UK councils to up spending on ICT: Local authorities in the UK will spend nearly STG2.5 billion on ICT (information and communications technology) this year, but many believe they will miss the 2005 deadline for the implementation of e-government. According to a new survey by e-government analyst Socitm, "IT Trends 2003/4 -- High Stakes High Returns," spending by local councils on ICT will rise 25 percent this year from 2002 levels. However, the report notes that a "significant number" of councils do not expect to meet the e-government deadline until "some time after 2005." The study notes that the concept of joining up services "appears to be still in its infancy" among local authority chiefs. Still, senior managers, elected members and council staff are generally optimistic about the potential of IT to deliver better services to citizens, and it is estimated that improvements to services in some areas could be as much as 100 percent, with an average of 20 percent across all services.
UK government to trial biometrics: The UK government has announced that it is to begin testing biometric technology, in preparation for its proposed national identity card scheme. The UK Passport Service (UKPS) will start a six-month test of facial, iris and fingerprint recording and recognition in January, with the help of 10,000 volunteers. Each volunteer will be given a personalised smartcard containing both printed and electronic information. The results of the trial will be taken into account by the government when formulating its plans for the introduction of biometric passports and driving licences, as well as the proposed launch of an identity card scheme. The contract for the technical delivery of the trials was awarded to IT services firm SchlumbergerSema, but the value of the deal was not disclosed. "By using biometric data, linked to a national database, we can provide a modern, secure means of confirming identity, helping us to crack down on identity fraud, immigration abuse, illegal working and organised crime," said Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes.
Bosnia-Herzegovina issues biometric ID cards: The government of Bosnia-Herzegovina has launched a scheme to produce 2.5 million citizen ID cards containing biometric data. All citizens aged over 16 will be required to have the credit-card-style ID cards, which will contain the holder's photo and signature, along with a digital fingerprint stored in the form of a barcode. The government anticipates that all eligible citizens will have been issued with a card by the end of 2004. The Bosnian Ministry of the Interior has commissioned Siemens Business Services to implement the IT infrastructure for the personalisation and issuance of the cards. Siemens is also contracted to provide 1.5 million new driving licences, although these will not contain biometric information. Siemens has said that the entire project is worth around EUR20 million. The new documents will be valid across the whole territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina; until now the country's two autonomous regions -- a Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb Republic -- have issued their own separate ID cards and driving licences.
Scandinavia is tops for e-government: Scandinavian countries have the highest level of on-line government usage, according to a new study by analyst firm Taylor Nelson Sofres. The Government Online (GO) 2003 report questioned about 32,000 adults in 32 countries on their opinion and habits with regard to on-line government services. Denmark topped the poll, with 63 percent of adults saying they used public e-services, followed by Norway (62 percent) and Finland (58 percent). The country with the lowest use of e-government services was Bulgaria (1 percent). Among the countries surveyed, New Zealand was found to have the highest level of Internet penetration, with 75 percent of the population going on-line on a regular basis. Internet users aged between 25 and 44 were found to be more likely to use e-government services than any other age group. The report also said that men (34 percent) were more likely to use e-services than women (26 percent). The number of people who thought it was "safe" to interact with e-government services increased 2 points, up from 23 percent in a similar study conducted in 2002.
New Zealand abandons e-procurement: The New Zealand government has abandoned its plans to implement a centralised e-procurement system. The GoProcure project, which encountered a number of stumbling blocks since its inception, had just completed its pilot phase. "The project will be concluded and GoProcure will not proceed to the next phase," said State Services Minister Trevor Mallard. Originally heralded as a cornerstone of e-government, the GoProcure system attracted little interest from agencies, and the government had resorted to forcing all agencies to at least take on a "core transaction hub," passing transactions through a network but retaining control of local purchasing. The GoProcure system used technology from Oracle and was built and maintained by Cap Gemini New Zealand. "The trial found that only a small number of government agencies and suppliers will benefit in the short term from using GoProcure," said Mallard. He added that only USD2 million of the project's original budget of USD7.5 million had been spent on the system.
Quelle: Electric News Net, 10.12.2003
