§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will break down the expenditure for modernising the IT systems used by the criminal justice service outlined in the Justice for All White Paper by(a) item, (b) criminal justice system agency and (c) partner; what timetable governs the expenditure; and whether his Department is meeting that timetable. [101930]
§ Mr. WillsThe Criminal Justice System (CJS) IT spending review for 2002 concluded with ring fenced funding of £834 million new money coupled with £324 million from existing baseline funding. This is intended to provide substantial impetus to reform and modernise the criminal justice system through funding significant new investment in IT. It is important that all criminal justice agencies make progress in a joined-up and consistent way according to common standards, requirements and timetables. A modern and effective IT system that enables secure e-mail, the electronic exchange of case information and case tracking by victims will benefit both users and practitioners.
Officials are currently finalising the CJS IT delivery plan prior to presenting it to Ministers for their approval. Once Ministers have approved this plan we will publish an electronic progress report on the Criminal Justice Information Technology (CJIT) website, http://www.cjit.gov.uk. I will also write to the hon. Member at this time with that information.
This report will include information on the investment profile, the IT that it will buy and the projected benefits that will be delivered. Copies of this report will be laid in the Library.