§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about the plans of his Department to make information available on Internet and the documents which he intends to be made available on Internet over the next year which will be accessible via the world wide web server "open.gov.UK" or any specific departmental server.
Mr. Robert G. HughesI refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Cambridge 3W (Mrs. Campbell) on 1 December, Official Report, column 816.
The Office of Public Services and Science has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of Departments making information available over the Internet. The machinery of government division, the citizens charter unit and the office of science and technology have material accessible on the CCTA government information service, as do CCTA and HMSO. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and I shall continue to make available the text of ministerial speeches.
The CCTA—the Government centre for information systems—has my full support for its plans to expand the use and accessibility of Internet services, including the G-NET internet access service, which I announced at the emerging technology conference last week. This service makes Internet access, including G-MAIL electronic mail, available to every Government telephone network user at rates which will have the minimum impact on running costs. We are using the economies of scale which the GTN affords to maximise the ease with which government officials can get access to the Internet.