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Introduction
The Modernising
Government White Paper makes a commitment to publish an
IT strategy for government which would focus on the needs
of citizens and business.
This document, e-government,
is not a conventional IT strategy which proposes technical
solutions to a set of business needs. The business of government
is too varied and complex, and the range of its dealings and
contacts too great for that to be a sensible approach. Instead,
e-government sets
a strategic direction for the way the public sector will transform
itself by implementing business models which exploit the possibilities
of new technology. It is informed by changes in the wider
economy and in leading developments in the public sector in
the UK and overseas. It identifies the respective roles of
public sector bodies and the centre in achieving this.
e-government
provides a framework for planning and action across the public
sector. (as defined in paragraph 18 below).
A central element of the strategy is the use of e-business
methods (using Internet technologies to exploit information
for better management of relationships with customers, suppliers
and partners) as a means of meeting the Government’s
targets for electronic service delivery, electronic procurement
and e-commerce.
The benefits of new technology are seen in the commercial
sector in the development of new delivery channels for services
to citizens and businesses, typically using the Internet.
But service delivery is only one aspect of the strategy. e-business
methods are relevant to a much wider range of government activity
encompassing transactions with citizens, businesses, suppliers
and with other public sector bodies (see Table 1).
The relevance of these processes will vary greatly from one
part of the public sector to another, but many of the business
and technology issues which underpin them will be common.
Examples are the establishment of identity and authentication,
the provision of secure network connections, safeguarding
personal data, facilitation of data exchange and the creation
of portals to integrate service delivery.
Table 1 e-business benefits
| Public sector |
|
|
| transaction
with |
Examples |
Benefits |
| Citizens |
Information
Culture
Health
Education
Benefits transactions
Taxation
|
Wider choice of channels,
convenience, lower transaction costs, more personal service,
greaterawareness of services and policies, greater democratic
participation and openness |
| Business
|
Support programmes
Advice and guidance
and Regulation |
Quicker, faster
interactions,
reducing transaction costs
the regulatory burden |
| Suppliers
|
e-procurement
|
Reduced transaction
costs, better inventory management, shared
data environments
|
Other
public
sector bodies |
Communication
between departments
and agencies and between central
and
local government
Policy makin |
Greater accuracy
and efficiency, reduced transaction costs. Better use
of the knowledge base. More nimble, flexible working
arrangements |
Making this happen will be a major task. There are serious
issues of business process change, skills shortages and the
existing information infrastructure to confront. The public
sector will need to work closely with private sector partners
in developing business models, establishing infrastructure
and in delivering services to end users. We must learn and
apply the lessons which will emerge from CITU’s study
of major IT projects.
Crucially, public servants must have the opportunity to develop
the skills and culture which will be necessary to work in
new, often challenging, ways. There must be a clear lead from
the top level of organisations. Partnership with staff and
their trade unions is vital in taking this work forward. This
is true not just for those with specific roles in relation
to the development and technical implementation of e-businesses,
but for all public servants.
Achieving these goals will require significant investment
(although there is scope overall for both savings and quality
improvements). The funding of this programme across the public
sector is a key issue in the 2000 spending round and beyond.
Achievement of the vision will deliver benefits for citizens,
businesses, government and suppliers. It should also enable
efficiency savings to be realised. It will be important to
measure the achievement of these benefits. In the case of
services for citizens, this will be a role for the People’s
Panel.
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What the Government
has achieved so far
Government has not stood still in response to this
revolution. Public sector organisations have used earlier
generations of technology to automate very high volume
transactions including tax dealings with business and
to automate internal processes. New services are being
introduced. Personal tax dealings will be available
on the Internet later in 2000. Projects underway in
the Office of National Statistics and Public Record
Office will create statistical, civil registration and
archiving systems for the Information Age. The Ministry
of Defence is planning to launch the Defence
e-commerce Service (DECS) in support of better procurement
and stock control in the defence sector. NHS Direct
On-line shows how citizens can be provided with information
to supplement an existing channel. Initiatives are in
place for on-line job matching and a more integrated
approach to benefits claims. Local authorities have
developed electronic one-stop shops to bring together
information and services. The Foreign and Commonwealth
Office has made travel advice available on the Internet
and Companies House sells companies information using
e-commerce technology. Within government, the Government
Secure Intranet (GSI) connects all major departments
and can provide central government users with e-mail
and Internet access.
Public sector bodies have begun the work of managing
government’s information more effectively. HMSO
is creating the Information Asset Register, a database
listing the government’s information resources
which will be accessible via www.inforoute.hmso.gov.uk.
