§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Chorley in each of the past seven years. [161558]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeMy Department does not collect information on school spend on computers. However funding for information and communications technologies (ICT) in schools is allocated to local education authorities through the Standards Fund and began in 1998–99.
Since 1998–99 schools in Lancashire have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA):
£ Allocation to Lancashire LEA 1998–99 2,500,000 1999–2000 1,627,867 2000–01 5,576,036 2001–02 6,483,142 2002–03 8,983,493 2003–04 9,169,124
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils per computer there are in schools in Chorley. [161559]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe information requested is not available centrally.
Figures for England, which were derived from a sample of schools, are shown in the table.
Average number of pupils1per computer (used solely or mainly for teaching and learning purposes) by type of school—England year end March 2003 Number of pupils Maintained primary schools 7.9 Maintained secondary schools 5.4 Maintained special schools 3.0 1Full-time equivalent numbers of pupils. The latest information on ICT in schools was published in Statistical Bulletin "Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2003", which is available on the Department's website www. dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
227W
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how mans(a) teachers and (b) families in Buckingham have benefited from the Computers Within Reach programme. [161569]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Computers within Reach (CWR) scheme closed on 31 October 2001 having delivered over 24,000 recycled computers to people in 22 pilot areas, at a cost of£7.1 million over two years. Those eligible were in receipt of certain working age benefits or a state pension with minimum income guarantee.
At the same time as funding was made available for the Computers within Reach scheme, funding was also provided for the Computers for Teachers programme. For teachers who met certain criteria, this programme subsidised the cost of a computer. It was subsequently replaced by the current Laptops for Teachers scheme which dispensed with subsidies, and through which sufficient funding will be provided to enable two thirds of teachers to receive a laptop by March 2006.
Buckingham was not one of the pilot areas for the CWR scheme.
§ Mrs. DeanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in the Burton constituency for each of the last seven years. [161846]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeMy Department does not collect information on school spend on computers at constituency level. However Burton is in Staffordshire LEA and since 1998–99 schools in Staffordshire have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA):
Allocation to Staffordshire LEA £ 1998–99 2,500,000 1999–2000 3,000,000 2000–01 3,000,000 2001–02 4,383,181 2002–03 6,303,997 2003–04 6,257,291