§ Mr. MossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to encourage her Department to utilise the Internet and e-mail to reduce waste and the use of paper. [72910]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyNorthern Ireland Departments are fully committed to achieving the Prime Minister's target that by 2002, 25 per cent. of government services should be available electronically. This will involve the use of the widest range of modern technologies including e-mail and the internet to improve the quality and efficiency of government services to its customers. The Northern Ireland Departments will be reporting progress against plans in this area, in line with the reporting structures implemented by the Cabinet Office.
In addition to this, the Northern Ireland Departments are again fully committed to achieving the target of 90 per cent. of purchases being handled electronically by the Year 2000, which will make the interface with suppliers more efficient and reduce paperwork. The Northern Ireland Government Purchasing Agency is a the forefront of implementing systems to achieve this target having recently won an Invest to Save Award to develop its electronic ordering services.