Evolution of local e-government and frontline service deliveryUKauthorITy.com has been tracking the evolution of technology enabled public service delivery since April 2001 - as the local e-gov programme accelerated the drive for 'modern government' then morphed under Gershon and Varney into the Transformation Agenda in the quest to deliver 'citizen-centric' services. As a quick walk down memory lane shows, however, the same issues crop up time and time again: slower than expected progress, lack of joined up services, fears of digital exclusion and lack of engagement, breaches of privacy and breakdowns in trust. Yet, overall, there is no denying the transformation in both council operations and service delivery from the application of technology. | | 2009 |  |  |
| 21/12/2009 | Digital Britain task force chalks up solid progress - so far | | As the man said after jumping without a parachute from 40,000 feet: so far, so good. The first implementation update of last summer's Digital Britain plan, published by BIS, reveals progress across the board in turning the white paper's ideas into government policy.
| | 07/12/2009 | Give the Cabinet Office more IT teeth, says think tank | | At a time when the government and opposition are trying to out-do each other with visions of 'people power' taking control of government information, it takes some nerve to propose giving Whitehall more power. But that is one of the conclusions of a report published by the Institute for Government think tank.
| | 07/12/2009 | Power to the people as technology used to drive down public sector costs | | The Government and opposition parties are promising cuts in public services and the mothballing of high profile IT projects in the run-up to Wednesday's pre-Budget statement, which is expected to confirm that annual borrowing will top £175bn.
| | 03/12/2009 | Now it's time for 'c-gov' | | The storms that savaged the country in November add a physical backdrop to the devastation that is Britain's finances.
| | 23/9/2009 | Transformational Government set for October face-lift | | The Cabinet Office is to publish an update of the Transformational Government strategy next month, a senior source revealed today.
| | 16/9/2009 | Survey reveals the two nations of e-government | | One fifth of web users now pay their council tax and other local-authority bills online, according to Oxford Internet Surveys' latest snapshot of online Britain.
| | 15/9/2009 | The government has saved at least £7m over the past year by making its IT systems greener. | | Changes including extending the life of PCs, making double-sided printing the default option and making sure computers are turned off at night have helped cut the carbon footprint of central government computers by 12,000 tonnes - the same as taking five thousand cars off the road.
| | 03/9/2009 | Ealing council's IT system was brought to its knees on 14 May after a PC was infected with the Conficker D virus | | The virus was introduced into the councils system when an unauthorised infected memory stick was plugged into a USB port on a PC connected to the Ealing network.
| | 01/9/2009 | Calling all innovators.... | | The Innovators Council is looking for examples of innovation on the frontline - and participants at an innovation workshop.
| | 18/8/2009 | New research highlights local government's dependency on software giant Microsoft | | PCs provided to local government staff are almost exclusively a operating in a Microsoft environment.
| | 06/8/2009 | Timms to lead Digital Britain Charge | | Treasury minister, Stephen Timms, is to take on the post of communications minister in order to keep the government's stalling Digital Britain strategy on track.
| | 30/7/2009 | Councils are basing important decisions on unreliable information, an Audit Commission study reveals | | But the watchdog fails to see technology as the answer to the problem.
| | 07/7/2009 | Public sector still top of the list for data breaches | | Public sector organisations were responsible for the largest number of reported data breaches in Britain last year, according to an international snapshot of data security published today (7 July).
| | 01/7/2009 | Opposition to the philosophy and practical implementation of Transformational Government is emerging as a key element in Conservative Party policy as the Tories gear up for the next election. | | The concept of IT-enabled, citizen-centric government has come under fire in a series of speeches and statements by shadow ministers.
| | 01/7/2009 | Bell tolls for national identity card scheme | | The national identity card scheme, once regarded as the key to public services and a panacea for terrorism, will not be compulsory.
| | 30/6/2009 | CIO considers 'government app store' | | Tentative steps towards opening up the development of e-government applications along the lines of Apple's "app store" are about to begin, the government's chief information officer said today. John Suffolk told the European e-Government Conference at the University of Westminster Business School that a six-month investigation has begun into "emerging models" of software development.
| | 29/6/2009 | Government is wasting millions on IT projects claims right wing think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies. | | Most of the government expenditure of £16.5bn on IT is wasted, it states, arguing that of the government's committed spending of 1.4% of GDP on IT projects in the financial year for 2009-2010 only 30 percent of it will be spent efficiently.
| | 25/6/2009 | Cabinet Office fills top IT posts | | The Cabinet Office has made two senior appointments to help drive its new-look government IT strategy. McCluggage, director of the Delivery and Innovation Division at the Department of Finance and Personnel in the Northern Ireland civil service, is to become deputy chief information officer. He replaces Andrew Stott, who has become director of digital engagement.
| | 18/6/2009 | NHS crunch | | One outcome of President Obama's $1 trillion plan to reform the US's healthcare system has been a flurry of American interest in the NHS's computerisation programme. Leading figures on the NHS scene and independent commentators are enjoying a rare moment in the international limelight as normally insular US experts examine the NHS National Programme for IT to identify elements that might be worth replicating.
| | 16/6/2009 | Digital Britain could lead economic and social growth | | The Digital Britain white paper positions a thriving digital economy and citizen 'digital participation' as an essential bedrock for the nation's future growth.
| | 10/6/2009 | Don't have it; don't want it either - the government's plan for everyone to have access to the internet faces stubborn resistance from people who just don't want to surf the net. | | Over two fifths (43%) of adults who currently do not have access to the internet at home say that they would choose to remain unconnected even if they were given a free PC and broadband connection.
| | 04/6/2009 | Lack of awareness of online public services is hampering take up. | | Research from Coleman Parkes and Parity suggests that the British public is keen to use web services, but is simply unaware of what they can do online.
| | 03/6/2009 | Tom Watson resigns from ministerial IT post | | Of the dozen or so ministers to have held the Cabinet Office IT portfolio under Labour, Tom Watson held a unique distinction. He was the only one to show any enthusiasm for the job, and the first to take the role further than fire-fighting. Within weeks of arriving at the Cabinet Office at the beginning of 2008, he had identified the systemic weakness in decades of central government IT policy. He saw a political opportunity to put that weakness at centre stage and his closeness to Gordon Brown gave him the political weight to make that happen.
| | 15/5/2009 | Kent connects to GCSX en masse | | Kent Connects - a partnership of all Kent and Medway authorities - is the first group to achieve aggregated connection to the Government Connect Secure eXtranet (GCSX) through a shared IT infrastructure.
| | 13/5/2009 | Stott to head digital engagement | | The Cabinet Office has opted for a safe choice as the government's first head of digital engagement. Andrew Stott, 53, is a career civil servant and well known on the government IT circuit as deputy chief information officer and director, service transformation. He is also a lifelong personal computer enthusiast.
| | 12/5/2009 | Child database rolls into action | | Social workers, health professionals, head teachers and other cleared professionals will be able to see, for the first time, all different services involved with any child they are working with as up to 800 frontline practitioners in 17 pilot local authorities, Barnardo's and KIDS, go live with the ContactPoint children's database from next week.
| | 12/5/2009 | Councils look to make efficiency savings before job cuts | | Local authority leaders have promised to make efficiency savings before job cuts and say they will be trying to protect posts that provide effective management.
| | 07/5/2009 | Problems with ICS to be fixed | | The government's new action plan for the protection of children in England sets out to fix concerns raised by both the Social Work Task Force and Lord Laming about the Integrated Children's System (ICS).
| | 06/5/2009 | Government deal with Microsoft to deliver £75m savings | | Buying Solutions has hammered out a pan-public sector deal with software giant, Microsoft, aimed at cutting the public sector's software costs by up to £75m over the next five years.
| | 28/4/2009 | Government plays hardball with health service IT suppliers | | The Department of Health is getting tough with the lead suppliers to the NHS's National Programme for IT, wishing to 'open up the healthcare IT market to new suppliers and new technological developments'.
| | 28/4/2009 | Central government failing on management of IT contracts | | Civil servants are wasting millions of pounds a year on IT and outsourcing contracts and as the pressures on public finances increase to ever higher levels it cannot be countenanced, say MPs.
| | 22/4/2009 | Councils to make more IT savings following Budget | | Budget means councils must make back office IT savings and share more services if they are to balance books.
| | 21/4/2009 | Better back office systems save money | | The efficient use of back office IT systems and electronic procurement has contributed to more than £15bn of savings by the public sector in England.
| | 01/4/2009 | New pilots announced to bring health and social care together | | Patients in 16 pilot sites will benefit from a trial to see how health and social care services can join together to increase quality of care.
| | 24/3/2009 | ContactPoint database halted | | Work has been suspended on the government's controversial ContactPoint database of children amid security fears and mounting criticism.
| | 23/3/2009 | Post Office has potential to become front office for government | | The Post Office can turn itself into a real front office for government as it wins contract to supply driving licences.
| | 23/3/2009 | Reform think tank condemns government databases | | One in four government databases are illegal and should be scrapped, it claims.
| | 17/3/2009 | Council outsourcing spend drives government IT spend of £8.5bn | | The public sector is the most attractive market for software and IT services vendors in the UK in 2009, with local government outsourcing programs a key growth driver.
| | 27/2/2009 | IT efficiency delivers council tax cut in London borough | | Hammersmith & Fulham Council is cutting council tax bills by three per cent saying it is saving money by using IT more efficiently.
