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Govt department scraps computers

The government hopes to decrease electricity bills and CO2 emissions by replacing desktops and handheld computers with laptops, ZDNet has reported.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) revealed the scheme, which will allocate one laptop per department worker.

Defra's Renew IT Programme, which incorporates the laptop plan, was introduced to the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee by the department's permanent secretary Helen Ghosh.

Ms Ghosh said she would personally have to adapt to the change, designed to reduce the number of items of IT equipment.

"I will feel this very much myself because at the moment I have a fixed PC in the office, a laptop I use at home and a BlackBerry, and in the new world I will be able to have one item, which is a laptop which I shall carry," she said.

CO2 emissions would be cut in Defra offices by employing measures such as turning off screensavers and putting more machines on automatic standby.

Defra deals with issues relating to many aspects of life in UK, from flood prevention to limiting bluetongue in livestock.