§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give details of current inquiries made by her Department into the purchasing of information technology and software.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe purchasing of information technology and software by the national health service is a local matter for health authorities, and my Department is not informed routinely. In common with other matters, these purchases may be the subject of local audit enquiry.
In January this year, authorities were instructed to submit all proposals for investments of £1 million or more on such projects to the NHS management executive for scrutiny against published criteria.
The Department assists by issuing guidance on good practice in procuring computer systems. The latest revision of this guidance will be published in April 1993 under the generic title of "Procurement of Information Systems Effectively" (POISE).