Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:53 pm on 9 February 2006.
My Lords, will the Minister acknowledge that the contract with the IT supplier, EDS, contained clauses that allowed the Government to claim compensation for non-functionality? Will he tell the House whether the Government have taken advantage of those clauses and how much if anything has been claimed back? Will he look very carefully at the position of the 270,000 parents with care who are currently in the old system and are on means-tested benefits who are denied the benefits of the new scheme; namely, the £10 premium? In this redesign through Sir David or howsoever, will he look at the equity that will be involved, and at those locked in the old system which is now shelved compared with those who have the advantages of the new system available to them right now?