Phase One of the computerisation of the Department of Social Security is now complete (CI No 1,398): Phase Two is now under way with pilot systems in two sites, which will rise to 40 sites by the summer, with a full roll-out in 1,300 Employment Service offices set for the end of 1994; unlike the other benefit systems under Phase One, only Unix servers will be used; the Employment Service will be using 650 IBM Corp RS/6000s and a mix of 650 ICL Plc DRS 3000s and DRS 75s, all dumb terminals will be supplied by ICL; Siemens-Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG is running an Ingres-based remote systems manager at the Departmental Service Management Centre at Lytham St Annes that provides help for users and links local offices with the four computer centres; Andersen Consulting, which has partnered the Department in this programme, estimates that about UKP500m to 600m has been spent so far, out of a total budget of UKP1,500m allocated for 1987 to 2000.
