HL Deb 25 February 2002 vol 631 c170WA
Lord Rotherwick

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the original contract with QinetiQ to produce a census Internet site was delivered on time. [HL25121]

The Lord Chancellor

The contract between the Public Record Office and QinetiQ Ltd gives the hitter the responsibility for the technical aspects of the 1901 online census service. The online service went live on 2 January 2002 on time. However, because of the unprecedented demand for the service, it was temporarily closed to general Internet access on 7 January, to enable enhancements to be carried out.

Lord Rotherwick

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many other firms tendered for the QinetiQ contract relating to the 1901 census. [HL2866]

The Lord Chancellor

Thirty organisations expressed interest in the contract and a full tender exercise was undertaken. Four organisations were shortlisted to produce a full submission. Of those four, one could not commit to making the 1901 census available online by 2 January 2002 and another withdrew, which left two organisations to provide full submissions.