§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his plans for the future of the corporate head office technology system; if he intends to update the Unix-based OfficePower system; and how CHOTS will relate to the relocated Procurement Executive. [41119]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe Unix-based corporate headquarters office technology system is currently being upgraded for the fourth time since the start of implementation in 1991. This latest upgrade delivers OfficePower Version 7 replacing the existing version of OfficePower 450 on CHOTS. There are no plans to update OfficePower beyond version 7.
A review involving a wide range of existing and potential CHOTS users established a clear need to operate a range of modern commercial software on the CHOTS workstation. As a result, it was agreed in May 1995 that a further development be undertaken. This work is now well under way with the objective of providing MicroSoft Windows applications on CHOTS. The full extent to which current and future CHOTS installations will use this development is still under consideration.
A number of CHOTS terminals will be installed at Abbey Wood. These terminals, plus connections with other IT systems, at Abbey Wood will allow the relocated Procurement Executive headquarters to communicate with the wider CHOTS population.