The National Land Information Service (NLIS) project
is creating a land information system which will be
a key enabler for transactions involving property, notably
electronic conveyancing.
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Benefits for citizens
Developments in technology and the rapid fall in the price
of communications and computing have transformed many people’s
lives. New services have been established, and existing ones
are provided in new ways. At their best, these services deliver
the benefits of
- better access, with services available where and when
there is a demand
- delivery through a range of media, over the counter, via
call centre and online
- segmentation of the market, with services tailored to
suit the needs of groups within the market
- responsiveness to feedback about the content and quality
of services
- grouping of services around life episodes or common events
- comprehensive analysis of data about patterns of usage
- involvement of users in service redesign and improvement.
People are aware of the possibility and benefits of excellent
service, and they expect it in all their dealings with business.
They are less tolerant of poor service in one sector when
they have experienced good service in another. The challenge
for the public sector is that the same growing expectations
will be applied to government services. The public sector
must innovate and invest in new business models to meet this
demand. The possibility of more accessible government services
should mean that they become more convenient, easier and cheaper
to use. Personalisation of services should make it possible
to be more inclusive in providing services in more languages
and in ways which are accessible to those who have a disability
or are less mobile.
In both the public and private sectors, the increased ability
to use data about individuals to improve knowledge of customers
and improve services is quite properly accompanied by concerns
for the security, privacy and confidentiality of personal
information. Establishing and maintaining trust is vital for
online businesses. It is at least as important for the public
sector. At the same time, new technology offers the possibility
of making access to information about government easier and
for commitments on freedom of information to be met. The digital
age also offers the possibility of a better informed and more
participative democracy through electronic consultation and
better responses to feedback.
The transformation of the way government and citizens interact
must be an occasion for increasing social inclusion. It will
be an opportunity to address disadvantage which arises from
geographical location, to improve communications and employment
opportunities. The Government is committed to reducing the
digital divide, through the policies developed by the Social
Exclusion Unit; through IT learning centres; and in its commitment
to improving IT skills and access through the National Grid
for Learning, the National Learning Network, learndirect and
the Library Network. There are many local programmes in support
of these aims too. But spanning the digital divide means more
than skills and access, and it has to be accepted that some
citizens will not want or will not be able to be direct users
of new technologies. That does not mean that this strategy
has nothing to offer them. New technology can support better
face to face and telephone transactions as well as direct
interaction online. A challenge for the public sector will
be how to free up staff from internal processes in order to
offer more effective interactions, and how to provide front
line staff with the skills, information and equipment they
need to act as intermediaries in this new environment.
Benefits for businesses
New technology has transformed the way businesses can operate.
The Government’s commitment to ensure that the UK becomes
the best place in the world to do business online is set out
in its response to the report of the Performance and Innovation
Unit, e-commerce@its.best.uk.
One of the key ways in which businesses have applied e-commerce
techniques is in managing their relationships with customers
and suppliers. Public sector bodies must do the same if they
are to derive the same benefits in terms of reduced costs
and better procurement. The effect of the public sector as
a whole doing this will itself be a significant contribution
to advancing e-commerce. The Office of Government Commerce
will lead on the adoption of e-procurement within government.
The public sector does not only interact with businesses
as a customer and supplier. It is responsible for a wide range
of regulatory and support functions. The Government is committed
to reducing the impact of regulation on businesses. Businesses
will rightly expect the public sector to make the processes
involved in company startup, business expansion, continuing
regulation and compliance and the closing of a business easier
and more accessible.
Benefits for the public sector
New working methods offer potential benefits for the internal
business of government too. These include gains in efficiency
and effectiveness from better use and management of information,
whether in support of policy making or the administration
of programmes. Intranet technologies offer the possibility
of establishing knowledge bases and cross-departmental working.
Extranet connections between organisations, for example between
departments, the Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) which
they sponsor and deliverers of services to users, will enable
business to be carried out more quickly and cheaply.
Scope
This strategic framework is for agreed application across
the whole of the public sector in England, including
- central government departments and their agencies
- local government
- the NHS
- NDPBs (including the newly established Regional Development
Agencies for England) and the front-line organisations which
they support
- in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the devolved
administrations are responsible for delivering devolved
functions and for the preparation of appropriate IT strategies.
They have worked closely with the UK Government on the preparation
of this strategy and the objective is that it should, as
far as possible, be capable of adoption as a common strategy.
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