§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to attract more girls into careers in computing.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe Government have taken a number of steps. The technical and vocational education initiative specifically requires that opportunities be made equally available to girls; and the microelectronics education programme undertakes work to assess the reactions of girls to materials available under the programme. Both schemes aim to avoid sex stereotyping in the courses they run and the materials they use. It is however for schools, careers officers and parents to persuade more girls to enter the computing world, but I do not under-estimate the difficulties.