Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Fabricant Excerpts

Wednesday 20th March 2013 Commons Chamber

The Minister for the Cabinet Office was asked—

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

1. What estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse from the digitisation of public services; and if he will make a statement.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

2. What estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse from the digitisation of public services; and if he will make a statement.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr Nick Hurd)]

By introducing new digital services and redesigning old ones, we expect to save the taxpayer and service users around £1.2 billion by 2015, and at least £1.7 billion a year thereafter. Of course, that is not just about saving money; it is also about the opportunity to change totally the way the public engage with the Government and radically improve that experience.

[Michael Fabricant]

What services does the Minister see being digitised in the near future, when does he think that will happen, and how will we get people who do not have experience of computers using those new services?

[Mr Hurd]

We are reviewing more than 600 central Government transactions. My hon. Friend will be aware that seven Departments are responsible for around 90% of those. Those Departments have committed to redesigning three significant series each, all the details of which are in their departmental digital strategies. This is a live process, and the Student Loans Company went live in October. He is entirely right to remind us that no one should be excluded from the process, which is why the Government remain committed to an assisted digital service.