Press Release - Better Public Services through
e-government
4 April 2002
Few public services provided on-line allow citizens to carry out
transactions with departments electronically such as applying for
and getting a driving licence and claiming and receiving benefits,
Sir John Bourn, the head of the NAO, reported to Parliament
today.
Sir John highlighted three risks to successful implementation of
electronic services. First, the public may see no advantage in
accessing services electronically and take up may be low.
Departments need to set take up targets and develop incentives to
encourage people to use electronic services. These might include
transferring some of the cost savings to users, providing free
services and faster service delivery.
Secondly, groups such as those without access to a computer may
be excluded from the benefits of e-government such as greater
choice, convenience, speed, and accessibility. Only 7 per cent of
those in the lowest income group have how internet access compared
to 71 per cent of those on higher incomes. Departments should
actively promote key services which meet the needs of specific
groups, such as the elderly, all provided in the same place.
The third risk is that Departments may not provide the services
that people want on line or may fail to deliver IT projects to
intended cost, time and quality standards. E-government is
requiring a fundamental change in the way departments operate which
will require strong leadership and high quality staff training to
secure the benefits of the new technology.
Government has set the target that 100 per cent of services
should be available on line by 31 December 2005. Just over half of
the 524 services departments routinely provide are on line but most
provide information only – for example seven services (three per
cent) provide grants or benefits on line and none collect revenue.
Departments are expected to encourage and enable the public to use
electronic services because service delivery on line is more
efficient, but are unclear about the efficiency improvements IT can
deliver.
This report considers departments’ progress in achieving
e-government, focusing on the action taken to improve the delivery
of IT projects and the risks that need to be managed by
departments. The report highlights good practice which, if more
widely applied, could help departments achieve the benefits of
e-government.
The Office of Government Commerce’s ‘gateway’ reviews have
looked at around 100 major IT projects with a total value of £10
billion. They are an important initiative for improving the
performance of IT projects. But departments need to produce better
business cases supporting spending on IT projects, to have improved
IT project management skills, and to measure better the benefits
achieved by IT projects.
The report also recommends that the Office of the E Envoy should
work with departments to accelerate the dissemination and adoption
of good practice on how to encourage citizens to take up services
available on-line.
Sir John Bourn said today:
"A significant amount of taxpayers’ money is being spent
on delivering public services through electronic means. We have
found examples of innovative practice but there is much to do to
realise the full potential from using internet technology and
ensure a sufficient number of people use public services delivered
electronically. The major challenge is to get services on-line and
to encourage and enable people to use them. Otherwise the
considerable potential gains in departments’ efficiency will not be
delivered and large amounts of public money will have been
wasted."
Notes for Editors
- Electronic or e-government means providing public access via
the internet to information about all the services offered by
central government departments and their agencies; and enabling the
public to conduct and conclude transactions for all those services
for example paying tax, claiming and receiving benefits, getting a
passport. This involves transforming the internal efficiency of
government departments.
- The Office of the e-Envoy, as part of the Cabinet Office, is
responsible for formulating common policies and guidelines to
underpin and monitor departments’ implementation of e-government.
Departments are responsible for meeting the target for making all
services available electronically by 2005.
- Our study, Government on the Web II will be published on 25
April 2002. It updates our previous study published in 1999. Unlike
this study, it concentrates on the development of government
websites with two case studies: HM Customs and Excise and the
Department for Local Government, Transport and Regions.
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website at http://www.nao.org.uk/ Hard copies can
be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702 3474.
- The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the
head of the National Audit Office employing some 750 staff. He and
the NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 29/02
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