§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the system for reimbursing teachers under the Computers for Teachers Scheme; and if he will make a statement;[122769]
(2) what estimate he has made of the average time between the purchase of equipment under the Computers for Teachers Scheme and reimbursement. [122770]
§ Mr. WillsThe Computers for Teachers Initiative was launched on 12 January 2000. It offers a £500 subsidy towards the purchase of a computer for serving teachers and is free of tax. It has proved very popular with teachers and 18,000 applications have been received. The first phase of the scheme was closed on 30 April, with a deadline for receipt of applications of 5 June. 2,470 teachers have already received their reimbursement. The average time between application and reimbursement is about eight weeks, mainly due to incomplete forms in around half of the applications received, which then need to be followed up. Where a form is properly completed, the subsidy can normally be paid more quickly. Additional staff and telephone lines, as well as a dedicated website, were provided to deal with the volume of interest.