Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to welcome you to this launch event for leading figures from the organisations working together on the Infoshop project.

First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to attend this event. We have reached a critical point in the Infoshop project, a point which would have been much harder to reach without your involvement and support. So I am delighted to see so many of you here today at the launch of the pilot system here at Thurrock Borough Council. I am also delighted to hear news that the pilot system will also be launched today in the other thirteen partner local authorities around the country.

Local authorities play an important role in enforcing regulations, and the local one-stop Infoshops will remove unnecessary red tape, making it quicker and easier for people to get information on a wide range of regulatory issues.

My colleague Mo Mowlam recently announced new measures to simplify and reduce the burden of red tape on business and consumers. We want to see real progress in a year, and projects like Infoshop are exactly the type of innovative schemes that we want to encourage.

Our Modernising Government programme is all about harnessing new technologies to deliver public services that are more joined up, more responsive and more convenient for the user.

The Infoshop project involves local authority departments working together with central government to ensure that the best information, advice and help is given to business and the public across a range of services, in a cost effective manner. It is joined-up government in action.

I would especially like to thank the local authorities piloting this system, whose partnership and dedication so far in this project have been exemplary. I’m sure that a lot of effort will still be needed to see the pilot through to the end, and I have every confidence in you.

I would also like to thank those representatives here from the DETR, the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive who have worked alongside my officials to input and test the validity of the regulatory information now on the system. Your continued involvement is vital if we are to make sure that the Infoshop system commands the support of professionals working in the fields that we are covering.

I may I thank our partners in the private sector, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Tagish Ltd, who have provided a wealth of knowledge and expertise up to this point and will I’m sure continue to do over the coming months.

Infoshop is a prime example of what the Modernising Government agenda is all about. Your presence here today signals your continued interest in working with others to deliver a better service to the public and now the benefits are beginning to show. So congratulations! I wish you every success with the pilot, and I look forward to updates along the way.

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