Government plans its own e-revolution

The Government has announced it intends to bring the e-business revolution into the heart of Whitehall by 'shaking up the way Government works and transforming public service quality through new technology'.

E-government is the third Information Age strategy launched by the Government following 'policies to make Britain the best place in the world to trade electronically and provide internet access and skills for all.'

It intends to introduce e-business methods throughout the public sector, including applying 'dot.com approaches to get information and services online more quickly.'

Ian McCartney, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, said: "This initiative will ensure government plays a leading part in the radical transformation of our society through new technology. It is an ambitious agenda and it will require considerable effort, investment and cultural change.

"But the benefits are huge. New technology can secure e-quality for Britain's public services. E-quality of access, e-quality of convenience and e-quality value for the taxpayer."

The strategy announces initiatives in several areas:

*Convenient public services accessible to all - during evenings and weekends. In July the Government will launch a portal - described as the first of its kind - to provide a single electronic point of entry to central and local Government which will be able to access all services.

* New electronic service delivery targets announced by the Prime Minister last week will be included in the next round of Public Service and Service Delivery agreements with the Treasury as part of the financial planning process.

* The use of new technology to tackle social exclusion. Examples include making Government websites accessible to the blind, ensuring call centres employ staff who speak different languages in areas with large ethnic groups and using technologies like digital TV to reach people with limited mobility.

* New policies for authentication, smart cards and security for online identification allowing the Government to do business with the public by electronic means.

* A policy for 'interoperability' - making sure different computer systems can communicate with each other.

* New facilities on the Government Secure Intranet, Government's e-mail system.

All major departments will have initial e-business strategies by October. Industry will be involved by providing services directly or in partnership, or as a source of best practice and support.

There will also be a major drive to bring e-business expertise into Whitehall and the public sector through both recruitment and training for senior staff. In June 2000 a detailed 'skills toolkit' will be distributed to departments to assess where they need greater skills.

The Government's e-envoy Alex Allan, said: "We want the UK to be at the forefront of the new global economy. This strategy sets out how Government can become an exemplar by introducing new technologies to modernise the way it works and improve its performance."

The dates for implementation of the new policy are:

* May 2000: Completion of the Cabinet Office study of major IT projects.

* July 2000: Publication of the outcome of the 2000 spending review.

* July 2000: Launch live service of the Government portal.

* July 2000: Publication of the Performance and Innovation Unit report on new ideas and approaches to government electronic service delivery.

* October 2000: Submission of initial e-business strategies to e-envoy Alex Allan.

* December 2000: The e-envoy's first report to Ministers on the progress of the strategy with lead departments for cross-Government service delivery projects named.