The e-envoy, Andrew Pindar, published his fourth and final UK Online report as the government announced it would appoint a new head of e-government early next year. Mr Pindar, whose contract runs out in April, said the job of ensuring that all Britons had access to the internet was almost done. Over two-thirds of government services are now online, every local council has a website, and 96% of Britain's population are aware of a place where they can readily access the internet.
The new head of e-government - who, like his predecessor, will be based in the Cabinet Office - will concentrate on encouraging the public to make more use of government websites and on automating back-office Whitehall functions. Fewer than one in 12 internet users have ever carried out a transaction with the government online, and three-quarters of the population have never visited a government website at all.
The trade and industry secretary, Patricia Hewitt, said a digital inclusion panel would be set up with the aim of ensuring everyone could get online from home in five years' time. "Every home in the UK should have a connection to online services through a digital network by 2008 - whether through a personal computer, DTV, mobile phone or other device," she said.
The report welcomes the proliferation of more than 3,000 .gov.uk websites but admits the lack of a single "clearly branded and heavily promoted" portal had held back progress. The current UK Online portal "falls a long way short of providing a single delivery point", it says.
A "single sign on" page would help the public navigate the thousands of sites and would enable people to register just once to access all of them, it says. It would also help to allay their concerns about internet security.
Some sites - notably NHS Direct, driving theory test bookings, Companies House and Ucas - have proved very successful, the report adds. Nonetheless - despite the introduction of self-assessment tax returns and online benefits - only 8% of internet users have ever carried out an online transaction with the government.
Douglas Alexander, the cabinet office minister, said the new head of e-government would make government services more "customer-focused". He or she will also help to fulfil the chancellor's promise to cut back on costly Whitehall bureaucratic functions.
The report also confirms that e-voting will not be an option in the next general election. An "e-enabled" election will take place "some time after 2006," it says, after a series of local election pilots.
Full text: the e-envoy's report
Quelle: Guardian, 15.12.2003
