HC Deb 06 July 2000 vol 353 cc411-2
7. Mr. David Amess (Southend, West)

What recent representations he has received about computers for teachers. [127926]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. Michael Wills)

We have received a significant number of representations about late payment of claims and many thank-your for the scheme, the first ever to give teachers real help to buy a computer for their own use. However, all delays are a matter of regret. As soon as I became aware that delays were taking place, we took urgent action to remove them. More than 90 per cent. of eligible claims have now been paid. The remainder will be paid in the next few days, subject only to their eligibility.

Mr. Amess

Will the Minister now admit that the computers for schools scheme has been incompetently managed? Will he explain to my constituent, Mrs. Day, who is one of the 10 per cent. of teachers who took up the scheme, how £15 can adequately compensate her for her wait, which was five months, and for the money that she had to borrow to pay her child's university tuition fees? How much has the scheme cost? How many £15 compensation payments will he make? Will he reassure the House that the new assessment scheme, which has been taken up by 80 per cent. of teachers, will not be incompetently managed?

Mr. Wills

I can assure the hon. Gentleman on all those points. May I go through them one by one? If he had read his correspondence, he would have the answers to most of his questions already. As he well knows, as soon as the matter was brought to my personal attention, I acted on behalf of his constituents. If he goes back to the correspondence and reads it, he will receive the answers to a lot of his questions.

I repeat our regret that there have been delays, but we have got a grip on the problem—there are no further delays. In answer to the hon. Gentleman's question about the number of payments, we are not yet in a position to tell him that. [Interruption.] The reason why we are not yet in a position to answer that question is simply that the priority, as I am sure he will agree, is to get the small minority of remaining claims paid.

I ask Conservative Members to bear one thing in mind: it is the first ever such scheme. If I were a teacher, I would far rather wait a few weeks to get £500 from a Labour Government than 18 years to get absolutely nothing from a Tory Government.