§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many contracts her Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if she will indicate for each contract(a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if she will make a statement on the number of job reductions in her Department arising from the contracting out of work to EDS. [3795]
§ Mr. Robin SquireBoth the Department for Education and Employment and the Employment Service have recently signed contracts with EDS for access to the Government catalogue framework agreement for the supply of IT goods and services. EDS operates the catalogue on behalf of the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency. No modifications have been made to this contract.
The Student Loans Company entered into a contract with EDS for software to support its lending operations in 1989. In 1990, at the suggestion of EDS, the contract was extended to include the provision of loan repayment software. The total value of the contract was £3 million per annum. Early in 1993, the SLC signed a revised contract with EDS which transferred ownership of the software lending system to the SLC. In 1995 the contract ended.
There are no other contracts between the Department or its agencies and EDS. I am not aware of any further contracts between the Department's associated bodies and EDS.
There have been no job reductions in the Department, its agencies and associated bodies as a result of contracting out work to EDS.