Welsh Office Use Of Information Technology

EDM number 1122 in 1993-94, proposed by Rhodri Morgan on 26/04/1994.

That this House is appalled and astonished by the Secretary of State for Wales's backward approach to modern technology in communications as evidenced by his reply to a parliamentary question on the funding of NHS treatment centres in Wales by the honourable Member for Cardiff West on 19th April, Official Report, column 460, which referred to a Press statement made earlier that day by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales; notes that the parliamentary answer was ludicrous to anyone taking an interest in monitoring the workings of the Welsh Office as the press release containing the statement was in fact embargoed until 20th April and was dispatched by post and not by E-mail or fax thereby delaying its arrival at the Library of the House or to the Press; understands that the Welsh Office is the only government department that does not send out its Press releases by E-mail or fax to the Library of the House and to the media beyond easy reach of Cardiff; call on the Government to ensure that Welsh Office Press releases are dispatched promptly and electronically so honourable Members can obtain information without delay, and are not disadvantaged by the absence in the House of any means of cross-checking or commenting on some of the more ludicrous claims which are the stock-in-trade of the Secretary of State's Press releases.

This motion has been signed by a total of 29 MPs.