At 13:44 10/03/99 -0000, Sarah Ormes wrote:
Thanks to Sarah and Michael for highlighting this - just beat EARL to it!
We are delighted to see yet further evidence of support from the Government
for IT/ICT and libraries through the IT strategy. Open learning centres
are, of course, a well-established and much -appreciated feature in public
libraries, but this commitment of resources on a such a scale is most
welcome. Now it's our turn to deliver...
Susi Woodhouse
>More info about the National IT Strategy from a press release about
>the budget speech - it gives a bit more detail than the speech
>itself. The whole text of this press release can be found at
>
>http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget99/nr/hmt2.txt
>
>
>"National IT Strategy
>
>There are four strands to the Government's 1.7bn strategy to
>encourage wider use of computers:
>
>- In the community, 470 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund
> (CMF) plus 200 million from the New Opportunities Fund will fund
>a
> network of up to 1000 learning centres. These will be open for 14
> hours a day and at weekends, and will allow children, unemployed
> and employed adults, older people and start-up SMEs to find out
> what IT can offer. They will take on many forms and can be in
> schools, libraries, colleges and other centres of learning;
>
>- In business, Finance Bill 1999 will include legislation allowing
> people to provide electronic returns. IT changes are underway and
> the services are being developed to enable individuals and
> businesses to send VAT and self- assessment returns by April 2001,
> and employers' PAYE by April 2002, over the internet. The
> Government will offer tax incentives to encourage take-up of
> electronic filing.
>
>- In the home, computers loaned to employees by employers for
> personal use will not be taxed as benefit-in-kind; the CMF will
> also subsidise rental for 200,000 low income families;
>
>- In schools, the CMF spend includes support for 100,000 teachers'
> purchases of computers for work at home. The Government is already
> spending over 750m on the national Grid for Learning."
>
>Sarah Ormes
>Public Library Networking Research Officer
>UKOLN, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY
>Tel. 01225 826711
>Fax. 01225 826838
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sarah Ormes <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: 10 March 1999 13:37
>Subject: Re: 1,700,000,000 - more info
>
>
>>I've cut and pasted below the relevant bit from the budget speech
>>that Michael Hill just mentioned in his message as I thought people
>>would be interested to see it. The full text of the speech can be
>>found at
>>
>>http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget99/speech.html
>>
>>Sarah Ormes - list owner
>>
>>
>>"Our seventh measure for enterprise.
>>
>>New targeted tax cuts and public investment to equip all our
>>companies and all our people for the newest and most decisive
>>economic challenge of the 21st century - mastering information
>>technologies, from the PC to the internet, from e-mail to
>>e-commerce.
>>
>>This industry is the great driver of world economic growth today.
>>
>>And Britain can no longer afford to lag behind America.
>>
>>So today, we allocate an additional half a billion pounds from our
>>Capital Modernisation Fund to launch a 1.7 billion pound computers
>>for all initiative, a nationwide effort enlisting schools, colleges
>>and companies, public and private sectors across the board to make
>>Britain a leader in the information economy.
>>
>>Our target is a national network of 1,000 computer learning
>centres,
>>one for every community in Britain. They will be in schools,
>>colleges, libraries, in internet cafes and on the High Street.
>>
>>A whole new network of computer learning with one purpose only,
>that
>>the whole of Britain is equipped for the information age. "
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Sarah Ormes
>>Public Library Networking Research Officer
>>UKOLN, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY
>>Tel. 01225 826711
>>Fax. 01225 826838
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>Date: 10 March 1999 12:44
>>Subject: 1,700,000,000
>>
>>
>>>
>>>I though the list would be abuzz with discussion on the budget
>>speech
>>>where it comments on libraries being one of the possible sites for
>>the
>>>1,000 community learning centres (driven by 1.7 billion pounds!).
>>>
>>>So I'll be first. Have a look at
>>>
>>>http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget99/speech.html
>>>
>>>No further information yet on how this will pan out in reality but
>>it
>>>looks hopeful.
>>>
>>>Michael
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
Susi Woodhouse
EARL Development Manager
Gun Court, 70 Wapping Lane
London E1 9RL
0171-702-2020; e-mail: [log in to unmask]
web: http://www.earl.org.uk/
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