospital for quicker treatment in the last 12 months. [178436]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Since July 2002, patients who have been waiting for six months for heart operations have been offered the choice of faster treatment at another hospital, in either the national health service or the independent sector.

A and E Waiting Times

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time at accident and emergency departments at the (a) Royal Free, (b) North Middlesex, (c) Whittington, (d) Homerton and (e) University College hospitals was at (i) the latest available date and (ii) for each of the past three years. [179641]

Mr. Hutton: We do not collect figures on average waiting times in accident and emergency departments. However, we do publish data on the percentage of patients spending four hours or less in accident and emergency departments from arrival to discharge, admission or transfer. These figures can be found on the department's website at http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data requests/total time ae.htm

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