United Kingdom: British Prime Minister Tony Blair Meets Computer Soft Ware Billionaire Bill Gates

Record ID: 4110

  • Title: United Kingdom: British Prime Minister Tony Blair Meets Computer Soft Ware Billionaire Bill Gates
  • Date: 7th October 1999
  • Summary: The computer programmer who became one of the world's richest people, Bill Gates, today took centre stage on a whistle-stop trip to Britain to meet Prime Minister Tony Blair and visit Cambridge University. Computer king Bill Gates emerged from a meeting with the British Prime Minister on October 7 1997 promising his backing for Tony Blair's 100 million pound sterling scheme to get the latest technology into Britain's schools by the year 2002. The multi-billionaire Microsoft boss offered his advice to Blair at a meeting in 10 Downing Street, and then met other senior ministers for a mini-summit on computers. In the UK for little more than a day, Gates is to be confirmed as an advisor for Blair's project to get all British schools connected to the Internet by the year 2002. Gates, who had requested the meeting with the premier to discuss the latest technology issues facing the UK, said he fully supported the national grid idea. "I am so delighted to have Microsoft involved in helping to shape some of the fundamental strategic thinking behind making technology an integral part of every aspect of British life," he said. "One of the areas where technology is most powerful in helping people change their lives is education," he added. "I fully endorse the Government's plan to put into action the power of personal computers to improve the learning experience for all British students - young and old," he said. Blair said, "We had a detailed and fascinating discussion about the potential of new technology to transform education. " Today's meeting came on the day the premier launched a consultation paper on the grid and announced the Government was giving schools 100 million pound sterling to buy new computers. Nearly half of computers currently in schools are more than five-years-old. The grid project, due to start next September, will gradually link the nation's schools to the information superhighway, giving them access to a network of educational material. Ministers are keen to prepare Britain's schools for the next century. Currently only 6,000 schools are connected to the Internet and the aim is that by the year 2002 all 32,000 will be.
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  • Location: UK ENGLAND LONDON 10 DOWNING STREET
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012BQ1DFZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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