§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Minister for the Civil Service to what extent information technology equipment and services have been introduced into Government Departments generally and Ministers' private offices in particular during the last four years.
§ Mr. HayhoeI have been asked to reply.
Comprehensive details of the Departments' expenditure on information technology—IT—equipment and services and of IT applications within Departments are not held centrally. Over the four years to 1982–83, annual expenditure on IT equipment and services is estimated to have increased from some £185 million to some £350 million. A wide range of office equipment is in use in Ministers' private offices, but no separate figures are available for their expenditure on IT. Details of major computers in use in the Government are contained in the Treasury's "List of Computers in Central Government", a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.