Sitemorse provokes question in the House of Lords

24 Jan 2003

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The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they respond to the report from Business2www (B2W) bench-marking central government websites which alleges that, on average, they contain 1,927 errors per page. [HL436]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston):

The Government have noted the publicity surrounding this unsolicited report. We also note the report claims an average of 1,927 errors per website reviewed. The company has been using this report as a direct marketing tool to sell their website-checking software.

The National Audit Office is finalising a report of its findings from the testing of some 75 government websites against internationally recognised guidelines. I understand from its methodology and the number of websites tested that this will give us a focused understanding of the state of play of government online services.