HC Deb 23 May 2002 vol 386 c484W
Mr. Moore

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the budget is for the website www.ukonline.gov.uk in respect of(a) site development and maintenance, (b) marketing, (c) other and (d) in total for the financial year (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04; [51518]

(2) how much has been spent on the website www.ukonline.gov.uk for (a) design and build prior to launch, (b) development and maintenance since launch, (c) marketing, (d) other and (e) the project in total in each of the financial years and accumulatively to date since the inception of the project. [51515]

Mr. Leslie

I have been asked to reply.

ukonline.gov.uk supports the Government's aim to enable the citizen to interact electronically with government by 2005. ukonline.gov.uk will be a key driver in transforming the way in which public services are organised and delivered, and in leading the way to better integration of government services and in putting all relevant government information and services online.

The system was originally launched as a pilot in February 2001 and re-launched in January 2002. The redesign followed extensive research and reflected best practice both within government and the private sector. The views of users were also an important consideration within the development process.

The figures below reflect the amount spent in the financial year ending 31 March 1902. Since ukonline.gov.uk relaunched in January 2002, these figures are representative of both pre and post launch.

  1. (a) and (b) (combined for reasons above) £3,195,619
  2. (c) £633,711 has been spent on marketing since the launch of ukonline in February 2001
  3. (d) Usability/accessibility audit £2,320
  4. (e) Year ending 31 March 2001—£8,055,781
Year ending 31 March 2002—£8,894,981

The budget for site development and maintenance for 2002–3 is £8,358,000. the figure for 2003–04 is not available as Cabinet Office is still finalising its budget.

In the period since the site was re-launched usage has increased by 200 per cent. The site has also been subjected to external benchmarking and was recently assessed by the Bertelsmann Foundation as the best government website in Europe.