§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what steps he will take to ensure that teachers can obtain a response from his Department about receiving their subsidy under the Computers for Teachers scheme; [121948]
(2) what assessment he has made of the operation of the Computers for Teachers scheme; and if he will make a statement. [121947]
§ Mr. Wills[holding answer 12 May 2000]: The Computers for Teachers Initiative was launched on 12 January 2000. Due to high teacher take-up, the first phase of the scheme was closed on 30 April, with a deadline for receipt of applications of 5 June. Some 17,000 applications have been received, with over 2,200 teachers already having received their subsidies. The Department has put in place a range of measures to answer teachers' inquiries, including the recruitment of extra staff, opening further telephone lines and arranging a dedicated Computers for Teachers e-mail address.