 |
"The results from July's Implementing Electronic Government returns mark the turn into the home straight for the local e-government programme. The programme has overseen a sea change in the electronic enablement of council services from just 26% in March 2002 to 77% in March 2005, with e-government already making an essential contribution towards the Government's efficiency targets," he commented. The Implementing Electronic Government statistics from July (IEG4.5) show that the average council was 77% ‘e-enabled’ by the end of March, and councils forecast that by the end of next month 93% of all priority outcomes for local e-government will be at ‘amber’ or ‘green’ for implementation online. In terms of efficiency the e-government programme is looking equally healthy, with expected total gains from investment of £1.1m from 2004/05 to 2007/08.
|
England’s
local authorities are on the ‘home straight’ to achieving
100% e-Government services by the December 2005 deadline, according
to Local e-Government Minister Jim Fitzpatrick.
"Government Connect can become the catalyst for removing two major barriers to e-enabled government, firstly for citizens a "single sign on" to government services and secondly, the ability to share data securely between local and central government in support of service delivery,” said Local e-Government Minister Jim Fitzpatrick. "The Programme aims to roll out services to up to 250 local authorities by December 2006 and all local authorities by December 2007," he added. The National Project is being led by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council,
and involves twelve other organisations, including the ODPM, e-Government
Unit of the Cabinet Office and various other local authorities. |
A
e-Government programme designed to provide increased online security
for public sector transactions is to receive £7.5m in funding
to support its development and initial roll-out, it has been announced.
Government Connect will aim to bring together technical solutions and
practical tools, and focus on delivering personalised citizen-based
services along with back office transformation.|
The nature of matrix schemes means that the number of members waiting for a 'free gift' always far exceeds the number of 'free gifts' awarded. The scheme also offered participants the opportunity to move themselves up the waiting lists faster, and in some cases to bypass the lists, by recruiting new members to the scheme or buying further products. The OFT judged the scheme to be an unlawful lottery under the Lotteries and Amusements Act, and ordered its closure. The company claimed to have over 10,000 customers. “These schemes are unsustainable and will eventually collapse
to the detriment of many people. They can also undermine consumer confidence
in e-commerce. The OFT's targeting of mass-marketed scams is an important
part of its work of making markets work well for consumers,” said
Sir John Vickers, OFT Chairman. |
A website has been ordered to stop promoting a controversial ‘free
gift’ scheme by the OFT to prevent loss of consumer confidence
in online shopping. The ‘matrix’ scheme promoted by Mobiles4all
Ltd offered customers the chance of getting free hi-tech products, such
as MP3 players, in return for buying a low value item such as a sim
card. Customers would be put into a waiting list system for their ‘gift’
to be awarded.
The migration to Microsoft Exchange Server, and implementation of a Dell | EMC CX700 storage area network (SAN) and Dell(tm) PowerEdge(tm) 2650 servers supercedes the previously unreliable email and data storage systems at the hospital. Stephen Chilton, Technical Development Manager at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said; "Dell is a longstanding strategic partner of ours and with their service space skills and access to a portfolio of solutions we can work with Dell to ensure we are being provided with the best solution for our needs at a highly competitive price." "Dell's experience in delivering workable technical solutions was essential to the success of the project. Dell understood that we held them ultimately responsible for the outcome and took a very active role, not just in project management but also in putting their previous implementation experiences to use in a more practical way," added Mr. Chilton. "The fast implementation of the technology meant minimum disruption
to staff and patients, and the Trust can now focus on increasing efficiency
and improving the delivery of first rate services for the 553,000 thousand
people in the local community,” said Peter Hubbard, vice president
and general manager Public Sector, Dell UK. |
University
Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a new email
and data storage infrastructure in order to meet exacting National Programme
for IT (NpfIT) standards. The new system, from Dell, allows the Trust’s
6500 staff to quickly and efficiently access patient records and other
vital pieces of information, across various applications.
A new website function developed by BT is allowing users of the Tate Online site to search for art without having to type a single word. Designed by BT’s Research and Venturing Division, ‘Carousel’ has been created to help people find art that they like, but do not know precise details of the particular piece. The ‘smart search’ facility has practical applications on various types of website, and has proven popular with tate.org.uk so far. “Carousel allows visitors to personalise an animated display of highlights from Tate’s Collection, without the need for any prior knowledge of the artworks included.” explained Jemima Rellie, Head of Digital Programmes at Tate “It is equally riveting for those with some knowledge of the Collection who are likely to stumble across a previously hidden ‘gem’.” “I went to an online clothes store to find something to buy
my wife for Christmas but I didn't have a clue what I wanted. The text-based
search was restricted to looking either by type of garment or designer,
neither of which I found helpful. I ended up doing my present shopping
on the high street instead,” said BT project developer Richard
Tateson, describing the initial idea for Carousel.
|
|
If you have been forwarded IT for Government by a colleague, and would like to start
a free subscription - click here
|
| [If you no longer wish to receive IT for Government, __UNSUB__ here | Contact: admin@itforgovernment.net ] Sent by Green Media. Hoults Estate, Walker Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. T: 0191 2759777 |
