MoD increased annual IT spending by £240m

Defence minister Andrew Robathan said in a parliamentary written answer that the costs include both operational and non-operational IT, satellite and telecommunications. It spent £852m in 2008-09, as well as £539m on related private finance initiative (PFI) charges, including the Defence Fixed Telephone Service. He told Conservative MP Graham Evans on 26 July 2010 that the figures include expenditure by the department, its agencies and advisory non-departmental public bodies its sponsors. In 2007-08, the organisations spent £655m in this area, plus £493m through PFI. The defence minister published several years of ICT spending, which shows that from £645m in 1997-98 the figure rose towards the end of the 1990s but fell in the early 2000s, with only £527m spent in 2001-02. The 2008-09 figure was the highest recorded. "The figures do not include expenditure by our trading funds as they lie outside the departmental accounting boundary. Included in expenditure are IT services, telephone line and equipment rental and minor equipment," Robathan said. Separately, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has also revealed its ICT expenditure, including that of its agencies. According to a parliamentary written answer published on 26 July 2010, it spent £9m in 2006-07, £81.6m in 2007-08, £60.2m in 2008-09 and £67.9m in 2009-10. Defra said the figure for 2006-07 does not include recharges to the Rural Payment Agency for the Genesis IT system.