§ Sir William Clarkasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to publish the report on the review of the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe report, by Dr. Paul Freeman" the director of CCTA, will be published in the next few weeks with a preface giving the Government's response to it. Copies of the published report will be placed in the Library.
The Goverrment endorse the broad changes proposed in the report for the transfer of financial approval of information technology projects to Treasury expenditure divisions and for the transfer of clearer and fuller responsibility for the implementation of projects and procurement to Departments. The CCTA will continue to offer advice and guidance to Departments both individually and collectively, but this will be reoriented to concentrate on strategic and cross-departmental issues and on specific work best tailored to departmental needs. The CCTA will continue to provide centralised procurement of IT goods and services but on an agency basis, with Departments as principals in the contract. The implementation of these changes will take time and be subject to detailed discussions with Departments, but the transfer of responsibility will be completed by 1 April 1985.