HC Deb 18 November 1996 vol 285 cc426-7W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many contracts his Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if he 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 he will make a statement on the number of job reductions in his Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3814]

Mr. Streeter

The chief executives of the Court Service, the Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office will reply on behalf of their agencies. Prior to the establishment of the Court Service and the Public Trust Office as agencies, there is no record of any contracts with EDS. No contracts have been entered into with EDS subsequently by the remainder of the Department or its associated offices.

Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996: The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to the above Question about the contracts the Court Service has had with Electronic Data Systems Ltd (EDS). Since the establishment of the Agency in April 1995, the Court Service has awarded two contracts to EDS. The first began in September 1996 and is for the provision of Information Services to county courts and Crown Court Centres in England and Wales and to the Bankruptcy and Companies Courts. EDS will be paid only for the volume of valid process produced (eg summonses in the county courts, petitions in the Bankruptcy Court) so the final cost is dependent on the Court Service's volume of business. However, the cost of providing the currently contracted IT services is expected to be between £20 million and £25 million (plus VAT) over 7 years. No modifications of the contract have yet been made. The first module of the contract, to introduce a case management system into the county courts by the end of 1997, will save staff time equivalent to 600 full time posts. Under a second contract EDS provided one day of consultancy support in October 1996 to the Management Structure Review Team in Court Service Headquarters. This consisted of technical advice (not available in-house) on identifying and weighting factors as part of formal decision-making. The work was not connected with the Information Services contract and was separately negotiated at a daily rate of £751. EDS completed the work, without modification and no job reductions arose from this contract.

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996: The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 8 November 1996, regarding contracts with EDS for each year since 1985. The Public Trust Office has not awarded any contracts to EDS since 1985.

Letter from Stuart Hill to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996: I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning contracts with EDS. H M Land Registry has granted no contracts to this company.

Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 November 1996: I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply, for the Public Record Office, to your question about contracts with EDS. The Public Record Office has had no contracts with EDS.

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