To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on Information Technology and (c) spending on Information Technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure was in each financial year since 1997–98. [107183]

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs was established as a new Department in 2001–02. The contribution by Defra to Total Managed Expenditure can be measured by the total of spending under resource and capital budgets, less non-cash items in AME. Data for 1998–99 to 2002–03 are available in the 2003 Departmental Report (May Cm 5919).Information technology budgets were devolved to Defra's various business areas for 2001–02 and 2002–03 and fully accounted information on total IT expenditure cannot be gathered without incurring disproportionate cost. However, estimates being used for planning purposes indicate that IT expenditure in Defra (excluding internal staff costs, Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies) was £53 million for 2001–02 and £64 million for 2002–03.