To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether it remains Government policy that the main C-NOMIS base release, encompassing full prison and probation functionality, will be available no later than July 2008. (155008)

Following consideration by the National Offender Management Service Board a decision has been made to conduct a rapid review of the NOMIS programme. This review will consider the affordability of the overall programme and will report to Ministers in the autumn with recommendations for a revised programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the National Offender Management Service first advised Ministers that a review of C-NOMIS was necessary. (155010)

I was informed of the recommendations of the NOMS Board on 31 July. On receipt of that advice I requested additional information which was provided and discussed by me with a senior official on 3 August. At that meeting I agreed the review to consider the affordability of the NOMIS programme and commissioned an audit of decision making from inception to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what compensation or penalty payments will be due from firms involved in the C-NOMIS project should the project be scaled back. (155012)

No compensation or penalty payments are being discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on commissioning and procuring the C-NOMIS IT system; how much of that total sum has been spent (a) on outside agencies and consultants and (b) internally within the Department, broken down by the internal divisions, agencies and services within the Department, including the Prison Service, the Probation Service and the National Offender Management Service, that spent the money; and when C-NOMIS will be operational within (i) the Prison Service and (ii) the Probation Service. (155095)

The total NOMS expenditure of £155 million to date can be split approximately 85 per cent. contractors, suppliers and consultants, with the remainder split across in-house civil service expenditure.

Following consideration by the National Offender Management Service Board a decision has been made to conduct a rapid review of the NOMIS programme. This review will consider the affordability of the overall programme and will report to Ministers in the autumn with recommendations for a revised programme. Decisions about the project including timescales will be made once this is considered.