| Introduction
The Prime Minister announced
on 30 March 2000 that the target date for which all
Government services to the citizen and to business should
be available on-line had been advanced from 2008 to
2005.
This is the fourth six monthly
report that examines electronic service delivery and
the second based on monitoring the number of services
that are enabled for electronic transactions.
Delivery Channels
Electronic service delivery
is all about end-to-end services that are supported
by computer databases. This approach will provide quick
and accurate information that may be tailored to the
specific request, as it unfolds and develops, (e.g.,
if the information provided sparks off supplementary
enquiries or requests for other information)
This report focuses on the
delivery of services on line where data is captured
and exchanged electronically, for example using the
Internet or digital television. This will not be the
only route, where customer (or other) research shows
that a call centre is an appropriate method for final
delivery to the citizen or to business. A Web Access
Phone also may be suitable to receive certain services.
In some circumstances face-to-face contact with an official
will remain the most appropriate method of interacting
with the citizen or with business.
We are focusing on the services
to be delivered, routine making or receiving a telephone
call or fax transmission does not fall within the definition
of electronic service delivery.
The Approach
Progress is measured using
key services (and other areas of government business
which interact with citizens or businesses), which had
been enabled for electronic transactions so as to provide
an accurate response.
The monitoring regime is
aligned with Treasury’s public service agreements (PSAs)
and service delivery agreements (SDAs). The metrics
are based on the number of fully electronically enabled
key commitments described in departments’ PSAs and SDAs
(including their more detailed business planning where
necessary).
Linking with the PSAs and
SDAs was designed to ensure that the electronic service
delivery capability targets were viewed in a wider context
which also covered encouraging take-up and quality of
service.
This work on electronic
service delivery provided one of the early inputs to
Departments developing their e-business strategies;
these being a requirement of e-government: a strategic
framework for public services in the Information Age.
See http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/ukonline-top/$file/ukstrategy.htm
The first versions of the
strategies were due to be completed on 31 October and
published on Departments’ websites. A list of all published
strategies is available from
http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/about-servicetransformation-gettingonline-ebusiness_strategies/$file/estrats.htm
Joined–up Government
Departments were asked to
provide information about any plans they had for integration
or linkage with other service/business areas including
with other Department or other organisations; whether
these plans would be implemented before or after the
service/business area went on line; and whether the
service/business area was a candidate for availability
through a generic government portal or gateway.
Method And Comparison
With Previous Reports
The guidance provided to
Departments for the Autumn return is available from
the web http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/reports-esd-top/aut2kguide.doc
and is largely unchanged from the guidance for the spring
2000 report. The differences being largely related to
seeking increased information on take-up, measures of
customer satisfaction and interactive services.
An index to all published
reports is available www.e-envoy.gov.uk/esd_menu.htm
Barriers To Progress
Such barriers to progress
as Departments identify will be included in their e-business
strategies along with plans to remove them. Published
e-business strategies are available from
www.e-envoy.gov.uk/estrats.htm: this section covers
in general terms issues raised by departments.
The requirement for a written
signature or physical evidence is the most common barrier
to progress. The Electronic Communications Act provides
a solution to remove this legislative barrier.
An order under the Electronic
Communications Act will help deliver electronic service
delivery in some cases. However in other circumstances,
for example, anti-fraud or security reasons, as well
as there being the right technical infrastructure electronic
enablement may require changes in legislation.
Data protection, copyright
and intellectual property rights legislation may at
present preclude some information being available on-line.
The principal technical
barrier highlighted was the need for authentication
systems to facilitate processing of transactions. This
is being addressed through the development of the Government
Gateway.
For some services, electronic
capability is dependent on other organisations or third
parties such as Local Authorities having the necessary
infrastructure and systems. For example, the Office
for National Statistics provides a registration service
in partnership with Local Authorities, but does not
have responsibility for the actual registering of births,
deaths, marriages etc.
Some services involve a
manual process such as an audit, examination or inspection,
which cannot be conducted electronically.
In other cases an interview
or visit is required. There are opportunities for these
to be conducted electronically using videoconferencing
or similar technologies, however there is often a business
or policy requirement for face-to-face contact. .
Where many parties are
involved in a service, multiple changes in legislation,
systems and processes may be required for modernisation.
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