To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme to date; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the time taken by the programme; what estimate he has made of the cost of these delays; and if he will make a statement. (232104)

The NAO Report published 4 July 2008 presented the cost of the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) Programme as £1.422 billion to 31 March 2008, with an additional £306 million spent on related programmes. As at 30 September 2008, the spend on DII now stands at £1.702 billion, with £372 million for related programmes.

The reasons for the time taken to deliver elements of the programme are set out in the NAO Report, which my Department has agreed.

The cost of the delays incurred up until the end of financial year 2007-08 have added an estimated £182 million cost to the programme over and above the original estimate, across the 10 years of the programme.