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PRIME MINISTER
Report from the e-Minister and e-Envoy - 1st July
2002
This is our sixth monthly report on progress against the
UK online strategy as set out in the UK
online annual report published in December 2001. The strategy
details how we are driving forward the programme of change
to get individuals, businesses and Government online.
A detailed progress report on each of the commitments made in
the Report was published on our website in May at www.e-envoy.gov.uk.This
shows that of the 113 commitments announced, 101 are on track,
9 completed, and 3 are behind schedule.
Again we focus on just a few issues in this
monthly report. This report covers the following: Broadband,
the Government Partnership Websites and the Knowledge Network.
Broadband
Regional Broadband Unit
On 26 June Stephen Timms announced his intent to launch the
Regional Broadband Unit (RBU) to spearhead efforts to address
the rural-urban broadband divide. The RBU will come into operation
in autumn this year.
The RBU will bring together the enhanced broadband support functions
of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Office
of Government Commerce (OGC) and will be supported by the Office
of the e-Envoy (OeE).
The DTI plans to establish a number of regional
broadband advisers whose goal it is to work with Regional
Development Agencies to increase economic development on the
basis of broadband rollout.
The OGC is setting up a unit to assist purchasing authorities
across public sector organisations with their rollout of broadband.
It will do this by negotiating a number of framework contracts,
providing advice on best practice in extending broadband networks
and effectively procuring broadband.
Lower prices for broadband
Oftel research this month shows that broadband prices for
consumers in the UK are now as cheap as in France, Germany
and the USA.
Prices for DSL have fallen by 39% since the beginning of
the year and this has encouraged rapid take-up – which is
now over 600,000 and growing at a rate of 20,000 a week. We
now have some of the cheapest broadband prices in the world
and a more competitive broadband market than either France
or Germany.
A report published by the Broadband Stakeholder Group – set
up last year by Patricia Hewitt as a “critical friend” on
Government’s broadband strategy – welcomed the progress made
on the journey towards Broadband Britain, including price
reductions and increases in take-up. It also called for more
focus on the rural-urban broadband divide.The announcement
of the RBU should respond to this challenge.
Government Partnership Web
£350,000 has been allocated from the Invest to Save fund
for the Cabinet Office to develop web-based services, which
will support partnerships between the public and voluntary
sector. The services will be launched from the "ourpartnerships.org.uk"
pilot website, which has been launched by the National Council
for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
The project recognises that many essential public services
are provided by an amalgam of organisations across different
sectors and that productive and well led partnerships, supported
by new online tools, can make a significant contribution to
the Government’s drive to improve the delivery of these services.
The project is itself the product of a successful partnership
between the Cabinet Office, NCVO, the Central Government National
Training Organisations, the Home Office’s Active Community
Unit, the Improvement and Development Agency (IDEA), the OGC,
the Public Service Productivity Panel, the Open College Network
and the Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation.
Government Computing Award
On 12 June the team who lead the Knowledge Network project
were awarded the Government Computing 2002 award as Innovators
of the year. Although the award recognises personal achievement
it also demonstrates the considerable success that the whole
project team has had in the promotion and execution of joined
up Government. The awards shortlist was drawn from central
and local government, defence, education, criminal justice
and the health service.
Building on the Knowledge Network infrastructure, the Electronic
Library for Government was launched by Sir Richard Wilson.
This provides a high quality, professional information resource,
drawing on the expertise of librarians from across Government.
The content will be jointly maintained by over 20 Government
library and information services under the co-ordination of
the Committee of Departmental Librarians (CDL). The Electronic
Library will support the work of CDL in achieving a joined
up approach to the management and delivery of information
services across Government. Specific resources available on
the site include: contact points and details of services;
details of a wide range of Web sites relevant to the work
of Government; a knowledge base of common enquiries; and a
community of interest for Government librarians.
The infrastructure, skills and resources of the Knowledge
Network Team have played a vital role in bringing this vision
to fruition. CDL will be working in partnership with the Knowledge
Network Team over the next few years to develop the Electronic
Library, and maximise the benefit which it can bring in delivering
the e-Government agenda.
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Patricia Hewitt
e-Minister |
Andrew Pinder
e-Envoy
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