| | 18/2/2009 | No CoCo. No housing benefit data. No joke. | | Councils without a Government Connect Secure eXtranet (GCSx) connection will be left out in the cold when DWP switches to secure electronic communications only for housing benefits data on 1 April.
| | 06/2/2009 | Councils' increasing use of surveillance, and data risks, are undermining freedom | | The misuse of surveillance cameras and other snooping technologies by councils to catch litterbugs is undermining democracy.
| | 03/2/2009 | Government taskforce calls for radical shake up of public sector data | | More power to digital government and a freeing up of government data is the call in a report from the government-sponsored Power of Information Taskforce.
| | 29/1/2009 | Government outlines plans for UK's digital Britain | | The government has outlined its commitment to putting more public services online and that they will be designed for ease of use by the widest range of citizens.
| | 28/1/2009 | Tories opt for open source software and better procurement | | Shadow chancellor, George Osborne, has welcomed recommendations on how to deliver better value for money in IT procurement and create a level playing-field for open source software.
| | 26/1/2009 | Council ICT upbeat - before recession hit | | The world changed dramatically in the few short months between collecting data for Socitm's 22nd IT Trends 2008/9 survey and publication of the results.
| | 20/1/2009 | Digital divide grows between home and school | | Pupils are now using the internet less at school due to the frustration of low-tech access, suggesting that the education sector is failing to keep up with the expectations of the digital generation, finds a new study.
| | 16/1/2009 | Government data sharing back on agenda | | Controversial plans to widen powers of data sharing between civil servants and local government are included in new legislation.
| | 05/1/2009 | Brown unveils digital action to end recession | | Plans for massive investment in the UK's digital infrastructure and new jobs mean that Britain will come through the recession stronger, Gordon Brown has insisted.
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| | 2008 | | |
| 14/11/2008 | Post Office awarded card account contract | | The Post Office has been given a huge reprieve as it is awarded the contract to continue providing the Post Office Card Account.
| | 10/11/2008 | People show government a better way | | Recycling will become much easier for millions of people thanks to the winner of the government's Show Us A Better Way competition.
| | 07/11/2008 | Scottish authorities launch jobs site | | All 32 Scottish authorities are to advertise job vacancies on a single website.
| | 06/11/2008 | Commission adopts plans to deliver telecare | | The European Commission wants governments to improve broadband services to enable a wider use of remote monitoring between health and social care providers and patients.
| | 29/10/2008 | Government unveils new role of digital champion | | A new high profile Digital Champion will help to promote the government’s Digital Inclusion agenda.
| | 28/10/2008 | Government says no to e-voting in 2009 | | The government will not use e-voting for next year’s local or European Parliament elections.
| | 27/10/2008 | Local authorities given a key role in the delivery of digital inclusion. | | Communities and Local Government has launched a local government support programme which underpins the government’s plan for delivering social inclusion through technology:
| | 23/10/2008 | Social networks will complement, and may replace, some government functions | | By 2011, 70 percent of social computing deployments in government that achieve business benefits will do so in unplanned or unexpected ways, it is claimed.
| | 14/10/2008 | Government Connect pledges £2.25m local authority support package | | The Government Connect programme has announced a £2.25m package of support to assist and encourage implementation by local authorities of the Government Connect Secure eXtranet.
| | 14/10/2008 | Action plan tackles digital exclusion | | Deputy digital minister, Wayne David, calls for concerted action to end the digital divide.
| | 10/10/2008 | New research links digital inclusion and social impact | | Learning about computers and the internet can help to improve the lives of disadvantaged groups, according to a new research report from UK online centres and Ipsos MORI.
| | 08/10/2008 | Central government to lose IT jobs | | Thousands of government computer jobs will be axed, a trade union has been told.
| | 08/10/2008 | Councils must tighten belts | | English councils are facing an uphill struggle to contribute to a further £4.9bn of back office savings before 2010.
| | 03/10/2008 | Councils hit by credit crunch | | The grim economic climate and rising inflation has left town halls having to find more than a billion pound of savings over the next three years to safeguard vital local services and keep council tax down, warns the LGA.
| | 16/9/2008 | Hi-tech communications centres for disaster management | | The roll-out of hi-tech communications vehicles for the fire and rescue service - a move which will help local authorities deal with a disaster - begins.
| | 16/9/2008 | Ethnic minority groups continue to lead the way on digital take-up | | Ethnic minority groups are at the forefront of digital communications in the UK, with high levels of mobile phone, internet and multichannel television take-up.
| | 10/9/2008 | Improving public confidence in Scotland's online services | | An expert group has been set up to help Scotland's public bodies protect individuals' privacy.
| | 08/9/2008 | Reliability in partners is a number one priority | | Local authorities believe that reliability in service delivery is a number one priority when working with a partner.
| | 08/9/2008 | Technology gap broadens between citizens and local government | | While people are embracing new technology, local government is behind the times when it comes to identity authentication.
| | 15/8/2008 | Buying sustainable government and then turning it off | | Cabinet Office minister, Tom Watson MP, has been appointed to take the lead on improving the way government can achieve sustainable operations and procurement objectives across departments.
| | 01/8/2008 | YouTube used for top council job | | A council leader in Norfolk is advertising for a new chief executive - by going on YouTube.
| | 28/7/2008 | New interactive local crime maps in every area | | Every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have access to the latest local crime information through new interactive crime maps.
| | 24/7/2008 | One-stop shop for adapting to climate impacts | | Climate Change minister, Joan Ruddock, has called on councils to develop imaginative and innovative approaches to deal with the impact of a changing climate.
| | 18/7/2008 | Reducing avoidable contact - guidance on NI 14 | | IDeA has produced new guidance for local authorities on reducing avoidable contact with people.
| | 17/7/2008 | Transformational government brings improvements | | Light shone on transformational government progress as report says transformational government is enhancing service delivery.
| | 17/7/2008 | Government wants computers to go green | | The government says it plans to slash the carbon footprint of its computer systems.
| | 16/7/2008 | A communications database would be a step too far | | Any government run database holding the telephone and internet communications of the entire population would raise serious data protection concerns, warns information commissioner.
| | 27/6/2008 | Prime minister sets out his vision for world-class public services | | The prime minister has outlined his vision for transforming England's public services.
| | 24/6/2008 | Former Logica chief appointed to government job | | The government has appointed Logica’s former chief executive to head up the public sector's £13bn annual spend on IT.
| | 18/6/2008 | Ads the way to do it | | Lincolnshire County Council is selling space on its website to advertisers.
| | 09/6/2008 | Britain edging towards surveillance society | | A committee of MPs has called for new limits on the amount of data stored on the country's citizens, saying we are danger of becoming a surveillance society.
| | 27/5/2008 | Twenty-seven police authorities given hand-held computers | | Details of a £50m scheme to provide police forces with 10,000 hand-held computers have been unveiled but the police want more.
| | 21/5/2008 | Online services help speed planning decisions | | The use of online services has helped the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) hit 25 percent more of its key performance targets in 2007-08.
| | 21/5/2008 | Computer technology finds council benefit fraud | | Record levels of benefit fraud have been detected by a local government watchdog using computer technology.
| | 16/5/2008 | The National Programme for IT in the NHS is proving to be an enormous challenge. | | The roll out of the programme is four years behind schedule and some of it is unattainable, finds the government’s spending watchdog.
| | 06/5/2008 | Innovator of the Year award for Hillingdon | | Steve Palmer, Head of ICT at the London Borough of Hillingdon, was named as Public Sector Innovator of the Year at the UK Technology Innovation and Growth Awards.
| | 29/4/2008 | MPs criticise government websites | | The government’s website services could be vastly improved, it is claimed.
| | 25/4/2008 | Gateway moves to DWP | | A range of services that customers and businesses alike can access electronically has now moved to the DWP.
| | 03/4/2008 | NI 14 - the final countdown | | The definition of National Indicator 14 has changed with publication of the final indicator versions following consultation:
| | 03/4/2008 | Directgov moves to DWP | | Directgov has moved under the auspices of DWP as of April 2008.
| | 03/4/2008 | Government sets up task force to improve communication through social media | | Cabinet Office minister, Tom Watson, has announced the creation of the Power of Information Task Force.
| | 02/4/2008 | Socitm to run Local Government CIO Council | | Soctim is setting up a Local Government CIO Council which will report to the main Government CIO Council.
| | 18/3/2008 | Government to launch green IT programme | | A new Centre of Expertise is to be set up to help Whitehall departments achieve their targets for reducing carbon emissions and waste across the government estate.
| | 14/3/2008 | Chiefs sceptical on shared services' savings potential | |
| | 07/3/2008 | Review looks to maximise identity card positives | | The Treasury has published an independent review on identity assurance.
| | 06/3/2008 | Government unveils revised ID cards plan | | The government has set out a new timetable for the roll out of identity cards in the UK.
| | 04/3/2008 | New definition for NI14 | | The latest version of mandatory new performance indicator for local government on avoidable contact with people – National Indicator 14 - has been published.
| | 03/3/2008 | Cameron calls for e-transparency | | A future Conservative government would require local authorities to publish essential data about their performance and spending online and in a standard format, David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader has said.
| | 25/2/2008 | Children's database insecurity due to councils' practices | | The government's child database could never be secure because of councils' security practices, states a new report.
