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This page provides details of progress on
implementing the Commitments in UK Online Annual Report 2002.
Published 3 June 2003
Business
| Government
| People
BUSINESS
Recommendation 1: Our goal is to develop
the UK as a world leader for electronic business
Summary of Progress: March 2003 - June 2003
Commitments for 2003:
- To provide support to companies in their ongoing adoption
of ICT through the work of UK online for business.
- To work towards the creation of a new regulatory framework
for the communications sector through the creation of OFCOM.
- To work with the broadband supply industry to facilitate
an industry-wide collaborative campaign to promote the benefits
of broadband.
- To set up a new UK Broadband Taskforce.
- To seek to improve the UK's performance against leading
competitor nations in the supply and application of ICT
skills.
- To continue to raise awareness of the need for information
security.
- To develop a strategy for the secure, innovative introduction
of m-commerce.
Highlights of Q2 - March 2003 - June 2003
- In April the budget extended first year capital allowances
for ICT for another year.
- In April, OFCOM named its Content Board, to be chaired
by OFCOM Deputy Chairman Richard Hooper.
- In March the DTI launched a public consultation on the
implementation of the EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic
Communications.
- In March, the Home Office published two public consultation
papers aiming to strike the balance between respecting privacy
and protecting the public from crime. The first "Access
to Communication Data" seeks views on revised proposals
for regulating a range of public authorities' access to
communication data. The second is a "Consultation on
a Code of Practice for voluntary retention of communications
data" as required by the Anti-terrorism, Crime and
Security Act 2001.
- UK online for business ran an awareness campaign between
March - April to promote the business benefits of broadband.
Initial evaluations suggest the campaign has been successful
with a 70% increase in traffic to the UK online for business
website.
- In April, Oftel published its review of the wholesale
broadband market as part of its work to implement the new
EC Directives on electronic communications that come into
force in July.
- In April, e-Skills UK and SEMTA (which looks after electronics
and engineering under the ICT banner) gained licences as
Sector Skills Councils with a remit to articulate and develop
the skills needs of the ICT industry.
- In May, Stephen Timms and Alun Michael appeared together
to give oral evidence to the DEFRA Select Committee's Inquiry
into Rural Broadband. They also issued a joint statement
outlining the Government's approach to extending broadband
ares into rural areas.
- The UK Broadband Taskforce has set up the Broadband Aggregation
Project in the DTI. This will formalise the process of public
sector broadband aggregation and has already secured the
participation of the NHS and DfES. The Project is designing
mechanisms to aggregate and procure broadband services,
thereby securing both greater broadband availability for
the citizen and best value for money.
- In March, the UK became the first major market, along
with Italy, to roll out a 3G service.
Forthcoming priority actions:
- In June Oftel will publish a benchmarking report on the
costs of dial-up and broadband internet access.
- In July, following on from its review, Oftel will publish
its final proposals for the wholesale broadband market.
- The Radio Communication Agency will hold an auction in
June for 15 Regional Fixed Wireless Access licences.
- OFCOM is expected to come into force in June/ July.
- In June the Broadband Aggregation project will reach a
final view on how aggregation of public sector broadband
demand will be achieved.
- Following its public consultation the DTI plans to put
regulations before Parliament in Q3 to implement the EU
Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications
GOVERNMENT
Recommendation 2: Our goal is to make all Government services
available electronically by 2005 with key services achieving
high levels of use
Summary of Progress: March 2003 - June 2003
Commitments for 2003:
- Develop a longer term vision (beyond 2005) for e-Government
and public services
- Develop a core e-Government Delivery programme, including
managing cross-cutting risk and monitoring progress and
measuring impact through the e-Government Programme Delivery
Board. Work with delivery organisations to develop evidence
based take-up strategies.
- Publish a comprehensive national strategy for local e-Government.
- Work to define a common security standard for e-Government
service delivery, promote trust in public sector information
systems and encourage widespread availability and use of
authentication services.
