§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the cost for the contract with QinetiQ relating to the 1901 census was in keeping with the original budget. [HL2865]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)The contract for the 1901 online census does not make any provision for the payment of fees or management charges by the PRO to QinetiQ Ltd; hence the question of cost overruns does not arise for the PRO. Instead the development and enhancement costs for the online service have been met entirely by QinetiQ. It is intended that the company will recoup these investment costs and generate income through the charges for services on the census website.
§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
How much public money has been or is due to be spent on the creation of the QinetiQ internet site. [HL2867]
§ The Lord ChancellorThe cost to the Public Record Office since 1998 of managing the project relating to the 1901 census website under the private finance initiative has been £1.2 million. The development costs for the project have been met entirely by the PRO's contractor QinetiQ Ltd, which intends that the online service will be self-financing, and that the full development costs will be recouped through future income.