Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-21263 and S1W-21264 answered on 16 January 2002.

The Executive plans to publish the next annual progress report on the Scottish National Grid for Learning in 2002 once key data from the latest School Census have been analysed.

The Joint Performance Team is monitoring progress in information and communications technologies.The Joint Performance Team was established by the Scottish Executive and comprises representatives of the Scottish Executive and Enterprise Networks. It is developing indicators that will allow the regular benchmarking of Scotland's progress against international performance in the areas outlined in Smart, Successful Scotland. The monitoring of the Executive's own electronic service delivery targets also provide useful benchmarking information.The indicators suggested in the Joint Performance Team's measurement framework relevant to monitoring progress in information and communication technologies fall under two categories, more e-business and digital connectivity. Within these categories, the following measures have been adopted.Proportion of business and activity transacted through e-businessNumber of companies trading onlineShare of businesses using broadbandCost and geographic coverage of broadbandShare of population onlineShare of population in Social Inclusion Partnerships and other fragile areas with internet accessAfter a public consultation process the Joint Performance Team is due to publish its final indicator set by 28 January.

There is as yet no consensus with education authorities and others on the handling of intellectual property issues. Learning and Teaching Scotland is working closely with all the local authorities, through the Inter-Authority Collaborative Network, to ensure learning materials produced with public funds are used to best effect across Scotland. Learning and Teaching Scotland has used the development of the five to 14 online resource www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/5-14/guidelines to explore copyright, licensing and intellectual property issues with schools and local authorities. The schools licence recently announced for the SCRAN database gives schools access to an environment in which they can create and share online materials based on items from SCRAN.The planned Scottish Schools Digital Network will provide a focus for the exchange of materials, and the development of the specification for the network will provide a further opportunity to examine intellectual property issues with local authorities.

The Scottish Executive has adopted a multi channelled approach to the delivery of public services and information. It has supported and continues to support a number of pilot projects which are exploring different methods of delivery to ensure further widening of access to services and information. Transcoding of individual data sources is enabling these sources of data to be delivered and accessed through a variety of channels. Through its 21^st Century Government Unit vision statement, the Scottish Executive puts the citizen at the centre of the process in ensuring that he or she is empowered to access information and services in his or her preferred manner.The Scottish Executive is also looking at different ways of improving general access to the Internet in Scotland. The Public Internet Access Points Initiative aims to put at least 1,000 extra public internet access points in areas of Scotland where affordable provision is currently poor. The Scottish Executive is also running a Digital Communities competition. This initiative will create pilot "digital communities", by connecting homes to the internet in two disadvantaged areas of Scotland. The objective is to assess how individual access to the internet can transform opportunities for people living in these communities, by developing new ways of accessing learning, work, shopping and leisure.

The Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill allows for alternative methods of voting to be considered with a view to subsequent implementation. The electoral commission have been consulted about pilot proposals. With the International Teledemocracy Centre, based at Napier University, we are now considering specific proposals to run e-voting pilots in two local authorities.

The Public Internet Access Points Initiative will see internet-ready PCs being put in places which people already use - for example shops and banks. This £5 million programme aims to create at least 1,000 extra public internet access points in Scotland, more than doubling the current number. The programme will be run on an application basis and church halls will be eligible to apply, as will the other facilities noted in point 42 of the report.Venues will be expected to provide the public with access to the Internet at a cost of no more than £1 per hour.We expect to start shipping the first PCs in the spring of this year.

The Scottish Executive is committed to the greater use of on-line consultation. In addition to monitoring the level of Scottish Executive e-consultation activity, it is piloting a number of projects using new technology to increase on-line consultation.

The Executive's digital champions initiative is working in Social Inclusion Partnership areas to assess current levels of ICT provision and demand for expert advice, and is already providing advice to practitioners on issues such as good practice and fund raising. The Executive is currently developing proposals on how to improve the exchange of information and good practice on digital inclusion issues.

The Executive's response to point 56 was that it would set up a dedicated digital inclusion unit to co-ordinate work on digital inclusion. Last year this was done, the Executive created a dedicated digital inclusion unit to take forward its objectives for digital inclusion. As a first step, in discussion with partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors, the digital inclusion team developed the Executive's Digital Inclusion Strategy Connecting Scotland's People which was published in September 2001 (see www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland), which sets out the Executive's framework for developing digital inclusion. The team is now taking forward a range of initiatives to increase awareness of the benefits of the web; increase access to the web; improve skills; and involve communities.