| | 20/2/2008 | Switch off for E-Day | | Switch off unused PCs and other electrical equipment on Wednesday 27 February to save energy on E-Day.
| | 30/1/2008 | Public doubts government ability to transfer data | | New research reveals that whilst 38 percent of citizens are still happy to share all their personal data, 88 percent are unconfident or very unconfident about how safely their personal data is currently being transferred between government departments.
| | 22/1/2008 | Councils raise £10.8bn from fees and charges | | Over a quarter of English councils generate more income from charging for services such as parking, school meals and swimming than they raise through council tax.
| | 04/1/2008 | NI 14 'misses role of web in reducing avoidable contact' | | The NI 14 indicator, even in its revised version published towards the end of the consultation period, fails to follow advice set out in the Varney report on the role of the web in reducing avoidable contact with citizens and businesses.
| | 04/1/2008 | ICT has role to play in improving sustainability | | Ninety eight percent of public sector organisations believe that IT and communications technology has a role to play in improving sustainability. Yet almost half (43%) have no plans or targets for achieving improvements.
| | 03/1/2008 | Data loss culprits should be prosecuted | | Council officials and IT consultants should face criminal charges if they put people's data security at risk through carelessness or impropriety, an influential group of MPs has said.
| | 03/1/2008 | Efficiency and security top council IT chiefs' agenda says Socitm IT Trends 2007 | | Efficiency and security emerge as top issues on IT chiefs' agendas in 2007, based on findings from the latest edition of the Society of IT Management’s annual IT Trends survey
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| | 2007 | | |
| 28/12/2007 | Petition power kicks off new responsibilities for councils | | Local authorities will be forced to respond to petitions under new proposals from the government.
| | 18/12/2007 | Savings for Welsh public sector with ground breaking online system | | Welsh Assembly has given the go-ahead to a ground breaking project that will make the public sector in Wales the first place in the UK to have the opportunity to buy all its goods and services online.
| | 03/12/2007 | Efficiency savings hinge on flexible IT | | The efficiency savings required in the civil property estate can best be achieved by the introduction of flexible IT and working practices across government departments.
| | 23/11/2007 | Millions of young people's futures could be compromised by their electronic footprint | | Four and a half million young people would not want a college, or potential employer to conduct an internet search on them unless they could first remove content from social networking sites.
| | 22/11/2007 | 'Trust' the next big challenge for e-government | | EC report shows that the issue of trust in public authorities and technology systems is a major challenge for governments across Europe.
| | 22/11/2007 | Public lack confidence in councils' computer security | | Most users (85 percent) of online government services believe that their local authority's IT systems have probably already suffered a security breach at the hands of cybercriminals.
| | 21/11/2007 | Safety fears for new social services database | | Children and young people are worried about the security of information on the new ContactPoint database that will list details about all children in England.
| | 20/11/2007 | 25m personal records 'lost in the post' | | HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has lost the child benefit records of 25m individuals 'in the post'. Paul Gray, HMRC chairman, has resigned.
| | 15/11/2007 | Public knows its information rights from wrongs | | The public’s awareness of its rights under the Data Protection Act has reached an all time high, says the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
| | 15/10/2007 | Birmingham City Council's technology goes green | | Birmingham City Council is using more energy efficient processes and green technologies to lessen its impact on the environment.
| | 11/10/2007 | Sharing e-government needs standards | | The public sector’s ability to deliver inter-department and inter-government integrated services will depend upon standards adoption, it is claimed.
| | 10/10/2007 | Government's efficiency agenda could threaten local services | | Councils say they will find it increasingly difficult to meet more demanding government savings targets without affecting front-line services as they come to grips with the implications of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review.
| | 09/10/2007 | Empowering local government and communities | | The Government's Comprehensive Spending Review published today promises new resources and flexibility for local government to deliver increased local prosperity and personalised public services, responsive to the needs of those who use them.
| | 28/9/2007 | IT managers' carbon footprint must become green | | Environmental issues will become one of the top five IT management priorities for local authorities within the next three years.
| | 27/9/2007 | Beat police to get hand-helds | | At the Labour Conference Gordon Brown pledged to provide 10,000 hand-held computers by next year to police in England and Wales as part of a drive to free officers from paperwork.
| | 21/9/2007 | Council sacks workers for internet misuse | | Nine office workers employed by Neath Port Talbot Council have lost their jobs after it was discovered that they were spending up to two hours a day on the website, eBay.
| | 20/9/2007 | Shared services gather ground | | The government's strategy for sharing services continues to gather pace but there is still no sign of the local government sector plan.
| | 20/9/2007 | Minister calls for greener government IT | | Public sector computer systems need to become greener, more efficient and more sustainable, says Merron.
| | 19/9/2007 | Time to deliver on devolution | | The government has unveiled the first phase of guidance for new Local Area Agreements - marking a radical letting go of Whitehall controls by giving councils and communities more power to decide their own local priorities.
| | 18/9/2007 | UK has 'more mobiles than people' | | There are now more mobile phones than people in the UK with one in ten having four or more devices.
| | 27/8/2007 | New database could put children at risk | | Social workers have given a warning about the dangers posed by a new government database that will store the details of every child in England from next year.
| | 25/7/2007 | Nine unitary authorities announced for England | | Local government minister, John Healey, has announced that nine proposals for unitary status in England are to go ahead.
| | 25/7/2007 | New adviser on public service transformation | | Gordon Brown has announced the appointment of Sir David Varney as his adviser on public service transformation.
| | 03/7/2007 | Disadvantaged missing out as digital divide deepens | | Those who are out of work, in poor health, live in social housing, live alone, or have a low level of qualification are being set at a further disadvantage by digital exclusion.
| | 02/7/2007 | Technology offers improved learning capabilities | | A four-year study shows that tailored learning through technology is the key route to educational improvement.
| | 26/6/2007 | Data sharing can lead to faster, more efficient services | | A trial to improve the way that DWP, HMRC and local authorities help customers has speeded up the processing of benefits and tax credits to customers in North Tyneside.
| | 04/6/2007 | People faster than councils at moving to web services | | Many key decision-makers in councils do not really appreciate how far or how fast citizens have migrated to the internet, and mobile phones, messaging and texting for all types of information and services, according to a new report.
| | 25/5/2007 | Call for better data on flooding | | The Thames Flood Forum is calling for better GIS systems to help plan for flooding.
| | 08/5/2007 | Council IT departments must prepare to go green | | Local government IT departments must take green IT issues seriously and prepare for how these issues will affect work priorities.
| | 08/5/2007 | Digital divide continues to grow | | Hopes that the digital divide would narrow have been shattered.
| | 02/5/2007 | Local government on the move | | Local authorities are starting to make fundamental changes in the way they run public services by adopting mobile technology and new working practices.
| | 10/4/2007 | Chief Execs call for 'R&D' fund | | Leading chief execs ask, 'why can't we have a cross cutting secretary of state' and a 'good ideas pot' to fund radical pilots to transform citizen services?
| | 29/3/2007 | Millions for mobile technology to support social workers | | Children's social workers in England are to receive a £13m boost to help pay for ICT.
| | 27/3/2007 | Sixteen new unitary authorities go for consultation | | Local government minister, Phil Woolas, has announced that 16 councils from 26 bidding for unitary status have been short listed to go forward for consultation.
| | 26/3/2007 | Online government helps authorities get leaner | | Local authorities should be using more technology to deliver leaner operational management to reduce inefficiencies, join up services and adopt a customer-led service culture.
| | 21/3/2007 | Lyons calls for new government partnership | | Sir Michael Lyons has published the much anticipated final report from his independent inquiry into the future role, function and funding of local government and calls for better Council Tax systems.
| | 21/3/2007 | E-Government set to fail - unless a joined up approach is adopted | | The current lack of a joined up approach to e-government will result in its failure, according to those involved with e-government projects.
| | 14/3/2007 | Sunderland wins social and digital divide challenge | | Sunderland was unveiled as the winner of Communities and Local Government's Digital Challenge competition.
| | 12/3/2007 | Growth of snail mail | | Local government's use of direct mail has increased even though most households now have access to the internet.
| | 13/2/2007 | E-democracy story grabs headlines as cyber traffic gridlocks No 10 website | |
| | 17/1/2007 | Government to create a citizens database as it consults on service delivery | | A huge Whitehall citizens database of people's personal details could be created in a bid to improve public services.
| | 12/1/2007 | Transformation plans sweeping central government and will impact on local government | | Shared services plans for Whitehall departments will herald the introduction of widespread shared services across local government as the government publishes a report on Transformational Government.
| | 05/1/2007 | Management gets smarter as councils’ IT spend is cut | | ICT managers look to efficiencies, smarter procurement and shared service arrangements as IT spend falls back, finds IT Trends Survey.
