§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to ensure that Government Departments are making best use of the skills and expertise of the private sector in their expenditure on information technology. [40457]
§ Mr. FreemanThe private finance initiative has the aim of delivering high quality and more cost-effective public services by bringing the private sector more directly into the provision of those services. Expenditure on information technology on which government spends over £2 billion per year is a key area where the private finance initiative has demonstrated a vital role.
Many Government Departments have already established dedicated private finance units. But, given the unique nature of information systems and information technology projects, I am establishing a new team to work specifically on IS/IT projects. This will be in the Office of Public Service, and draw on resources from the private finance panel executive and CCTA, the Government centre for information systems.
The new unit will ensure that the principles of the private finance initiative are applied to IT expenditure across the whole of Government, with strong backing from the centre of Whitehall.
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