“Commons authorities are due to decide later whether all MPs should be issued with iPads or other tablet computers,” BBC News reports.
“The Commons Administration Committee has recommended a roll-out of the devices which it said would ultimately save the taxpayer money,” The Beeb reports. “Currently, every MP is provided with three desktop computers and two laptops for office use. But the committee said tablets could make it easier for MPs to do their work and save paper. The House of Commons Commission will consider the committee’s recommendation in a meeting on Monday evening.”
The Beeb reports, “According to the Daily Mail, a total of 70 MPs have so far bought Apple iPads on expenses. The newest iPad model costs around £400 so the total for providing one to all 650 MPs could run to £260,000, plus subscription costs for data – likely to be about £15 per month per device.”
“In February, the administration committee recommended a “rapid roll-out of suitable mobile tablet hardware” following a trial involving 16 of its members,” The Beeb reports. “It said a tablet should be given in addition to the five computers MPs are already entitled to, and while it noted that ‘other devices were in the market… the iPad was ahead of the field with regard to functionality.'”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dow C.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
British House of Lords allows peers use of Apple iPads – March 11, 2011
German Parliament scolds MP for being first to use Apple iPad during Bundestag speech – June 22, 2010
All 736 European Parliament members to get taxpayer-funded Apple iPads via £4.3m earmark – May 24, 2010
Tally Ho!
Are there “other tablet computers”?
are you trying to be funny?
Your ‘House of Commons’ headline confusingly ignors the fact that almost all former British Empire countries have a ‘House of Commons’.
It is not just one country that has one like the USA’s White House.
Tell that to Obama, he’s trying to share his country with Putin.
you’re an idiot or rabid Republican
Correct!
Canada is a House of Commons.
I agree. I thought the article was referring to Canada before I saw BBC and even then I was wondering why the BBC was reporting on it.
In Nz and i suspect most of the other former dominions, it’s actually the house of representatives
70 MPs have bought iPads on expenses. Hmmm, and in other news…
12 of them have correctly claimed for the iPad,
56 have claimed for Macbook Pros
1 has claimed for a gardener to cut back the Wisteria from around his iPad
1 has claimed for a Cray super-computer at their ex-partner’s house back in their constituancy. :o)
And David Cameron has claimed for a saddle with an iPad pocket to use on Rebekah Brookes’ police horse :p
It will only save paper if things don’t get printed. Being a government they will no doubt make any documents available to the iPads but then print them all anyway.
I disagree. The iPads can also save money on the support costs. As you say, governments don’t do often things in any particularly clever way. You can pretty much guarantee that the annual support costs on each of those desktops and laptops will be at least equivalent to the purchase price due to some badly negotiated contract. So replacing half of those with iPads will lead to a significant cost saving, even if they treat the iPads as disposable.
Of course I hope they don’t treat the iPads as disposable. MPs are famous in this country for discarding confidential government material in public litter bins or leaving sensitive data on trains. Maybe the Parliamentary IT department thinks they’ll be so attached to their iPads they’ll not leave government secrets lying about all over the place 🙂