Departmental ICT

Anne Main
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to external IT contractors in each of the last five years.

Mr. Woolas
The total monetary value of payments made by the Home Department to external IT contractors for each of the financial years 2005-06 to 2008-09 was as follows:

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|Financial year                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |£ million|
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|2005-06                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |150      |
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|2006-07                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |223      |
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|2007-08                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |336      |
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|2008-09                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |265      |
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|Note:Following their incorporation into the Ministry of Justice in May 2007, the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS) and Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) continued to share the Home Office accounting system until October 2008. Figures to October 2008 include payments by NOMS and OCJR as they could be excluded only at disproportionate cost.|         |
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The payment figures to October 2008 include expenditure by the National Offenders Management Service and the Office of Criminal Justice Reform, both of which are now incorporated into the Ministry of Justice.

Because of in-year changes to the Department's accounting systems, payment information for the financial year 2004-05 could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

The 2008-09 figure represents just under 20 per cent. of spend on goods and services by the Home Office and UKBA and reflects the significant technology enabling initiatives undertaken to protect our borders and counter terrorism.

The Department awards contracts in competition according to the EU procurement directives based on value for money.