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| | 2006 | | |
| 12/12/2006 | Councils are missing opportunities to exploit website investments for efficient enquiry handling | | A new report based on research into telephone enquiry handling by local authorities reveals danger of new silos emerging around phone and web channels.
| | 12/12/2006 | Public sector bodies cost the economy half a billion pounds in hidden information markets | | The OFT's market study into the commercial use of public information has found that more competition in public sector information could benefit the UK economy by around £1bn a year.
| | 07/12/2006 | Transformation key to better government says Sir David Varney | | Sir David Varney has published his report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ‘Service Transformation: a Better Service For Citizens and Businesses, a Better Deal for Taxpayers’.
| | 17/11/2006 | Transformational government – it’s harder than you think | | Achieving transformational change in the public sector is particularly challenging and complex says a government watchdog.
| | 15/11/2006 | Mobility, mobility, mobility and how to save £21.5 billion | | The largest ever survey of local government senior officers and staff to prove that mobility in the missing link in service delivery is launched.
| | 15/11/2006 | Text me I'm a user of government services | | Some users of council services would like to receive more information via text messages.
| | 26/10/2006 | Data sharing at heart of transformational government | | The costs of too little data sharing across the public sector far outweigh the potential risks involved, claims a new report.
| | 26/10/2006 | Government unveils new vision for local government | | More powers will be given to parish councils as government calls for greater autonomy at a local level and an end to 1,000 national indicators, leaving around 200.
| | 16/10/2006 | Government Connect to be free for local authorities | | Government Connect has received a major funding boost of £10m to be used towards installation and running costs for the GCSx solution and the Government Gateway for local authorities until March 2008.
| | 10/10/2006 | New website helps local authorities access PFI expertise | | A website enabling local authorities to access PFI and PPP expertise is launching at the SOLACE conference.
| | 10/10/2006 | Identity cards come with a billion pound bill | | Local government could face a multi-million pound bill as the government publishes key milestones for the introduction of identity cards.
| | 02/10/2006 | Call for better information sharing | | Information sharing between social services, police and health professionals is key to reducing violent deaths and serious assaults.
| | 25/9/2006 | Mobile devices could change the face of local government | | Councils across the UK are putting a new emphasis on the use of emerging and mobile technologies but nearly half say they have no idea how to integrate their back office systems into their CRM.
| | 21/9/2006 | Teachers identify wireless as key to classroom of the future | | More than two-thirds of teachers believe that wireless connectivity will be the most important technology in the classroom over the next five years.
| | 21/9/2006 | E-auctions add to council efficiency gains | | Local authorities in England have made 13 million pounds of savings since turning to e-procurement.
| | 12/9/2006 | UK online centres to demonstrate digital dimension to social exclusion debate | | The government is being urged to make use of the 6,000-strong network of community-based centres as part of its new Social Exclusion Action Plan.
| | 01/9/2006 | Barriers to e-Government identified | | Poor coordination, a lack of interoperability and resistance to change are the top three reasons for slowing progress of e-Government across Europe.
| | 25/8/2006 | Scottish planning gets online | | People across Scotland will be able to plug into the planning system with the click of a mouse thanks to £12m of Scottish Executive funding.
| | 28/7/2006 | Transformational government to drive IT spend | | Local government expenditure on t-government projects will fuel a sales bonanza for many ICT companies.
| | 20/7/2006 | Transformational government gets new face | | Sir David Varney is to work full time with chancellor, Gordon Brown, developing strategies for transforming the delivery of public services.
| | 20/7/2006 | Top websites fail disabled users | | The best council websites can cause usability and accessibility problems for people with disabilities including visual problems, impaired motor skills and dyslexia.
| | 13/7/2006 | Government awards 1.2 million pounds to drive digital innovation | | Ten national finalists who stepped up to take on the digital challenge - to create a world class example of a "wired up community" – have been announced by DCLG minister, Angela Smith.
| | 28/6/2006 | Telecare services, supported by technology, will bring health and social care directly to people in their own homes | | Technology in the home will soon be transforming the lives of thousands of patients in the UK - in part thanks to a major new government technology grant scheme, say health service managers.
| | 13/6/2006 | Councils could save millions if they stopped back office duplication | | The needless duplication of administrative functions in the public sector is costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year and damaging the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery.
| | 03/6/2006 | Online planning applications open door to identity fraudsters | | Local planning authorities are aiding criminals to steal people's identities, says a security watchdog.
| | 01/6/2006 | Detection of £111 million of fraud raises deterrent effect of audit clampdown | | The Audit Commission's National Fraud Initiative (NFI) has sharply increased its success by detecting frauds and overpayments of £111 million.
| | 24/5/2006 | E-government minister named | | Angela Smith has been given the responsibility for e-government in the Department of Communities and Local Government.
| | 11/5/2006 | Councils can save at least £15 million from direct debit switch | | Audit Commission publishes a web tool helping councils to switch to direct debit.
| | 08/5/2006 | Northern Ireland government IT market tops £550 million | | The Northern Irish government IT market is expected to grow, despite the complex political and investment challenges the region faces.
| | 03/5/2006 | Government changes tack and targets digital exclusion | | The government is changing the aims and objectives of the digital strategy to focus on digital inclusion.
| | 03/5/2006 | Tories target government use of technology | | David Cameron is setting up a working group of business leaders and former civil servants to investigate ways of improving administrative competence and management practices within government.
| | 27/4/2006 | Government IT to have new face | | The government has appointed the man it expects to push through it programme of transformation of public service delivery.
| | 10/4/2006 | Pioneering e-auctions slash costs of goods and services | | Figures compiled by the Regional Centres of Excellence reveal that e-auctions can dramatically cut the cost of council goods and services, by an average of one quarter and by much more in some cases.
| | 06/4/2006 | Buy better to deliver better services | | Local authorities must focus on efficient and sustainable procurement if they are to deliver better services.
| | 06/4/2006 | E-government a huge success | | England is the most e-connected country in the world, says local government minister
| | 06/4/2006 | E-government is dead, long live transformation | | Councils must return to true meaning of e-government and deliver greater efficiencies.
| | 03/4/2006 | Scottish authorities move to save £500 million on computer expenditure | | Scottish Parliament ministers are hoping to save up to £500m a year by unifying computer systems across the public sector, reports The Herald.
| | 30/3/2006 | Local government at tipping point and transformation must happen | | The challenge for local authorities is to seize the opportunities for reshaping local public services - to lead change rather than have it imposed upon them, says the government in a new discussion document.
| | 28/3/2006 | Directgov moves from Cabinet Office to COI | | The Cabinet Office has announced the move of Directgov from its e-Government unit to the Central Office of Information, COI, with effect from 1 April.
| | 27/3/2006 | Government Connect moves North | | Local authority sponsorship of the Government Connect programme is to migrate from Bolton MBC to the North West e-Government Group (NWeGG) under the sponsorship of Tameside.
| | 14/3/2006 | Partnership needed to deliver efficiency gains | | National targets for improving public services cannot be achieved by central government diktat.
| | 28/2/2006 | Local government edges towards efficiency targets | | Most English councils have reached their e-government targets, finds the government, but unless take-up is increased efficiency gains will take longer to realise.
| | 27/2/2006 | Online take-up on the up for school admissions | | Parents are increasingly hitting the keyboard rather than the post box when applying for school places.
| | 17/2/2006 | Progress made on Gershon - maybe | | The National Audit Office finds that many public sector organisations are making good progress towards achieving Gershon targets.
| | 15/2/2006 | E planning targets smashed by local authority performance | | Local planning authorities (LPAs) have surpassed tough government standards for e-planning, new figures show.
| | 31/1/2006 | IT accessibility gap for disabled widens | | Eight million disabled people are fast being left behind by the quickening pace of technology's development.
| | 25/1/2006 | New guidance for e-Government | | The ODPM's keynote report released at the EU e-government ministers summit in Manchester last year is now available to a wider public.
| | 03/1/2006 | Local authorities exceeding targets for efficiency gains | | Local authorities in England are still on track to exceed their targets for efficiency gains for 2005/06.
| |
| | 2005 | | |
| 23/12/2005 | Local e-government transforms the provision of local services | | The provision of local services has been transformed as local authorities will be over 97 percent e-enabled by the turn of the year.
| | 21/12/2005 | Citizens must come first in next wave of e-Government | | The EU says that people must come first as egovernment rolls out across the community, and no-one should be excluded.
| | 20/12/2005 | E-government moves up government ladder | | The government's continued push to streamline public services gains new momentum as Ian Watmore is appointed head of the Prime Minister’s delivery unit.
| | 08/12/2005 | The next e-steps to benefit the citizen | | How often do people actually contact their local council? Most of the time, the answer is likely to be, ‘only when they feel they need to’.
| | 08/12/2005 | Concerns raised over councils' future commitment to ICT-facilitated transformation | | Council ICT spending is well below that of organisations that use ICT aggressively to deliver their business - casting doubt on local authorities' commitment to transformation.
| | 25/11/2005 | Europe's government websites fail on accessibility | | The UK Cabinet Office has published a comprehensive report on accessibility of government online services across the European Union and finds widespread failings that must be addressed.
| | 25/11/2005 | Europe's government websites fail on accessibility | | The UK Cabinet Office has published a comprehensive report on accessibility of government online services across the European Union and finds widespread failings that must be addressed.
| | 22/11/2005 | Creative thinking needed on government databases | | The government should promote research into knowledge technologies that facilitate the benefits of linking personal datasets.
| | 16/11/2005 | Eight out of ten unhappy with CRM | | Most local authorities are say that their CRM programmes have fallen short of expectations.
| | 11/11/2005 | E-use campaign launched for 2006 | | A national campaign designed to raise public awareness and encourage take-up of under-used council e-services is announced.
| | 10/11/2005 | Councils told to scrap old IT systems and share services | | Scrapping old IT systems and sharing services could save councils £140 million a year, according to a report published by the Audit Commission.
| | 03/11/2005 | Government publishes plans for the future of e-government | | The Government has announced a new drive to deliver major efficiencies for tax payers by merging back office functions in public services.
