§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the Government's estimate of the profit-cost of the social security computerisation programme made in each of the past eight years and his latest estimate.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe latest available estimate of the cost of the social security computerisation programme is in the order of £1,800 million up to the end of March 1999. The computerisation programme is helping to produce savings in administration costs which are expected to amount to around £150 milion per annum by 1995. Earlier estimates of the profit-cost of the programme were examined by the Committee of Public Accounts in its 24th report (HC179) following the Comptroller and Auditor General's report (HC111). I refer the hon. Member to these reports.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the Government's estimates of job losses that would result from the computerisation of the social security system made in each of the past eight years and his latest estimate.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardWhen the operational strategy project was announced in 1982, very early estimates of the reduction in manpower amounted to approximately 25,000 posts.
In 1988 a more detailed analysis was undertaken to reflect changes to workloads and future system functionality.
The latest estimte of the number of posts to be lost is 21,000, as published in the 1989 annual review of the operational strategy.