§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the content and design of his Department's website. [139367]
§ Mr MullinThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website (www.fco.gov.uk) is kept under constant review. The site was significantly re-designed and restructured when it was re-launched in May 2002. A leading web design agency developed the new site, after consulting widely with FCO stakeholders. Usability testing on the new site was conducted in August 2002 by a specialist company using members of the public. The recommendations of their report were implemented and the findings informed a further re-design of the homepage which went live in January 2003. In July, a specialist IT consultancy, assessed the website as part of an overall review of FCO electronic information. Their recommendations are in the process of being implemented. Customer feedback is constantly monitored and assessed.