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E-government

22. Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) (Con): If he will make a statement on e-delivery of Government services. [173515]

The Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Phil Woolas): The latest reported figures show that 68 per cent. of Government services are now available online. Departments continue to report steady progress towards the target of delivering all services electronically by 2005 and, most important, achieving high levels of use of those services. To maximise take-up
 
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of services, the new Directgov site—www.direct.gov.uk—brings together information and services from many Whitehall Departments so that members of the public can have a single access point.

Miss McIntosh : Will the Minister describe to the House the difficulties that have been experienced in rolling out and implementing the e-delivery programme in almost every Department? Can he understand the frustration of our constituents who are being driven dotty by this dotcom roll-out? Does he agree that there is no substitute for having a real person at the end of a phone line when those difficulties are experienced?

Mr. Woolas: I respect the hon. Lady's point, but I do not agree. Of course, there are difficulties in implementing the strategy, but I should have thought that the House would see that it is positive and shows that Departments across the range are working closely together. That is what my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office is doing—I can give the House some real examples. Last year, the system enabled 705,000 people to fill out their self-assessment tax forms and more than 60,000 people successfully obtained their passport. It provides a good service for the public and saves money for the taxpayer. I should have thought that the hon. Lady would support that.

Mr. Richard Allan (Sheffield, Hallam) (LD): Will the Minister pass on to his hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office my congratulations on the delivery—if not the e-delivery—of his child?
 
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Will the hon. Gentleman clarify a point on the 2005 target for getting all services online? Does that mean January 2005, mid-year 2005 or the end of 2005?

Mr. Woolas: It means what it says. It means 2005—next year. So far, the figure is 68 per cent. and I am confident that further good news will be published shortly. Incidentally, according to a survey commissioned by the Cabinet Office from a respected City organisation, our e-environment is the second best in the world; we are second only to Denmark.

On the hon. Gentleman's specific question, if the date is not the end of 2005 I shall write and tell him.

Rob Marris (Wolverhampton, South-West) (Lab): The Minister mentioned the number of people who have applied for passports and done their tax returns online. Will he outline what the Cabinet Office is doing to increase the availability of services for people who are not online?

Mr. Woolas: Of course that is a very important follow-up question. The capacity to get those services is all very well, but it is whether they are used that counts. Indeed, the Government have improved and refined their target in a way that the House would support. It is not enough just to achieve that target by 2005; the take-up is important, and we are providing extra money—more than £1 billion across Departments and more than £30 million to the regional agencies—to help us to achieve that aim.

 
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BILL PRESENTED

Children's Food

Ms Debra Shipley, supported by Mr. Robert Walter, Mr. Paul Burstow, Mr. Graham Allen, Vera Baird, Mr. Ernie Ross, Peter Bottomley, Mr. Andy Reed, Mr. Paul Tyler, Alan Howarth, Angela Eagle and Mr. Simon Thomas, presented a Bill regarding the marketing, promotion and sale of food and drink to and for children; to make provision for education and the dissemination of information about children's diet, nutrition and health; to place certain duties on the Food Standards Agency; and for connected purposes: And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time on Friday 15 October, and to be printed [Bill 110].

 
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Points of Order

12.31 pm

Mr. Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You will, no doubt, be aware of the terrible events going on in the Gaza strip, with the Israeli armed forces slaughtering large numbers of Palestinians day after day, and demolishing huge numbers of homes, making large numbers of innocent people homeless—all in violation of international law and human decency. I rise to ask for your guidance on how we can raise this matter as an issue of urgency, so that whatever our Government can do to intervene to try to stop these events can be done as soon as possible.

David Winnick (Walsall, North) (Lab): Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Foreign Office questions will not be taken until 15 June but, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) says, we should have an opportunity to raise this matter in view of the deep disquiet and concern that exist in the House, and certainly in the country at large, about what the Israelis are doing. I am totally opposed to suicide bombing and terrorism as such, but innocent civilians are undoubtedly being killed, many homes are being demolished—we have seen it on television—and the Palestinians are being forced to live in tents. Those are terrible events, so I hope that there will be an opportunity for a Minister to come to the House, where we can ask questions, press for the British Government to dissociate themselves very strongly indeed from what is happening and urge the British Government to ask President Bush so to dissociate himself. What is happening now in the Gaza strip is totally unacceptable. For that reason I hope, Sir, that you can advise us how we can raise this matter as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker: These are very troubled and serious matters indeed, but both the right hon. Gentleman and the hon. Gentleman are well aware of the procedures of the House, and they will know that I cannot bring a Minister to the House unless an application has been made for an urgent question; but, of course, the relevant Ministers will have heard the comments and the concern that has been expressed and, no doubt, will take whatever action they feel is necessary in informing the House. The right hon. Gentleman and the hon. Gentleman know the rules of the House, and they know what they can do to bring a Minister to the House.

Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold) (Con): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wish to raise a point of order of which I have given you some notice; I apologise that it was not more notice. In reviewing my written parliamentary answers in preparation for my oral question on today's Order Paper, I discovered that I tabled a question on 19 November 2003, to the Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety, the hon. Member for Salford (Ms Blears), to which the reply was:

"I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library."—[Official Report, 19 November 2003; Vol. 413, c. 1035W.]

In investigating the matter this morning, I found that I have still not had a reply in the Library. I understand that, at the end of last year, there were a substantial
 
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number of such cases. Although the number has fallen, there may still be several of them, and it is unacceptable for Ministers to say that they will write to hon. Members and then not do so. I seek your advice on this matter.

Mr. Speaker: I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving me warning of this matter. I will investigate it and come back to him.

Pete Wishart (North Tayside) (SNP): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Have you been approached by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about her coming to the House to make a statement about tomorrow's planned auction of the papers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? You will know that there is substantial public concern that due process has not been followed by Christie's on this issue. It is proposing the break-up of papers that would be better placed in the British Library to serve the public good. Such is the concern that, last Friday, the British Library made it clear that the sellers are refusing to make available documents to confirm the legal title of the papers that are being sold. With just 24 hours to go before the planned auction, is there anything that Members can do to raise the issue on behalf of the public interest?

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