LCD unveils major upgrade of Web site

The Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD) has completed a major upgrade of its Internet Web site, following a significant upsurge in interest in its home pages.

The LCD's previous temporary site went from recording just 300 visits, or "hits", a week, to well over 5,500 a week in the space of a year. The record for the site, almost 7,000 hits, followed the publication of Lord Irvine's speech in Cardiff last year.

The upgrade is part of a programme for greater openness in Government. Geoff Hoon MP, Parliamentary Secretary at the LCD, said: "The establishment of our new site is in line with the Government's policy of providing greater access to information."

However, the LCD has eschewed a glossy look for the improved site, preferring to retain its spartan design.

Hoon said: "We have avoided the temptation to "entertain' users with extensive use of graphics as it results in wasted time downloading."

The LCD hopes the site will appeal to lawyers, academics, students and journalists, as well as the general public. Development work on the upgrade began last summer.

Information available on the site includes speeches, such as Lord Irvine's recent speech to the Association of Women Barristers and consultation papers, such as the latest paper on civil justice reforms.

The Web site's address is http://www.open.gov.uk/lcd.