UK agencies express concern over FoI: Nearly one-third of government agencies in the UK reckon they will have difficulty complying with the Freedom of Information (FoI) law when it comes into force in January 2005. That's according to a new report from the UK's E-Government Bulletin entitled "E-government Outlook 2004-05: Key issues for better services." Twenty-nine percent of respondents to a survey said they foresaw problems with compliance, up from 25.7 percent in a survey conducted last year. Thirty-eight percent of those questioned said they did not anticipate problems with compliance, while 33 percent were unable to forecast whether there would be problems. Among the stumbling blocks cited by survey respondents were the anticipated high cost of compliance, difficulties with converting paper records into digital format and managing e-mail records, and the lack of time for implementation of the law. The report is available to be purchased here.
IBM set to win UK government contract: IT services company IBM has been named as the preferred bidder for a contract with the UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Under the agreement, the details of which are being finalised, IBM would manage Defra's desktop IT infrastructure and business systems and develop a range of new business systems. The value of the deal was not announced, but a Financial Times report estimated that it could be worth between STG500 million and STG1 billion. Defra said the contract would last for seven to 10 years, with an option to extend it for another seven years. "The agreement will create capacity to accelerate our pace of change, while reducing costs and increasing the quality of service delivered to staff," said Alun Michael, the UK's minister for rural affairs.
New Zealand invests in secure e-services: The government of New Zealand has allocated funding for the development of secure e-services. State Services Minister Trevor Mallard said that NZD14.8 million (EUR7.5 million) would be invested over the next four years in the establishment of an on-line authentication system. Mallard said the system would "allow people and agencies to have confidence in each other's identity when conducting transactions on-line." The State Services Commission's E-government Unit, in conjunction with the Department of Internal Affairs, will develop and implement government-wide standards for authentication. A public consultation on on-line authentication options has already been held, and although a decision has not yet been reached on which methods to deploy, a national ID card has been ruled out. "[On-line authentication] is one of the key elements of e-government and will become increasingly important as agencies extend the range of their on-line services," Mallard said in a statement.
Europe launches youth portal: The European Commission has launched the European Youth Portal, an interactive on-line portal aimed at the 75 million young people across the European Union. The site offers information, news and discussion forums aimed at encouraging young people to take an interest in European affairs. Information is provided under headings such as Studying, Working, Volunteering, and Your Rights, and the site contains links to 10,000 national, regional and local Web sites. The multi-lingual portal was developed in conjunction with young people and will be updated in collaboration with youth groups, including the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency and the European Youth Card Association. Interactive features include discussion forums, on-line polls and facilities to submit contributions. "This portal will help thousands of young people to give a European dimension to their activities," said EU Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite.
Canadian government fuels IT spending: IT spending in Canada is set to increase 3 percent this year, driven by government spending, according to a study from research company Forrester. A survey of IT decision makers found that 52 percent predicted that the year would be either "somewhat challenging" or "extremely challenging." Government IT spending is healthier than business IT spending, said Forrester, as authorities continue to spend on e-government projects and replace out-dated systems at local, municipal and regional levels. Forrester predicted rising demand in the areas of portals, e-commerce and security solutions. The survey, which included statistics from more than 30 large Canadian firms and from sources such as the Statistics Canada Bureau, also found that only 32 percent of IT decision makers said they planned to increase their IT budgets this year.
Quelle: Electric News Net, 02.06.2004
