Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) minimum durability standards are and (b) average replacement frequency is for (i) computers and (ii) laptops in each Department; and if he will publish each Department's policy on replacing computer and information technology equipment.

The Central Digital and Data Office have advised that it is for each department to make decisions individually.

The Cabinet Office, like all Government departments and employers, needs to provide modern equipment to its staff to ensure that they can work efficiently, effectively and securely.

As laptops/computers age they will become slower, due to upgrades to the operating systems (e.g. Microsoft Windows) and more complex software, which will reduce the efficiency of those using them. The operating systems will also eventually become out of date and the vendors will not supply security patches, thereby making them obsolete (due to being insecure). There are no fixed timelines to these changes. We therefore have to assess on a regular basis to determine whether change is needed.