| | 24/10/2005 | Local authority e-procurement comes of age | | Local government procurement professionals must become better at internally marketing what they can do to support the Efficiency Programme within a council. To do that they need to develop an internal marketing strategy, demonstrate evidence of how they can deliver efficiencies and council objectives, says IDeA.
| | 22/10/2005 | Child champion challenges national child database plans | | The man who chaired the 2003 inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie has challenged plans for a national database containing every child's details.
| | 14/10/2005 | Government sketches out future of e-government | | The government has asked the Central Office of Information to undertake a feasibility study into undertaking a national campaign to promote the take-up of local e-services early in 2006.
| | 04/10/2005 | Local e-government minister launches Phase 2 of Government Connect | | A programme which seeks to provide improved security for online transactions between public organisations has been praised by minister for Local e-Government, Jim Fitzpatrick.
| | 26/9/2005 | Think big with less resource for e-government | | Council must think big and work in collaboration not just with each other but with many other organisations in a bid to bring about efficiency gains as e-government funds dry up, say the local government minister.
| | 22/9/2005 | Listen to staff or ICT reform will fail | | The views of frontline public sector workers are not being heard despite being crucial to the success of large-scale Information and Communication Technology projects.
| | 14/9/2005 | Teachers lack confidence in new technology | | Few teachers are making full use of the government's £1bn investment in computers for schools.
| | 07/9/2005 | Intervention needed to make e-government work | | Time could heal the digital divide but effective government intervention would be better, says a new report.
| | 05/9/2005 | Mapping sign-up | | The majority of local authorities (99.46%) have signed up to the Mapping Service Agreement (MSA) for local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales.
| | 30/8/2005 | Technology failing to bridge digital divide | | More poor people and other disadvantaged groups are being excluded from the benefits that using new technology brings.
| | 23/8/2005 | English councils on ‘e’ home straight | | English local authorities are on the home straight to meeting the 2005 e-targets, says local e-government minister, Jim Fitzpatrick.
| | 23/8/2005 | £7.5m to ‘connect government’ | | Government Connect is to get £7.5m in 2005/06 to support its development and initial roll-out as the project seeks to provide improved security for on-line transactions between public organisations.
| | 03/8/2005 | Mapping Service Agreement live | | IDeA has confirmed agreement of the final stage of a national Mapping Service Agreement (MSA) on behalf of local authorities for the co-ordinated use of digital mapping, addressing, and geographic data.
| | 01/8/2005 | Authorities are cheating on e-government compliance | | Councils are cheating on their claims of e-government readiness, finds new research.
| | 24/7/2005 | Online planning boost | | The Government has finalised the highest ever allocation under the Planning Delivery Grant (PDG) to further improve and speed up planning performance - and much of the money looks set to be spent on IT systems.
| | 11/7/2005 | Public wants to see wider use of IT in government | | IT must be used in all in public services if people are to get the service levels they want - but local and central government must match the right technology to the right people.
| | 04/7/2005 | Collapse in support for ID cards | | The Government's plans for identity cards look increasingly shaky as public support for the scheme collapses.
| | 04/7/2005 | IT suppliers hit out at adverse newspaper coverage | | Intellect has slammed a London Evening Standard article which suggests that government modernisation plans are only good for computer companies.
| | 15/6/2005 | Public sector fails on citizen data capture | | Over half of all public sector organisations admit to inaccurate citizen data, finds new research.
| | 14/6/2005 | Councils to test road charging | | The Government will be looking for councils to test out local electronic road charging schemes.
| | 09/6/2005 | Public sector ICT fraud and abuse a major risk | | ICT fraud and abuse are still posing major problems to public sector organisations - to and those who use their services.
| | 26/5/2005 | Underpinning spatial addressing | | Plans for a new national spatial address infrastructure building on the work already undertaken by Ordnance Survey and local government have been unveiled by ODPM, Ordnance Survey and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) for local government.
| | 26/5/2005 | Defining e-service delivery | | Havering Council is tasked by the OPDM to be the lead authority to devise 15 sets of workable, pragmatic and easily understood e-service delivery standards.
| | 24/5/2005 | Be smarter or e-government will founder | | Economic crises, privatisation, budget cuts, the continuing evolution of e-government and increasing scrutiny from citizens mean that public-sector organisations of the future will need to be more citizen-focused, more business-like and smarter in their use of technology.
| | 21/5/2005 | Happiness is in-house ICT | | Councils that have outsourced their ICT service are less likely to be happy with the ongoing service than councils that run an in-house service.
| | 28/4/2005 | Secure data sharing essential for e-government | | Secure data sharing has a vital role to play in the e-government agenda and should be seen as a foundation stone for integrated government rather than a ‘nice to have’.
| | 08/4/2005 | Basic mistakes mar council web sites | | Many local authority web sites lack functionality and are inaccessible to users, claims new research.
| | 31/3/2005 | Market local e-government or people won't use it | | Targeted marketing communications campaigns have the potential to drive take-up of local e-channels finds new National Project research.
| | 22/3/2005 | Connect for efficient transactions | | The Government hopes its new Government Connect initiative will prove a major step forward in improving security for local authorities’ online transactions.
| | 02/3/2005 | More e-procurement, please | | Councils’ achievements in improving procurement is laying firm foundations for the efficiency agenda, finds new research.
| | 02/3/2005 | Shared-services can achieve strategic goals | | The vast majority of government executives in a worldwide survey believe that shared IT services are important to helping them achieve their organisations' strategic goals.
| | 02/3/2005 | Public sector leads way on flexible working | | Local government and other public sector organisations are ahead of other sectors with the uptake of videoconferencing (56%) and teleconferencing (78%) – using the technology to offer staff new, flexible ways of working.
| | 01/3/2005 | Online Priority Outcomes a ‘struggle’ | | Local authority websites are continuing to improve in terms of their content and usability but there is little evidence of a major surge forward towards the 100% electronic service delivery targets.
| | 24/2/2005 | e-Citizen ready and waiting | | Latest research shows that up to 46 percent of the adult population of England are ready and waiting to use local authority e-channels.
| | 23/2/2005 | Talking the same public sector language | | A new Public Sector Vocabulary goes live on April 4 to help citizens and customers - as well as public servants - get easier and more efficient access to information through public sector websites.
| | 21/2/2005 | ODPM hands National Projects to councils | | Ownership of products developed by the Local e-Government National Projects is to be offered directly to local authorities as part of the long term strategy for local e-government.
| | 16/2/2005 | IT has a supporting role in delivering better services | | People and money are the key issues for improving public services, but ICT also has a supporting role finds new research.
| | 08/2/2005 | Joining up does not come naturally | | Multi-agency joined up delivery is a complex challenge, says ESRC. And it won’t work without adequate training.
| | 03/2/2005 | E-government – on target and bringing savings | | Councils will not only meet the 2005 e-deadline, says local government minister, Phil Hope, but in doing so they have set themselves on the path to delivering £1.2 billion in efficiency savings by 2008.
| | 28/1/2005 | Technology delivers efficient local government | | Streamlined back offices and e-procurement initiatives are helping local authorities deliver efficiency gains, says the Government as it issues further information on how local authorities will be helped to deliver efficiency gains.
| | 11/1/2005 | UK third in use of e-government | | The UK is making rapid progress towards the deployment of an e-government strategy, finds new research.
| | 01/1/2005 | FOI – the Act is upon us | | The Freedom of Information Act came into full effect today, giving individuals the statutory right to see a massive amount of information held by Government departments and thousands of public bodies.
| |
| | 2004 | | |
| 01/1/2005 | FOI – the Act is upon us | | The Freedom of Information Act came into full effect today, giving individuals the statutory right to see a massive amount of information held by Government departments and thousands of public bodies.
| | 17/12/2004 | New e-minister | | David Miliband MP is the new minister for e-government at the Cabinet Office.
| | 15/12/2004 | Councils plug into £90 million Scottish investment | | Two pathfinder projects in the north and south of Scotland are to receive up to £90 million in funding to ensure a network of high-speed internet access for rural schools and libraries.
| | 09/12/2004 | Will the public be able to use e-services? | | A new survey has revealed a lack of computing skills in the general population that casts doubt on the public’s ability to use e-government services.
| | 07/12/2004 | Councils spend £2.7bn on e-gov quest | | With councils now spending £2.7bn a year on technology, IT heads are bullish about the benefits that e-government programmes will deliver to citizens.
| | 23/11/2004 | Home Office to press ahead with electronic ID cards | | The Queen's Speech has confirmed Government plans for the introduction of identity cards.
| | 11/11/2004 | E-progress good, but e-targets may be missed | | Local government officers believe that their authorities are actively pursuing and making good progress towards e-government targets but they are still concerned about missing the December 2005 deadline.
| | 10/11/2004 | Get on board with e-benefits | | Phil Hope, minister for local e-government at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), has urged councils to "get on board now" with the e-Benefits National Project.
| | 07/11/2004 | Welsh e-vision needs focus | | The e-public services vision is a long way off being realised in Wales, finds a new report that suggests a refocusing on e-government in the region.
| | 22/10/2004 | Welsh IT projects save money | | The Welsh Assembly’s public sector review targets technology as key to lowering government costs in the region.
| | 14/10/2004 | If we build it, will they use it? | | Local authorities look set to meet the 2005 targets, but will anyone use their services?
