The Ministry of Telecommunications is working with the Ministry of Works and Engineering to form a housing information system maintaining details on housing stock, Telecommunications Minister Michael Scott (pictured) announced yesterday.

The initiative, which is being steadily worked on, forms an integral part of the Social Agenda?s drive towards adequate housing for all, he said.

The Ministry also intends to provide Internet access for those who have not been exposed to the service, such as seniors, he said. Meanwhile the implementation of Internet access in public places is ?progressing steadily?, with the Mangrove Bay, Warwick and St. David?s post offices due to come online first. ?More details will be forthcoming when the internal testing process is complete and we are ready to go live. We anticipate that this will become a reality within the next couple of months,? Mr. Scott said.

Until then, Internet access is already available in the Bermuda Library and will hopefully spread to other locations based on the results of the pilot programme. The recycled computer programme is already in place, with the first batch ? four computers ? donated to the Senior Learning Programme at the Bermuda College, Mr. Scott said.

The Ministry is also working with the Ministry of Education, installing minor upgrades on 12 more computers which were passed on to Education, who will install appropriate software and pass the computers on to students who do not have access to a computer of their own.

A plan for installing a third batch of computers is currently being devised, he added. That project will benefit a second computer training programme for seniors.