That's an excellent question, Mr. Chairman.
The replacement programs that we propose have components that are destined for Members' Offices on the Hill, for senior House officials and for constituency offices. I'm referring to the software programs.
We stress training and transparency, to ease the migration process. The only step that is the Member's responsibility is the actual replacement of the computers, if necessary. Under the program, which we run every four years, we block off the rest of the current fiscal year, the following year and the start of the year after that to complete the replacements. The program runs over three budget periods. However, we don't have an exact figure for you in terms of equipment replacement. Each Member has access to a central equipment upgrade fund of $5,000 per year. The money is earmarked for the replacement or purchase of computer equipment.
We believe this environment affords Members enough flexibility to make enlightened decisions about equipment replacement. It is important to us to allow the Member to choose the moment when he wishes to replace his computer. We really try to respect the Member's wishes.