Government launches IT White Paper

1999-04-01

Perhaps the most important elements we can glean from the government’s white paper “Modernising Government”, are the milestones it sets for the availability of its electronic services. The first is that 25% of government services should be available online by 2002. The second sets a target of 2008 for all government services to be accessible electronically. Pragmatic application of the Pareto principle – the 80:20 rule – is required to ensure that the most useful services (in terms of both utilisation and benefit) are included in the 25%. In this way the needs of most individuals and businesses should be met, and the costs of delivery of government services, should be dramatically reduced within three years. A lot, however, is dependent on facilities to access such services. Will the government run electronic and paper facilities in parallel? Will this be seen as the moment when the possibility of information haves and have-nots became reality, with connected citizens being ever better informed and better able to access services than “the great unwired”?  Proactive steps will be necessary to avoid this.

The 2008 deadline might be “realistic,” as noted by Ian Taylor MP at the launch of IT-Director.com yesterday evening. However, when the time comes it will be very difficult to judge whether the government of the day achieves the target. The eWorld is commonly known to be changing at a pace of dog years; it is also recognised as an enabler of vastly different ways of working and living. It is likely that the services provided by government will change significantly over the next decade, particularly as it becomes clear that the internet is a vehicle for even the most insignificant to have a voice. Hence, even if the government of the day meets its goals, it is likely that whatever is achieved by 2008 bears little resemblance to that which was initially planned.

(First published 1 April 1999)