e-Government must fit public's needs, MPs warn
The Public Accounts Committee has warned £10 billion could be wasted if the Government cannot tailor online services to meet the practical needs of the online public.
The Committee, which consists of an influential group of MPs, said Government departments must now build on their success of simply providing information on their websites to incorporate more practical services such as applying for driving licences online.
'If e-Government is to succeed, then people must be able to benefit from online services that make their lives better and easier,' the 'Improving Public Services through e-Government' report said.
Edward Leigh, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, warned: "Most Government services currently available online just provide basic information and advice. More rapid progress now needs to be made to enable people to carry out transactions with Government such as applying for a driving licence or claiming benefits.
"There is also a need for better marketing strategies to encourage people to actually use what is available online."
The Government has pledged to have all public services online by 2005. However, in June 2001, the e-envoy, Andrew Pinder, called the Prime Minister's 2005 target "unhelpful" in a speech to international IT industry leaders at Microsoft's Digital Britain Summit.
He said: "I know the Government will not appreciate me for saying this but there have been some unhelpful targets set, particularly the main one of full electronic service by 2005. I would be more than happy if, by the target date, we could have the main Government services online with full citizen participation."
The Public Accounts Committee reminded the Government it currently has 100 major IT projects underway at a cost of £10 billion and raised its concern that the budget could be wasted if the public see no benefits in using the new online services.
Part of the report stated: "Very few of the services that citizens routinely use can be fully accessed online."
The report also broached the issue of having to overcome the 'digital divide' in the UK.
It added: "Groups in society such as the elderly, unemployed, those on low incomes and those with learning difficulties may not have easy access to the Internet with the risk that they are excluded from the benefits of e-Government."