HL Deb 18 June 2003 vol 649 c125WA
The Earl of Northesk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the budget for the National Health Service National Programme for Information Technology. [HL3121]

Lord Warner

Central funding for the National Programme for Information Technology in the National Health Service is to be made available as follows: £370 million in 2003–04, £730 million in 2004–05 and £1.2 billion in 2005–06. This funding will be supplemented by local investment, currently running at £850 million a year from baseline allocations.

Baroness Noakes

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether any information technology staff employed by the National Health Service will be transferred to private sector companies as a part of the national programme for information technology in the National Health Service; and, if so, in what circumstances this would arise. [HL3243]

Lord Warner

There are no plans to transfer National Health Service information technology staff to private sector companies as part of the national programme for IT in the NHS. There is no reference to transferring staff in the Official Journal of the European Community contract notice and it is not included in the procurement process.