Tim - and doesnt that help to explain why our economy is currently sunk deeper than the ocean liner recently! Tights can be claimed back when from what you are saying your Mrs and the rest of the NHS women dont actually use them in their official uniform.

Classic UK public sector attitude. Rip off the country for your own gains.

Anyway, back to the case in point. There are pros and cons for both sides of the argument. Clearly a company has a duty of care. Therefore equipment used by its staff must be checked and able to carry out the task required of it. However I know that when I was presented with a laptop that took almost 8 minutes to become at British Gas, I made sure that it was the last time I ever used it.