§ Alistair BurtTo 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 BurtTo 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 JohnsonTo 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 HealeyI 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. ChopeTo 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]
604W
§ 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. BoswellTo 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.