§ Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been on the secure office automation project in the diplomatic wing.
§ Mr. SainsburyA review of the project was conducted following announcements by the contractor, SD-Scicon, of significant delays in the delivery of future stages. The FCO and SD-Scicon have agreed that the project be halted on terms whereby the FCO pays only for what it has received, retaining equipment, documentation and the use of software. SD-Scicon will provide maintenance cover at no charge for a period of two years, refund payments totalling £1.57 million, and acquire full rights to the software developed under the contract. In total, the cost to the FCO of the FOLIOS contract, including staff costs, was £3.4 million. The value to the FCO of the settlement, in equipment, services and returned money, is £3.3 million.