Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his timeframe is for the end of the get help with technology scheme.

The Department is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care. We have secured 1.3 million laptops and tablets and have already delivered over one million of these to schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities, supporting disadvantaged children and young people who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.

We are making further deliveries all the time and expect to achieve our overall commitment of delivering 1.3 million devices by the end of the spring term.

Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, academy trusts, local authorities or further education providers who can lend these to the children and young people who need them most, during the current COVID-19 restrictions. They are not required to be returned to the Department.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families, which will support access to education resources. Families will benefit from this additional data until July 2021.