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e-Government

The amazing thing about the debate is that IT is all-pervasive in this country, yet the Minister tells us that this is the first debate on it in this House. That is utterly astonishing, and the debate is very welcome. Another thing that is welcome is that those colleagues who have spoken obviously have a deep knowledge of the subject and a passion for it. It has been a fascinating and impressive debate. I was in two minds about whether to come at first, but I am delighted that I did. E-Government has become central to the life of the country and has produced some valuable benefits. I can give an example from Hampshire, the county from which I happen to come. Hampshire county council recently won the best project in the ““Government to citizen”” category of the Government computing BT awards for innovation—you will be well aware of that, Mr. Hancock. It beat off competition from Lancashire, Preston, Renfrewshire and West Sussex. The council came up with a project called occupational therapy direct, which was launched last January. The project handles requests for occupational therapy services from citizens, social services and health care professionals from across the country. Rather than waiting to see a therapist in person, patients call an 0845 number and speak to a trained adviser, who uses workflow software to work out the help that the patient needs. It can be anything from advice on equipment to booking an appointment with a therapist. There were huge benefits. The project has saved the therapists time and has cut waiting lists by 35 per cent. Some 45 per cent. of referrals are now dealt with directly in the service centre. Therapists can concentrate on those things for which they are most needed, and better targeting of care means that elderly patients have a better quality of life. The project has been a success all round and it is not the only success story in Hampshire. East Hampshire district council has developed a geographical information system, which was mentioned in this month's Butler Group Review. It is an information system that allows individuals to download aerial views by entering a postcode. They can see the landscape in great detail. People use the views to see their nearest police station, fire station, schools and shops. A company called Get Mapping, based in Hartley Wintney in my constituency, is surveying the whole country and combining the information that it produces by its aerial photography with the most incredibly detailed on-the-ground maps from which people can get a huge amount of useful information. A great deal of useful work is being done to collect information. The hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Andrew Miller) looks as though he disagrees.