HC Deb 08 March 2002 vol 381 cc622-4W
Alistair Burt

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether the database held by Capita of individual learning account holders has been made available to her Department to assist in investigations into fraud and abuse of the individual learning account scheme; and if she will make a statement; [36945]

(2) whether Capita has been able to comply with all her Department's requests for information concerning individual learning account holders since 23 November; and if she will make a statement. [36944]

John Healey

Capita have complied with all of the Department's requests for information about Individual Learning Account holders and have been working closely with the Department to assist investigations into potential fraud and abuse of the Individual Learning Account programme.

Capita provided four copies of the ILA Centre database; one has been passed to the police and three copies have been retained by my Department.

Alistair Burt

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information concerning individual learning account holders is stored by Capita; and in what form. [36947]

Mr. Healey

The Individual Learning Account Centre, which is managed by Capita, stores information provided by Individual Learning account holders on the Individual Leaning Account Application Form. This information is stored both electronically and as a hard copy. The information held is as followsname and address; details on previous learning accounts; a declaration on personal eligibility (British citizen or UK National, EU or EAA national, employed or self employed and paying UK taxes, not in employment); date of birth; **other personal information (gender, employment status, occupation code, registered disabled, ethnic origin, telephone number, e-mail address); **if in forces Service Number and if member of ELC Scheme; **additional information (attending full time education, if so where, other funding for learning, previous highest qualification, target groups—member of school support staff or returning to work, how applicant heard about ILAs).

Providing information for items marked ** was not compulsory and therefore is not held for all ILA holders.

In addition information is held electronically on learning episodes undertaken by ILA holders. This covers: registered learning provider number, course identifier, course name, course start date, course cost and payment claimed.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the non-fraudulent abuses of the Individual Learning Account scheme have been; and if she will issue guidance on methods of selling in any successor scheme. [40403]

John Healey

[holding answer 5 March 2002]: Recorded complaints received in respect of noncompliance with the rules of the programme included aggressive marketing, poor value for money, unsolicited learning materials sent to learners, improper use of the ILA and DFES logos and offers of free training to which individuals were not required to contribute.

There will be a replacement ILA-style scheme building on the strengths of the ILA and taking into account lessons learned from the ILA investigations, and the findings of the current stakeholder consultation exercise due in early April. We will announce our plans for the successor scheme in due course.

Mr. Hepburn

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the Government are doing to help those students who started individual learning account courses and could not complete the course because of the decision to suspend ILAs; [40629]

(2) how many students could not complete their courses because of the Government's decision to suspend the individual learning account in (a) the UK, (b) the north-east, (c) south Tyneside and (d) the Jarrow constituency. [40628]

John Healey

The Individual Learning Account programme was closed down completely on 23 November 2001. The Department has taken steps to ensure all bookings of eligible learning are honoured. The Department has put in place validation arrangements to process payments for claims already in the system when it was closed down and for submitting claims for learning booked, but unconfirmed on the system at its closure on 23 November. All learners who started ILA supported learning will, subject to validation checks, benefit from a discount.

It was not mandatory for a learner to complete their ILA supported course to b able to benefit from a discount. Therefore, the ILA Centre was not required to hold information on course completion.