§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps his Department is taking to increase access to ICT in deprived communities. [126114]
§ Mr. Wills[holding answer 20 June 2000]We are taking forward a range of measures so that everyone can benefit from the advantages of new technologies. We are providing £252 million to fund the ICT Learning Centres206W initiative which will give people living in disadvantaged communities in England the opportunity to access the internet and ICT facilities. There will be around 700 Learning Centres which are targeted within the 2,000 most deprived local authority wards and rural areas with significant transport and deprivation problems. They will support disadvantaged client groups with low or no ICT skills.
We are also introducing a £10 million pilot project which will "wire-up" deprived communities around England. The project will provide a window into the future, assessing how home access to the internet and e-mail can transform lives in the most disadvantaged communities.
In addition, the Government are making £15 million available for a pilot scheme—"Computers Within Reach"—to enable those who cannot afford new computers to acquire reconditioned computers for use in the home for the purpose of improving their employment prospects, for lifelong learning, or for their children's homework.
The recently published report of Policy Action Team 15 looked specifically at issues relating to the role of ICT in community renewal. We will continue to work with partners and the private sector to address the issue of closing the digital divide.