| | 12/10/2004 | Better access to digital technologies | | The Cabinet Office has published the report of the Digital Inclusion Panel, which has identified social groups at most risk of digital exclusion and actions to encourage them to take up Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that can help improve their lives.
| | 07/10/2004 | Get hands on for e-2005 | | The ODPM’s Local e-Government National Projects Programme is running a series of experience sharing workshops to help spread the news about its national e-government projects.
| | 29/9/2004 | Secret lives of the silver surfers | | Once encouraged on to the net, Silver Surfers are breaking traditional images of what they do online... and loving it, finds a new survey.
| | 28/9/2004 | NLIS completes three million searches | | Electronic conveyancing searches made by lawyers on behalf of homebuyers in England and Wales has passed the three million milestone using NLIS.
| | 20/9/2004 | UK’s future on the map | | Local authorities have been asked to submit their comments in a new consultation to determine the country’s future mapping needs.
| | 30/8/2004 | Government to continue with electronic voting | | Government sources have confirmed that the Government will continue with electronic voting trials following a damming report into postal voting.
| | 17/8/2004 | Sleepwalk to surveillance? | | The UK ‘risks sleepwalking into a surveillance society’ over government plans for ID cards and a population register, says the Information Commissioner.
| | 13/8/2004 | Planning for the future | | The ODPM has published its vision for a 'world-class' e-planning service. The e-Planning Blueprint.
| | 04/8/2004 | Big WEEE shock | | A third of local authority IT buyers still haven't heard about impending IT environmental legislation, the WEEE directive, never mind understand its potential cost.
| | 04/8/2004 | Building the community-wide web | | The number of government services available online is not important, says the Work Foundation – it’s the number of people who use these services that counts.
| | 29/7/2004 | Planning goes online in Scotland | | People in Scotland will soon be able to submit planning applications online, facilitating individuals and communities to link up with the planning system.
| | 22/7/2004 | Online source of junk mail | | A new study suggests that councils could be adding to the UK’s junk mail problem by not capturing customer address information on-line.
| | 15/7/2004 | E-government? What’s that? | | Three quarters of the British public have not so far noticed the impact of current investment in the e-government initiative.
| | 13/7/2004 | IT managers not taking holidays | | Council IT managers are in danger of becoming too afraid to put their feet up and go on holiday, according to a survey conducted by the Chartered Management Institute.
| | 04/6/2004 | Council heads lobby for local e-government | | Council IT managers are seeking reassurance from the new government e-supremo, Ian Watmore, that future e-government policy will take local government issues fully in to account.
| | 27/5/2004 | Directgov success ‘unlikely’ | | Almost two-thirds of people working in the UK e-government sector (59%) do not believe the government's new flagship website, Directgov, will have any more impact than UK online, the service it replaces.
| | 26/5/2004 | New e-head and new e-body | | UK e-government has a new leader, Ian Watmore, and a new unit to lead the troops in meeting the 2005 e-deadlines.
| | 14/5/2004 | Directgov lacks local direction | | Local content is an essential component of any first-stop portal to government services, say UKauthorITy.com readers, yet Directgov lacks local government input.
| | 04/5/2004 | E-government worldwide failing consumer test | | Most people who use government web sites do so primarily for information rather than transactions
| | 29/4/2004 | Government defines ‘e-council’ | | The Government has published its definition of ‘what an e-enabled council should look like’ in a bid to help all local councils reach the 2005 target.
| | 26/4/2004 | National ID card scheme is unveiled as society cure-all | | Legislation to establish a secure national ID card scheme to ensure the UK and its citizens are equipped for the challenges of the 21st century is published.
| | 23/4/2004 | UK public sector wasting billions on IT projects | | Billions of pounds are wasted every year on new IT systems, according to a report published by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Computer Society.
| | 21/4/2004 | E-UK a world leader | | The UK ranks second in the latest table for ‘e-readiness’ finds new research. And much of this success is thanks to e-government developments.
| | 14/4/2004 | Disabled denied access to web services | | Many disabled people find it impossible to use government web sites, book a holiday, open a bank account or buy theatre tickets online, finds an investigation by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC).
| | 05/4/2004 | First county meets 2005 deadline | | Surrey claims to be the first county council in the UK to beat the national deadline for making 100 percent of its suitable services available electronically - 21 months ahead of schedule.
| | 05/4/2004 | EU democracy not transformed by ICT | | ICT has yet to deliver significant benefits in terms of transformation of democracy in Europe.
| | 31/3/2004 | National Projects – the view from the front line | | Seven in ten local authorities intend to use outputs from the local e-government National Projects (NPs). But only 40 percent are confident that the projects will deliver in time for them to meet the 2005 deadline.
| | 22/3/2004 | Web sites failing on web accessibility | | Local government – better than the rest at web accessibility, but could do better, finds a new survey.
| | 16/3/2004 | E-innovation beyond 2005 | | Thirty-four cutting-edge projects to develop the local e-government agenda beyond 2005 have won a share of £6.2 million from the e-innovations fund.
| | 04/3/2004 | Database of children at risk to be set up | | Children's minister, Margaret Hodge, has outlined the government's plans to order local authorities to bring together services for children.
| | 01/3/2004 | Direct to Government | | The Office of the e-Envoy has unveiled the first stage of the Government's new on-line service which aims to provide one-stop access to central government services.
| | 23/2/2004 | Data integration key to joined up services | | The progressive application of data integration in the public sector is crucial to the success of joining up government, claims a new white paper.
| | 19/2/2004 | Gershon upbeat on Whitehall e-efficiency gains | | The Gershon review of government is expected to make radical recommendations on the future use of on-line services.
| | 18/2/2004 | Older people need technology | | Audit Commission findings support the use of assistive technology in maintaining independence and reducing care costs for the elderly.
| | 16/2/2004 | ODPM pushes forward on e-planning | | Communities across the country will benefit from advances in e-planning with a faster, more efficient planning system.
| | 05/2/2004 | Invest to save money to join up information systems | | Better information systems for local government and other services are part of a £46 million investment to deliver better public services announced by the Treasury and the Cabinet Office.
| | 04/2/2004 | Language of success in XML trials | | The Office of Government Commerce has announced the successful completion of its ‘Proof of Concept’ XML assessment trials. It hopes that the resulting single IT language will revolutionise the way government suppliers conduct business with the public sector.
| | 28/1/2004 | Government wrong on e-priorities say IT managers | | Local government IT managers have branded the Government's priorities for e-government as ‘unhelpful’.
| | 27/1/2004 | European e-gov interoperability framework | | The European Commission has published guidelines on how to make government IT systems talk to each other to provide pan-European e-government services.
| | 23/1/2004 | Home PCs improve IT skills | | Having a computer at home promotes better skills, productivity and work-life balance.
| | 15/1/2004 | E-election CORE | | The Government has announced plans to create a national e-election CORE – a Co-ordinated Online Register of Electors – in its attempts to bring the reality of a fully e-enabled general election sometime after 2006 one step closer.
| | 09/1/2004 | IT users – a necessary evil? | | The majority of IT managers apparently have a dim view of computer users when it comes to information management – viewing them as ‘security incidents waiting to happen’ or a ‘necessary evil’.
| |
| | 2003 | | |
| 22/12/2003 | Cleaning up Acacia Avenue | | The Acacia Programme has published a report on the first phase of piloting and research work in its quest to clean up national property data – and says that the vision is ‘technically feasible’.
| | 17/12/2003 | Life chances harmed by the digital divide | | People excluded from the use of new technology are increasingly facing reduced opportunities as a result, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr).
| | 16/12/2003 | Progress being made on e-2005 | | Local authorities across the country are progressing well towards the 2005 e-target says the ODPM as it publishes IEG 3 results - but 35 councils must re-submit their e-government plans and the Government is stepping up support.
| | 15/12/2003 | E-envoy to go | | The post of e-envoy is to be abandoned as the Cabinet Office takes on the lead role for electronic government.
| | 09/12/2003 | Councils spend £2.5bn on ICT | | Councils will spend nearly £2.5 billion on technology this year but many still think they may miss the 2005 e-government deadline.
| | 04/12/2003 | ID card plans move into test phase | | The Government has started to lay the foundations for a compulsory identity card scheme with a trial of biometric technology.
| | 24/11/2003 | Sharing data – how far can you go? | | The Government has published guidance to clarify the existing legal powers available to public authorities to share personal data.
| | 11/11/2003 | Compulsory ID cards for councils head over horizon | | Government plans to introduce a national ID card as a gateway to council services have been put on an unlit backburner.
| | 06/11/2003 | UK best for interactive e-government | | The UK has the most interactive e-government in the world, finds a study by the United Nations.
| | 05/11/2003 | Why do you need to share data? | | People have very little knowledge about the personal information held by public authorities and do not understand why information needs to be shared between departments.
| | 27/10/2003 | UK government needs to get on speaking terms with citizens | | Despite a government investment of around £5 billion in a drive to put services on-line, many UK citizens, including the disadvantaged and the young, would much rather deal with local authorities over the phone.
| | 22/10/2003 | Procurement strategy goes National | | The National Procurement Strategy for Local Government – which includes a call for councils to implement e-procurement solutions by 2005 and access an e-marketplace by 2006 - has been launched.
| | 23/9/2003 | ID cards could be compulsory for accessing council services | | David Blunkett wants to see the introduction of a national identity card, and wants a bill for their introduction to be included in the Queen's Speech.
