National Audit Office to examine government IT

The National Audit Office (NAO) is to assess the government's performance on IT projects.

The move is part of a wider initiative to study progress in the government's efficiency programme, which aims to save £21.5bn every year.

According to an article published by the NAO, the study will focus on successful government IT projects and compare them with others in the private sector.

A statement from the NAO said: "A number of our reports have drawn attention to projects that have experienced problems during their development. Not every government IT project, however, experiences difficulties; many are successful. To understand why these projects avoided many of the pitfalls that befell others, the study will examine successful IT- enabled business change projects, both in the public and private sectors."

The report will deliver a verdict as to whether the government is doing enough to meet targets.

In the government's 2004 spending review, the chancellor announced efficiency changes on top of the savings targets, which included a reduction of 80,000 civil service posts.

Earlier this month it was reported during the review process that more than a quarter of government technology projects hit a "red light", according to a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

PAC chairman Edward Leigh said: "Far too often, major IT-enabled projects in government departments are late, well over budget, or do not work at all - an enormous waste of taxpayers' money."