§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected cost of the National Programme for Information Technology in the NHS was when it was originally announced; what the latest available projected cost is; and if he will make a statement. [154989]
§ Mr. HuttonThe projected costs for the national programme for information technology (NPfIT) in the national health service were announced in the strategy document, "Delivering 21st Century IT in the NHS", as £2.3 billion for the period up to March 2006. Central funding for the NPfIT is to be made available from the Spending Review 2002 as follows—£370 million in 2003–04, £730 million in 2004–05 and £1.2 billion in 2005–06.
We are on schedule and on budget to spend £2.3 billion on centrally procured IT by March 2006.
Future expenditure will form part of the ongoing financial management processes within Spending Review 2004 and future envelopes. By 2008, IT funding will be in line with the levels proposed within the Wanless Review; that is, 4 per cent., of total NHS expenditure.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of(a) training and (b) installation for the National Programme for Information Technology in the NHS; and from which budgets the funding will be taken. [154990]
§ Mr. HuttonCentral funding for the National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) in the national health service is to be made available from the1128W Spending Review 2002 as follows—£370 million in 2003–04, £730 million in 2004–05 and £1.2 billion in 2005–06.
Training plans are still evolving as is to be expected when approaching a phased programme of implementation and roll out of new applications, systems and services. The training requirements are not solely related to the NPfIT as general IT skills are now an everyday element for any public service and service-based organisation. The move to e-learning and development and the NHSU will both create more demand for computer and online skills and provide more channels and solutions to bring training to people.
As the Department completes the more detailed plans for each geographical cluster and local service provider contract, it will be able to map out the extent of IT support for clinical practice and patient care over the phased implementation of the NPfIT. This will generate clearer training requirements and will enable the Department to consider the most appropriate ways of providing training and development and produce firmer costs.
The delivery of the NPfIT and any costs related to the implementation are included within the overall envelope of central funding. In line with normal commercial practice, the final pricing structure included in each contract and the fine details of the bids are confidential.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what restrictions have been placed on bidders for the National Programme for Information Technology in the NHS making public statements about the project; whether these restrictions are usual Government practice; and what the reasons are for the restrictions. [154991]
§ Mr. HuttonThe National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) in the national health service follows normal Government and commercial practice in regard to managing procurements and contracts and has drawn upon standard guidance from the Office of Government Commerce. This is available at www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/reference/ogc library/ procurement/cup59d.pdf. This precludes suppliers from 1129W discussing their contracts or the key elements relating to the subject matter of their contracts without the agreement of the Department.
Contractors and employees of the programme are contractually required to comply with this protocol. The reasons for this are to ensure consistency, avoid confusion, and to enable any issues or proposals to be managed efficiently. It is also important to ensure that normal commercial and business rules of confidentiality are observed.