The Home Office has announced details of a new IT contract valued at £200 million.

A six-year contract to run IT services for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was won by Atos Origin, the department revealed on Tuesday.

The Paris-listed international information technology services company will take over the contract from November 1 this year, when the current deal expires.

Home Office minister Des Browne said Atos Origin had "demonstrated to us that they have the expertise and understanding to successfully deliver the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's IT".

"Investing in its infrastructure is part of the Directorate's drive to continually improve the working environment for its staff as well as ensuring value for money," he added.

The new contract is designed to deliver "significant operational improvements", although details of these were unavailable on Tuesday.

However, the contract will involve supporting around 8,000 users across the IND, which is responsible for immigration control, citizenship and asylum.

The contract was previously held by Siemens Business Services, who the minister thanked for "the service they provided during the life-span of the previous contract and who have supported the business during a period of high activity".

Home Office officials, who have a shaky record on big IT projects, will be hoping that the new contract runs smoother than those that have involved other bodies such as the Criminal Records Bureau and the Passports Agency.