HC Deb 19 July 2001 vol 372 cc363-4W
Mr. O'Hara

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to provide funding for the 25 e-government local authority pathfinders in 2001–02. [6179]

Mr. Raynsford

The Government have made available £25 million of funding in 2001–02 to help achieve their target of ensuring that 100 per cent. of local authority services are capable of electronic delivery by 2005.

I have today laid before the House a Special Grant Report setting out my intention to provide some £24 million of this funding in grant to 25 local e-government pathfinders. This will support a co-ordinated programme of experiment, innovation and shared learning. At the same time, up to a further £1.7 million of funding is being made available to support the local government on-line project, which will disseminate best practice information from the pathfinders to all local authorities.

The Government originally proposed to make available the funding to pathfinder authorities in the form of supplementary credit approvals. However, following representations from pathfinders, we are now seeking the agreement of the House to provide the funding in the form of a special grant.