§ 21. Mr. David Priceasked the Minister of Technology what steps he is taking to ensure that Ministers and their senior advisers are made aware of the potentialities of computer systems for forward planning, model building and decision-taking, as distinct from routine data processing.
§ Mr. BennComputers offer a most valuable aid to management. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for Civil Service training in this area. My Department's rôle is advisory.
§ Mr. PriceWill the right hon. Gentleman agree that in the public sector, as, 1129 to be perfectly fair, in the private sector, the vast majority of computers are at present being used for routine data processing work and that their potentialities for decision-making, model building and general forward thinking have been grossly underestimated?
§ Mr. BennI absolutely agree. In the Post Office we were using computers for the optimum deployment of Post Office vans in London and even for the optimum deployment of postmen going on their rounds in Norwich. There is no doubt that in the long run, full scale computerisation of Government operations will not only enable us to reduce the number of administrators, but will provide much-needed help for decision-making in Government, which is very difficult.
§ Mr. Edwin WainwrightWill my right hon. Friend use all the pressure he can to ensure that industry makes use of computers?
§ Mr. BennThe problems in Government and industry are curiously similar—both want to be relieved of slave clerical labour and to get assistance in forecasting for good decision-making.