§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his letter of 25 January, D/US of S/PK PQ0057K/00/M, what are the total life revenue and capital168W costs of the CHOTS project since conception, including upgrades one through eight; what further upgrades have been planned since March 1999; what are their estimated costs and completion dates; and if he will make a statement. [123647]
§ Dr. MoonieThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Communication Services Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from A. J. Roper to Mr. Paul Keetch, dated 6 June 2000:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the costs of the Corporate Headquarters Office Technology System (CHOTS) programme. As Chief Executive of the Defence Communication Services Agency, the CHOTS programme falls within my area of responsibility.The total life costs of the CHOTS programme since its conception in 1984, including upgrades, is estimated at £848.8M at current prices. This cost remains within existing Treasury approvals which cover the period until 2006.The last upgrade, known as CSV8 (CHOTS System Version 8), was completed on schedule in March 1999. Whilst no further major upgrades are currently planned, estimates include an assessment for ongoing technology refreshment of the system and a likely enhancement to cover the introduction of the Windows 2000 operating system. Beyond this, it is anticipated that CHOTS will form part of the Department's wider requirements for information delivery, to be met under a new Defence Information Infrastructure project managed by the Defence Procurement Agency under smart procurement principles.