§ Mr CousinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regional differences exist in the home use of the internet. [58241]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 13 June 2002:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question regarding information on regional differences in the home use of the Internet. I am replying in his absence. (58241)The attached table presents the most recently available information of households with access to the Internet by Government Office Regions and countries of the UK. The latest 1399W headline estimate is that 39 per cent of households in the UK had Internet access at home in the quarter October to December 2001. The more detailed regional analysis is based on a full sample over a 12-month period. While 39 per cent of UK households had Internet access in the fourth quarter of 2001, the average for the twelve months, October 2000 to September 2001 was 37 per cent. therefore this 37 per cent provides the basis for the regional analysis attached.
Percentage of households with access to the Internet by Government Office Regions and countries of the UK; October 2000 to September 2001 Government Office Region and country of the UK Per cent. North East 26 North West 36 Yorkshire and the Humber 31 East Midlands 40 West Midlands 35 East 41 London 45 South East 45 South West 38 England 39 Wales 27 Scotland 30 Northern Ireland 26 UK 37 Source:
Family Expenditure Survey; Expenditure and Food Survey (April 2001 onwards) Like all estimates from sample surveys these figures are subject to sampling variability. This is greater for sub-groups of the population than for national estimates.