| | 19/9/2003 | 21st Century public library for the digital citizen | | Resource has launched its ‘Master Plan’ for transforming public libraries across England into centres of knowledge, learning, creativity and inspiration, fit for the citizen of the 21st Century.
| | 16/9/2003 | Financial e-boost for cutting edge councils | | Cutting edge local authorities could be in line for a cash boost from a new £14 million e-innovations fund.
| | 10/9/2003 | Single database for children at heart of social services reform | | Every child in England could be given a single identity number linked to a local authority information hub under plans published by the Government.
| | 22/8/2003 | Call centres must do better | | Local and central government contact centres must be built around meeting citizens' needs and not processes, according to new guidance published for consultation.
| | 13/8/2003 | Local authorities worldwide struggle to provide CRM | | The Government could miss its e-deadline as local authorities struggle to get to grips with CRM, finds new research.
| | 07/8/2003 | Most schools now wired to the Web | | Over 99 percent of schools have access to the Internet, finds new research.
| | 17/7/2003 | On line registration for births and deaths | | People will soon be able to register birth and death on-line or by telephone.
| | 17/7/2003 | IT departments failing to deliver better value | | IT departments are not delivering a good enough service to internal users - let alone the thousands of users they will be supporting in the community from 2005.
| | 04/7/2003 | e-Envoy publishes best practice guidance for local government web managers on how to design and maintain accessible web sites | | In particular, it outlines ten key best practice guidelines for UK local government web sites.
| | 03/7/2003 | Authorities shun Pathfinder projects for e-guidance | | Authorities failing to meet their e-government targets would rather turn to the private sector for help than the Government's flagship e-government sites.
| | 23/6/2003 | The range of skills needed by Heads of ICT and e-champions if they are to deliver successful e-government programmes is to be examined | | Socitm, SOLACE and SOCPO are collaborating to explore the governance of e-government as concerns grow over the tools used to measure the success of programmes.
| | 18/6/2003 | Information technology fails to meet needs of local authority performance culture | | Management data is not provided in a format that helps local authorities to quickly identify processes that need to be changed to improve performance against Key Performance Indicators, reveals new research.
| | 17/6/2003 | As broadband connections reach two million and domestic internet connections flourish, local government remains slow to embrace the Web. | | According to a new survey 80 percent of authorities lack detailed on-line help and over a half are unable to answer an e-mail in less than a week.
| | 10/6/2003 | IEG process still needs improvement claim IT managers | | The annual exercise for local authorities of putting together an Implementing Electronic Government Statement to obtain funds for e-government should be much easier and simpler.
| | 05/6/2003 | National CRM Programme to transform local government customer service | | The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Government e-Envoy are backing a £4.25 million initiative to create the definitive local government CRM strategy.
| | 05/6/2003 | National database of disabled services needed | | Out-of-date information held by local authorities means that disabled people are getting a raw deal.
| | 20/5/2003 | £26 million local e-government boost | | Eighty-two innovative local e-government projects - from 'smart' library and transport cards to a shared database on abandoned cars – are to receive a share of £26 million Government funding.
| | 19/5/2003 | e-GMS mark II | | The Office of the e-Envoy has published the second version of its e-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS). This updated standard supports the policy on metadata outlined in the e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF).
| | 16/5/2003 | Legal framework a block to e-government | | E-government progress is in danger of being held back by the current legal quagmire of data protection and freedom of information law, finds a new survey.
| | 14/5/2003 | E-government failing to deliver cost savings in England | | Most local government managers are yet to be convinced that e-government is reducing costs and freeing up staff time.
| | 24/4/2003 | Chicken or egg – the immortal ICT question | | A new report from Socitm presents evidence of a link between an authority’s CPA result and the quality of its ICT service but fails to ascertain which comes first – a well managed council or above par ICT.
| | 11/4/2003 | UK government spending on IT continues to grow | | UK Government investment in IT is expected to show double digit growth in the next few years. And government's across Europe are making significant progress towards meeting the EU 2005 deadline for the electronic delivery of a wide range of services to internal customers, partners, and citizens, finds a new survey.
| | 11/4/2003 | e-Government becoming customer focused | | Government executives worldwide are becoming increasingly comfortable with using the term ‘customer’ to describe the citizens and businesses they serve, finds a new report. And they are apparently recognising that the principles of customer relationship management form a basis for sound e-government.
| | 03/4/2003 | Local government must help bridge internet divide | | The Government's vision is for an on-line nation with internet access for all those who want it by 2005. But local government must pull its weight to stop the development of a digital divide.
| | 01/4/2003 | Privacy and data-sharing consultation fails to grab attention | | A major consultation into data sharing has received only a small number of responses – most from the public sector - and failed to develop any new lines of arguments.
| | 11/3/2003 | Home Office revises e-mail snoopers charter | | The Home Office has published two revised proposals to regulate access to telephone, internet and e-mail records by public sector organisations, having withdrawn plans to allow councils greater access to personal data following an outcry from civil liberties organisations and internet service providers.
| | 20/2/2003 | Elderly must be e-encouraged | | More needs to be done to encourage older people – an increasingly large proportion of the population - to use government e-services if those services are to provide value for money, says the National Audit Office (NAO).
| | 17/2/2003 | 2005 a milestone not a target | | Achieving the Government's 2005 e-government deadline should be viewed as passing a milestone, not as a means to an end in itself.
| | 11/2/2003 | Technology at heart of library revolution | | Modern libraries should be part of the information and communication technology (ICT) revolution and offer advice on setting up community web sites.
| | 06/2/2003 | E-government gives cause for concern | | Alarm bells sound as fears grow for lack of take-up of on line services.
| | 29/1/2003 | Child protection database call | | A national child protection database should be implemented within the next two years, says the Laming report into the death of Victoria Climbié.
| | 27/1/2003 | Government blows cold on ID card | | Entitlement Cards could help tackle identity fraud, illegal working and immigration as well as help people access services, but the government is still unsure about their introduction.
| | 23/1/2003 | 18 councils get e-vote go ahead | | Eighteen councils have been won the Government go ahead on their plans to trial e-voting in May’s local elections, giving over one and a half million voters the opportunity to cast their vote via the Net, digital TV or text message.
| | 21/1/2003 | Government snubs e-government for new funding | | Local authority chief executives have been told that they should not submit e-government projects for Invest to Save funds.
| | 21/1/2003 | Older people give thumbs down to e-government | | Public take-up of local government on-line services could remain low for at least the next ten years, according to research that shows older people shunning the Internet and most people preferring to use the telephone to access services.
| | 13/1/2003 | Simple ID card a boon for duckers and divers | | The new Information Commissioner is warning that a national identity card scheme would increase identity theft and fail to tackle social security fraud.
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| | 2002 | | |
| 30/12/2002 | Government web sites fail to attract needy | | Poorly-designed Government web sites are failing to attract the young, senior citizens and people from disadvantaged groups – those who are most in need of the information they provide.
| | 19/12/2002 | National ID card to use biometric technology | | Moves by the Government to introduce a national ID card using biometric technology have taken a step forward.
| | 18/12/2002 | E-envoy should target failing e-councils | | A powerful group of MPs wants the government's IT czar to take greater responsibility for councils that are failing to meet e-targets.
| | 11/12/2002 | Half of local authorities failing e-targets | | Less than half of the 441 local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland say that they are on target to meet the Government's 2005 deadline for 100 percent electronic service delivery.
| | 11/12/2002 | Support for entitlement card | | Public support is growing for the Government’s proposals on Entitlement Cards, Home Office minister, Lord Falconer, will say today at the Privacy International Conference held at the London School of Economics.
| | 05/12/2002 | Planning world unites to attack Planning Bill | | The Government has been given a stark warning that, in its hurry to streamline the planning system, it risks eroding democratic control over future developments.
| | 03/12/2002 | Network UK – the future | | A new report from the Strategy Unit – which reports to the prime minister via the Cabinet Office - looks ahead at the future shape of electronic networks over the next decade, and at how policy and regulation needs to respond.
| | 28/11/2002 | Local e-Gov | | The Government has unveiled its new building block strategy for local government to develop e-government services - a National Strategy for local e-government.
| | 20/11/2002 | ‘New’ strategy for e-government | | The third annual report on the state of the UK online nation was launched at the e-Summit in London yesterday, outlining a proclaimed ‘new’ strategy for e-government.
| | 07/11/2002 | UK e-government trails the world | | Just 13 percent of adults in Britain have used the Internet to access government services or products during the past 12 months, finds new research from Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).
| | 04/11/2002 | Government failing to deliver e-government via Web | | A new report claims that three-quarters of Government web sites are in need of immediate attention in one area or another.
| | 31/10/2002 | Research blow to e-government | | Thirty percent of people have never used a computer, finds new research by a government department - and only one in seven people over retirement age has done so.
| | 28/10/2002 | Electronic record management at the heart of modern government | | The effective management of an individual's electronic records is at the heart of the Government's strategy to modernise the delivery of public services.
| | 10/10/2002 | Less than 50% of sign up to joined up property searches | | The Government still has much arm twisting to do if it is to achieve its aim of encouraging local authorities to sign up to electronic planning searches.2
| | 09/10/2002 | More government services get on-line | | Fifty-two percent of government services are now e-enabled and 71 percent are forecast to be made available by the end of the year, claims the latest report from the Government's e-envoy.
