HC Deb 20 July 2001 vol 372 cc689-90W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the information technology projects being undertaken by his Department and agencies responsible to his Department, including(a) the start date, (b) the planned completion date, (c) the current expected completion date, (d) the planned cost and (e) the current estimated cost: and if he will make a statement. [4403]

Mr. McCartney

[holding answer 16 July 2001]: A major programme of change is currently under way in the Department to modernise the way it delivers its services and to support the implementation of important new policy initiatives such as the reform of Child Support and the introduction of new tax credits. This programme requires extensive IT change affecting all areas of the Department.

A number of the projects to deliver this change programme are already under way and will continue into the next year. Plans for others, including the implementation of Pension Credit from 2003 and the replacement of the Department's outdated computer systems, are currently being developed. Finalised completion dates and costs for these are therefore still under development.

Modernisation projects are brigaded under the headings given in the table in order to facilitate the management of the Department's modernisation programme. The overall costs of the projects to support Working Age, Pensions, Child Support and other key welfare reforms are shown but it is not yet possible to show the IT cost component because contracts have not yet been let for many of the IT projects. Because of the number of projects involved under each of the headings, the dates given can only be a broad indication of the earliest project start date, and the latest planned and expected end dates. The dates given are overall project targets, and thus embrace the IT elements of the project.

Programme Expected completion date Planned cost(£million) Current estimated coast(£million)
Working Age March 2003 289 726
Pensions December 2004 57 432
Children April 2003 914 864
Corporate March 2005 856 1,539

Notes:

1. The increase in planned and estimated cost under Working Age project work from the information provided previously in response to PC 641/2001 is due to the Department's responsibility for projects which were previously the Department for Education and Employment. An additional factor in the increased costs is the number of additional projects which have come on stream since February, as well as revised estimates for Child Support reform.

2. The costs shown have the following characteristics: they do not include any increase for pay and prices over the period; they include IT and non-IT cost components relating to each IT project; they do not include on-going core costs which will be incurred once the projects 'go live'. Additionally, the figures are high level estimates which are consequently subject to change.