Britain's 'digital champion' Martha Lane Fox. Photograph: Teri Pengilley
All government websites could be scrapped and replaced with a single domain where people will be able to log on and file their tax returns, apply for housing benefit or monitor their child benefit payments, ministers indicate today.
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said he wanted to scrap all paper-based applications for government schemes or those that require lengthy face-to-face interviews and get services online to save money and improve the smooth delivery of services, ultimately through a single government website.
The move, largely a continuation of the previous government's digital policies, has already prompted criticisms that some people without internet access could in effect be barred from government services.
Ministers are planning a network of help centres in post offices to help those without access.
Responding to a report on digital inclusion by the founder of Lastminute.com, Martha Lane Fox, Maude will today announce that a new executive director of digital engagement will be appointed to the Cabinet Office to champion the move online.
Maude said that digital technology would drive efficiency and improve services. "We are in a situation where there are contracts we inherited that effectively limits the number of people who can use some online services – and where you cannot apply for the majority of forms of benefits online, at all. This is inconvenient, expensive, wasteful and ridiculous and it can not continue.
"This does not mean we will abandon groups that are less likely to access the internet: we recognise that we cannot leave anyone behind.
Every single government service must be available to everyone – no matter if they are online or not."
Lane Fox's report backs the idea of a single government domain to replace the current 750 websites that operate throughout Whitehall.
Maude's response says: "I agree in principle with your proposal that over time government should move to a single domain based on agile shared web services. However, as your report makes clear, this will be challenging for government and I will need to consult colleagues before we make a final decision about how to proceed. To take these and other cross-government issues forward, I intend to set up a new ministerial working group on digital reporting to the cabinet economic affairs committee."
There has been criticism that the forced migration to online systems would leave people who aren't online disenfranchised. Age UK said there were 6 million people over the age of 65 who did not have the internet at home.
"We work with a lot of older people to get them on online," a spokesman said. "But we have to accept that there are a lot of people out there who do not use the internet and we need to make sure that we do not further isolate them in any way."
The government wants post offices to offer services to help people who don't have the internet to access its services.
Lane Fox, who is the government's official "UK digital champion", said: "For years, businesses have been using digital communications to improve services and engagement with their consumers. Government should take advantage of the more open, agile and cheaper digital technologies to deliver simpler and more effective digital services to users, particularly to disadvantaged groups who are some of the heaviest users of government services.
"My report outlines specific measures to improve the amount and quality of transactional services the government provides. But this is just the beginning: the government must look at more dramatic measures – such as syndicating and opening up information and services to other organisations – to be able to offer genuine improvements to consumers, taxpayers, business and citizens in the UK."
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
All government websites could be scrapped and replaced by single domain | Technology | guardian.co.uk
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