| | 07/10/2002 | Council ICT – could do better | | Seventy one percent of Best Value inspections on council ICT services resulted in a verdict ‘poor’ or ‘fair’. None were rated excellent.
| | 30/9/2002 | Pinder’s revised channel strategy | | E-envoy, Andrew Pinder, has published the latest version of the Government's channel framework document.
| | 27/9/2002 | E-councils progress | | English councils have made real progress towards delivering e-government in a relatively short time, claims John Thornton, director of e-government at the IDeA.
| | 25/9/2002 | Inability to implement IT key to project failure | | The Government is re-launching its drive to improve project delivery skills of civil servants tasked with managing complex or major government projects.
| | 29/8/2002 | Government must find out what services are wanted on-line, say MPs | | An influential group of MPs has told the Government it must step up efforts to get on-line public services that people want to use and not waste resources in providing services that are not wanted and will not be used.
| | 29/8/2002 | The impact of ICT on environmental sustainability - call for tenders | | The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has announced a call for tenders for a study on the future impact of information and communication technologies on environmental sustainability.
| | 14/8/2002 | Public sector wary of e-mail | | Since the Jo Moore debacle nearly eight out of ten (79%) of civil servants admit to being more wary about the e-mails they send at work.
| | 12/8/2002 | Delivering effective e-services | | The effective use of IT can deliver better public services designed around the user, says Pinder.
| | 31/7/2002 | Council to sell IT services to other authorities | | Liverpool City Council is to create a pioneering new company to help run services, including IT, for other local authorities - creating local jobs and bringing in revenue to the council coffers.
| | 29/7/2002 | Government endorses national projects | | The Government has embarked on a joined up drive to encourage councils to speed up the property buying process by endorsing a national e-conveyancing and land and property gazetteer system.
| | 19/7/2002 | Central support needed to deliver local e-gov | | Councils need more support if they are to achieve delivery of better services through the successful implementation of e-government, says the Audit Commission. Councils need more support if they are to achieve delivery of better services through the successful implementation of e-government, says the Audit Commission.
| | 11/7/2002 | EU urges councils to share software | | European local governments should share open source software resources, says a new report published by European Commission
| | 08/5/2002 | Majority of e-government initiatives fail or fall short of expectations | | More than 60 percent of all e-government initiatives either fail or fall short of expected outcome finds a new world-wide study, and the practical problems of implementing e-government initiatives usually overwhelm the original political intent.
| | 25/4/2002 | Government on the Web – must try harder says NAO | | The Office of the e-Envoy has given a clear cultural lead from the centre to departments, says the NAO, but it must now move beyond just campaigning for e-government to emphasising actual implementation.
| | 24/4/2002 | Joined-up government means joined-up data | | The e-GMS, the finer technical standards for enabling joined-up public sector data, and thus information systems, has been published on the Web.
| | 08/4/2002 | Local e-gov strategy still not finished | | A definitive national strategy for local e-government will not appear before autumn, local government minister, Nick Raynsford, has admitted. The minister was launching a draft national strategy today, e-gov@local, which is open for consultation until 28 June.
| | 05/4/2002 | Government acts to ring fence IEG grants | | The Government is determined that funds allocated to local government from the £350 million Local Government On-Line Programme should not be diverted to other expenditure streams.
| | 13/3/2002 | Interoperability framework for e-Government published | | Part one of the fourth version of the e-Government Interoperability Framework is now available for consultation on the govtalk website.
| | 13/3/2002 | E-Government will cause a funding crisis for local government | | Despite grants from central government to assist local authorities in Implementing Electronic Government, vital E-Government investment is set to create a massive funding crisis for local government running into billions of pounds.
| | 08/3/2002 | E-envoy calls for local government routemap | | Local government is being encouraged to produce a single national e-strategy to deliver local services.
| | 05/3/2002 | Just four council web sites ready for e-government | | A review of every local authority web site in the UK finds clear evidence that sites are not improving fast enough to meet the e-government agenda. Whilst four are judged to be ready for e-government, four councils were found not to have a web site at all.
| | 25/2/2002 | IT at heart of government delivery | | The use of technology has raised expectations in people's minds which have not been met.
| | 06/2/2002 | National ID on the cards | | National ID cards have moved a step closer with a plan for a government entitlement card.
| | 06/2/2002 | E-envoy wants universal access to Net | | E-envoy, Andrew Pinder, wants to increase peoples' access to the Internet.
| | 28/1/2002 | Electronic data on children invades privacy | | Many head teachers and school governors think the new form of the annual school census is an invasion of privacy.
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| | 2001 | | |
| 21/12/2001 | Government seeks to join up e-strategy to policy | | The Office of the e-Envoy has published new guidelines for policy makers across government designed to ensure that new government policies are effective in the e-world.
| | 10/12/2001 | E-gov indicator should reflect local needs | | Socitm is lobbying DTLR for changes to Best Value Performance Indicator 157, which aims to measure councils’ progress in meeting e-targets, to reflect citizens’ uptake of services.
| | 06/12/2001 | Government web sites stagnate | | Seventy five percent of government and agency web sites have been found to contain out-of-date or incorrect information.
| | 06/12/2001 | Uncharted e-waters | | The Tories are claiming that the Government is “missing the boat on e-government”.
| | 03/12/2001 | Councils IT spend outstrips inflation | | Seven out of ten authorities increased expenditure on information and communications technology (ICT) faster than the rate of inflation last year, yet SOCITM's annual IT Trends Survey finds that many authorities are having to dig deep in order to fund projects to meet e-government targets.
| | 03/12/2001 | Health trusts and local authorities edge towards joined up government. | | Cultural and geographical differences are making it difficult for local authorities and health trusts to work together on joined up government initiatives.
| | 20/11/2001 | Digital divide favours better off | | Better off children with access to computers at home are more likely to use them at school with confidence and gain educational benefit from the Web.
| | 19/11/2001 | Opening up access to public information | | The first tangible benefits of the Freedom of Information Act will be delivered by local government in February 2003.
| | 19/11/2001 | Welsh assembly leads IT infrastructure investment | | Local government and businesses in Wales are set to benefit from a range of new investments in new communication technology which aim to build up the Welsh economy.
| | 08/11/2001 | Net craze on the wane? | | Growth in the number of UK homes connecting to the Internet has stopped for the first time, according to the latest quarterly figures from OFTEL.
| | 19/10/2001 | Global e-government survey places UK at No.5 | | The UK ranks number five in the world league table of e-government according to the results of the first annual survey of government websites.
| | 15/10/2001 | Government seeks electronic pathfinders | | Councils across England are being invited to become e-government pathfinders and trial new ways of working with the public, private and voluntary sectors
| | 09/10/2001 | 2005 e-agenda not cast in stone | | Local government should concentrate on getting the big systems on line and not concentrate on achieving the 100 percent of services target by the Government's 2005 deadline.
| | 04/10/2001 | E-government will fail to reach every household | | A row is brewing about how e-government services can be delivered to every household in the UK.
| | 03/10/2001 | Tony Blair calls for technology to revolutionise local communities | | The prime minister called for the public sector to harness the potential of technology to deliver better services and revitalise democracy within communities.
| | 01/10/2001 | Take action now to meet e-targets | | 2005 targets ambitious, says EURIM, as it publishes briefing papers for e-success
| | 26/9/2001 | Not all councils on target to deliver online services | | Nearly one in three councils will have to do more work to satisfy the Government that they are making progress in putting services online and are at risk losing future funding.
| | 20/9/2001 | ID cards would not make councils into many big brothers | | Terrorist action in the US once again opens the debate about national identity cards, heralding for many a vision of big brother style government.
| | 24/7/2001 | Electronic procurement offers massive savings | | Local government could benefit from massive savings made by central government by the adoption of electronic procurement systems.
| | 19/7/2001 | Local authorities fail to meet e-deadlines | | Local councils are already in danger of missing the Government deadline of having 25 percent of services on-line by 31 July 2002, researchers warn.
| | 11/7/2001 | More than seven in ten worry about data privacy | | Nearly three-quarters of all adults in Great Britain are concerned about the amount of personal details being stored electronically by companies and organisations, says the Information Commissioner in her annual report.
| | 05/7/2001 | Computers to tackle social exclusion | | The crucial role that access to computers plays in local governments' fight against social exclusion has been recognised.
| | 05/7/2001 | E-Government is about people not technology | | E-government and the drive to get council services delivered online is not about technology but is a way of shaping and sustaining local communities, according to a new report published by SOLACE.
| | 02/7/2001 | Scotland sets out need for e-government | | The importance of modernising public services in Scotland, and the vital role of local authorities in that process, was highlighted in a speech by deputy minister for finance and local government, Peter Peacock.
| | 28/6/2001 | Electronic council pathfinders point the way | | Details of local authority pathfinder projects aimed at making the most of new technologies to deliver better quality and more accessible services to people have been unveiled.
| | 30/4/2001 | Local government IT fails quantity test | | Local authority managers and members are all, almost without exception, failing to grasp the benefits of the e-revolution.
| | 30/4/2001 | Government fails to turn people on-line | | The Government's plans to put public services on-line have been dismissed as unrealistic by an all-party Commons Select Committee.
| | 30/4/2001 | EU must harness benefits of e-government and not create social exclusion | | The European Commission warns governments to work together or risk losing the benefits of e-government.
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