Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on iPhones in each year since 2010.

The Department for Education has spent the following amounts on iPhones in each year since 2010:

In 2011 and 2012 a total of six iPhones were purchased for staff with accessibility requirements where the standard departmental mobile device (Blackberry) would not meet their needs. There was no requirement to purchase any further devices in 2013.

The significant increase in 2014 was due to the implementation of a new mobile working pilot utilising ‘GOOD’ Technology (a secure IT mobility solution) where iPhones were the preferred device and 57 devices were purchased as part of the pilot. Following an evaluation, the pilot has now been discontinued, and the Department is in discussions with Vodafone regarding the return of these devices and recuperation of costs. The above costs include the purchase of an Apple iPhone device with live SIM card. The models purchased were a combination of iPhone 4, 5 and 5S.