To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department and its predecessors have provided for (a) computers and (b) information and communications technologies in schools and colleges in the City of Sunderland in the last five years for which figures are available. [313189]

Funding for computers and information and communications technology in schools is made available predominantly via the Harnessing Technology Grant. This is paid by the Department to local authorities through the Standards Fund. The available figures on the amount of the Harnessing Technology Grant paid to the Sunderland local authority for each of the three years in the current spending period is set out in the following table:

However, the harnessing technology grant will not be the total ICT spend, as schools are free to use money from other sources on technological services and infrastructure. It should also be noted that the harnessing technology grant does not include funding that is being provided to the Government's educational technology agency, Becta, in particular for the Home Access scheme (£300 million across England) which provides computers and an internet connection for eligible low income households.