§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will provide funding to low-income earners and families participating in the subsidised recycled computers scheme to cover the costs of(a) telephone lines and calls, (b) increased electricity usage, (c) paper for printing and (d) maintenance and servicing. [105836]
§ Mr. WillsThe £15 million made available for the 'Computers Within Reach' initiative is entirely focused on maximising the subsidy on the recycling process, to enable computers to be made available at the lowest personal cost to those who could not otherwise afford it. The Department recognises that recipients' needs, circumstances and priorities will change during the lifetime of the scheme—for example, a job-seeker may initially wish to work off-line to produce a CV and develop word-processing, database and spreadsheet skills in order to improve employability. In order to meet this range of need, the computers will all be of a high minimum specification, including 56k modem, enabling recipients to control costs in using them on or off-line as they prefer. As usage will vary, subsidised funding will not be made available to cover telephone lines or calls. Electricity and paper costs are likely to be minimal, and the cost of the bureaucracy to administer them would not represent value for money.
Maintenance and support are an essential part of this initiative. The minimum level of support available to all users under the scheme is as follows:
29W
Maintenance and Support Delivery and installation Delivery and installation to the purchaser's home or preferred location. Installation must include connection to the Internet if required, receipt of a welcome e-mail and access to the NGfL home page
Maintenance and Support Service Maintenance for a minimum of one year for all hardware purchased. Warranty Replacement of system with equivalent or better specification in the event of failure within one year.