§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding the Government provides towards promoting internet access in schools in the last year in classrooms; and what programmes the Government funds that promote the use of the internet. [73846]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe Government made available £245 million through the Standards Fund in the last financial year (2001–02) for information and communications technology (ICT) in schools. This includes funding for equipment and content as well as for the Internet. Statistics published on 29 August tell us that over 99 per cent. of all schools in England were connected to Internet at April 2002 and that computer to pupil ratios are now one computer for every six secondary school pupils and one computer for every 9.7 primary school pupils.
The main programme to promote the use of the Internet in schools over the last four years has been the National Grid for Learning strategy which is now part of the overall ICT in Schools Programme.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of(a) primary and (b) secondary schools broken down by region, have internet access. [73843]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe information is not available.
It is estimated from a recent sample survey of schools that over 99 per cent. of both primary and secondary schools in England were connected to the internet at 31 March 2002. The sample size was not large enough to support regional estimates.
Information for England 2002 was published in Statistical First Release 19/02 "Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2002: Provisional", which is available on my Department's web-site www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics and from the Library.