10 June 2003

A North West based Internet Services Group, Connect Internet Solutions Ltd., has been chosen, following a competitive procurement, to bring the publications of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the UK Department for Transport (DfT), to the Internet for access by the general public.

Helping fulfil e-government objectives for improved accessibility to information, the new ODPM and DfT Publications Database websites can be found at www.publications.odpm.gov.uk and www.publications.dft.gov.uk respectively. These official publications cover a broad range of topics including housing, homelessness, regeneration, social inclusion, public transport, rail transport and road safety.

The sites provide the visitor with clear and simple options. Publications can be browsed by selecting subject categories or a particular publication can be found by searching by date, title or author. Publications published in the last month can be browsed in their own section.

Web links are provided to take the visitor to the full publication text, where available. Connect has employed SQL technology to upload publications which have been extracted from the department's existing internal publications database.

Where publications are only available in hard copy, visitors simply select the Request Publication button and publications can be requested immediately using an online order form. The Connect system automatically completes and sends the order to the document's publisher.

Colin Charlton, CEO at Connect Internet Solutions Ltd., comments, "We are delighted Connect was selected to develop this site for the public. Providing effective public access means having a solution that can be effectively used by as broad a spectrum of the public as possible. Whether they are an experienced Internet user or someone logging on for the first time at a public library, we have aimed to make it as simple as possible for publications to be viewed or ordered."