(2) how many laptop computers have been provided to (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005; and at what cost;
(3) how many (a) Blackberrys and (b) other mobile telephones have been provided to (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.
Departmental laptops, mobile phones and BlackBerrys are provided through contracted arrangements with service providers. They are usually allocated from a central pool and returned to the pool for re-allocation when no longer required. The contracts provide fully managed services, which include the provision of equipment, service costs, helpdesk support, and, for mobile phones, line rental and call charges.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) was established in May 2007. Numbers of BlackBerry and laptop users for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are given as follows. These are taken from the Department’s central records which cover MOJ headquarters, and main business areas, including Her Majesty’s Courts Service (HMCS) and tribunals. The figures for mobile phone users cover MOJ headquarters only. Larger business areas, which include HMCS and Tribunals Service, manage mobile telephone provision locally, and these figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Number BlackBerry users 510 Laptop users 1,511 Mobile phone users 961
Number BlackBerry users 878 Laptop users 1,997 Mobile phone users 863
In addition, the National Offender Management Service holds a central record of the following equipment:
Average laptop volumes Average BlackBerry volumes Average mobile telephone volumes 2005 2,789 0 3,741 2006 2,447 0 4,156 2007 2,094 0 4,484 2008 2,740 393 4,775
Costs incurred for mobile phones and BlackBerrys allocated to Ministers and special advisers have been identified from available records. These figures include the cost of call charges, rental and the original purchase cost, if applicable. Note: figures for BlackBerrys are only available for 2008-09.
£ Ministers 3,005.70 Special advisers 652.67
£ Ministers 5,591.25 Special advisers 1,113.11
£ Ministers 2,930.25 Special advisers 1,208.09
Other cost information is not readily available in a form to answer the question. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Ministry is continually seeking to ensure optimum use of resources. Recent initiatives include the One computer policy, which encourages staff to use only one device—either a laptop, desktop, or BlackBerry, and new approvals procedures for BlackBerrys have been introduced.