- Identify opportunities for challenge co-operation with
other public sector organisations and share best practice.
- Publicly consult on the DTV policy framework, develop
and deliver a citizens' portal on DTV.
- Develop an e-democracy charter
- Facilitate a mixed economy for the delivery of public
services.
- Implement the next steps of the Open Source Software policy.
- Continue to develop the Government Gateway.
- Procure the next generation of GSI services
Highlights of Q2 - March 2003 - June 2003
- The latest survey of Departments' progress in meeting
the target for 100% of services to be e-enabled by 2005
was published. The survey shows good progress towards achieving
the 2005 target with 357 (63%) services enabled at the end
of 2002. An additional 63 (11%) services had been e-enabled
since the last survey was published in Summer 2002.
- 17 e-voting pilots took place during the May local elections.
Early figures indicate that about a fifth of voters opted
to use innovative electronic voting methods. The wide range
of pilots included voting by touch screen kiosks, telephone,
text messaging, digital TV and the internet.
- Ministerial Cabinet Committee, PSX(e), approved the forward
plans for the of e-Government Delivery Programme. In parallel
a more formal process has been put into place for monitoring
progress again the ESD PSA target.
- Initial take-up trajectories have been developed for all
services and pilot workshops have been undertaken with 2
departments on their take-up strategies.
- In May a survey providing a comprehensive picture, across
the whole of English local government was published. It
outlines the approaches local authorities are taking, and
the challenges they face, in the implementation of e-government.
- In April the DotP platform - a central website hosting
infrastructure - was launched with the migration of the
UK online website.
- In May a clear policy framework for intermediary engagement
was published which outlines the 'rules' and principles
for Government to work with intermediaries and vice versa.
Forthcoming priority actions:
- The Office of the e-Envoy will host a full departmental
workshop to look at service take-up strategies and forecasts
in early June. A key aim is to develop guidance and toolkits
to assist departments that have not yet developed their
take-up strategies.
- The Office of the e-Envoy will produce guidelines for
digital TV content to help departments and local authorities
who are developing services for this medium.
- ODPM are implementing a programme of national projects
to ensure all councils have access to key electronic services
and central technical infrastructure.
- The Office of the e-Envoy will take forward work to implement
the first users of a single payments engine.
PEOPLE
Recommendation 3: Our goal is to ensure that everyone
who wants it has access to the internet by 2005
Summary of Progress: March 2003 - June 2003
Commitments for 2003:
- To raise awareness of the internet by informing citizens
about the services they can access, and the places they
can do this, and by developing relevant internet content.
- To promote affordable internet access at home, at work,
on the move, and in the community.
- To improve ICT skills by providing opportunities for citizens
to acquire the appropriate skills and confidence to use
the internet.
- To build trust in the internet by advising citizens about
how best to use the internet safely and by building a coherent
regulatory framework to increase consumer confidence.
Highlights of Q2 - March 2003 - June 2003:
- The UK online campaign was launched in May to encourage
new users to use the internet. A wide range of partnership
activity with the private and voluntary sector is taking
place throughout the country in May - June.
- In May research to establish the capacity of UK online
centres to support e-service delivery was put out to tender.
- The Adult Learners Portal (ALP) has been developed and
launched by DfES and was promoted throughout Adult Learners
week in May.
- In March the New Opportunities Fund formally launched
over 150 digital content projects under the EnrichUK banner.
The project aims to provide a coherent body of innovative
content that will support life-life long learning.
Forthcoming priority actions:
- In June, DfES will publish a National Skill Strategy which
will include an examination of the role of ICT skills.
- The Office of the e-Envoy will establish a Government-industry
working group to take forward employee purchase programmes
to promote home PC ownership.
- Research to establish the capacity of UK online centres
to support e-service delivery is scheduled to start in July.
- In Q3 the Office of the e-Envoy will take forward work
to revise guidance for the Civil Service on the use and
benefits of the Internet.
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