Govt IT spending increases

14:31 3rd November 2008

Four key government departments saw big increases in their IT spending in the 2007/2008 financial year.

The figures, which were released during parliamentary written questions, revealed that the departments for transport, children, culture and health spent £59.4 million on IT upgrades during the past financial year - up from £42.2 million in 2006/2007.

Specifically, the Department for Transport saw an increase in spending of 48 per cent to £43.9 million, while children, schools and families witnessed a 28 per cent increase to £9.2 million.

In addition, the Department for Health's IT budget grew by 30 per cent to £4.5 million and the office for Culture, Media and Sport saw a modest rise of four per cent to £1.9 million.

Last week, an e-crime manager at Lloyds TSB suggested that IT security education should form a major part of school computing courses, with funding allocated to ensure users learn how to surf the internet safely.