French RepublicJune 2000

Ministry of the Public Service and State Reform

Directorate-General for Administration and the Public Service

PREPARATORY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE MEETING OF THE

DIRECTORS-GENERAL OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE

(Strasbourg - November 2000):

The Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Public Administrations

Introduction

The attached questionnaire is addressed to the public administrations of the Member States of the European Union, by way of preparation for the work of the meeting of the Directors-General responsible for the Public Service, due to take place in Strasbourg on 9 and 10 November 2000 in the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union.

The general objective of this questionnaire is to collate Member States’ information about the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as instruments to improve the service provided for the citizens and to modernise the internal functioning of the public service. In fact, the aim is to be able to have access to information and examples to enable assessment of the situation in each country with regard to the information society and to take advantage of these.

Structure of the questionnaire

This questionnaire is divided into four main topics, making it easier to summarise the results.

The proposed volume of each response is about 15 to 20 pages per country. Of course, annexes may be added.

Returning of the questionnaires to be summarised

The completed questionnaire should be returned by electronic mail by 10 September 2000 (at the latest) to:

-the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), for the attention of Dr Jean-Michel EYMERI, Senior Lecturer ()

and to

-the Directorate-General for Administration and the Public Service, for the attention of Mr Raymond PIGANIOL ()

For further explanations of this questionnaire, please contact Mr Jean-Jacques LÉANDRI, Interministerial Delegation for State Reform ().

Distribution of results

At the end of this survey and before the meeting in Strasbourg, the following data will be put online:

-general summary of the replies;

-summaries of the contributions by country and by topic;

-the replies in full.

French RepublicJune 2000

Ministry of the Public Service and State Reform

Directorate-General for Administration and the Public Service

Questionnaire on the Use of Information and Communication

Technologies in Public administrations

0. Details of the office dealing with ICTs at the ministry in charge of the public service in your country

Country:UK

Ministry:Cabinet Office

Name of the office:Office of the e-Envoy

Address: 53 Parliament St

London

SW1A 2NG

Telephone: Sue Broyd / Fred Baron0207 238 2049/2082

Fax:

E-mail:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Central IT Unit has recently become part of the Office of the e-Envoy and will in future be known as the e-Government group of the Office of the e-Envoy. However, for the purpose of providing a response to this survey we have used its former title.

1. Government policy to develop information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the administration concerned

  • summary presenting the government strategy on the use of ICTs in the public services
  • addresses of internet sites documenting this policy

On 11 September 2000, the Prime Minister launched UK online, a raft of initiatives and major a investment programme to get people, business and government online. The full transcript of the announcement can be read at:

In parallel to the launch of UK online, the Performance and Innovation Unit of the UK Cabinet Office published their report on Electronic Service Delivery (ESD – Electronic Government Services for the 21st Century. The report commissioned by the Prime Minister and prefixed by a statement from him, sets out a radical and compelling direction for the development and implementation of government electronic services. The report sets out a comprehensive strategy, underpinned by a clear vision, for realising the full potential of electronic service delivery.

The key points are:

Electronic service delivery offers huge opportunities to improve

public services for the benefit of citizens: more convenient, more

joined-up, more responsive and more personalised.

It is going to transform the way the public sector does business,

in many cases replacing traditional channels for doing business with

more efficient and effective electronic channels.

This strategy requires change in three broad areas:

– ensuring that government electronic service delivery is driven

by the use that citizens make of it. There is scope for better

co-ordination of initiatives to ensure that citizens have the skills,

information and equipment to interact electronically. There should

also be measures to give people mediated access to electronic services

where they want and need it. Government must also respond more

effectively to citizen preferences and make investment decisions on

the basis of service use;

– opening the electronic delivery of government services to the

private and voluntary sectors. Competition between public, private

and voluntary sector providers of electronic government services will

improve service quality, stimulate innovation and improve value

for money;

– putting in place new incentives, levers and institutional

structures to make sure the transformation happens, including

new funding and sharpened financial incentives to promote electronic

service delivery and the creation of a government incubator to

develop new service ideas.

The full report can be read at:

UK Online

The key aims of UK online are to continually improve the delivery of government services to the public and to provide easy and convenient ways for citizens and businesses to communicate with government. UK Online brings together a number of existing and new initiatives aimed at making the UK a true knowledge economy which is inclusive for all. Getting government services online is a cornerstone policy of UK Online.

UK target for online Government services

The Prime Minister has recently reaffirmed the government’s commitment to delivering electronic services by bringing forward the target whereby 100% of services will be capable of being delivered electronically by 2005.

To help achieve this objective, the government has published an e-government strategy entitled ‘e-government: a strategic framework for public services in the Information Age’(). The strategy was launched by Ian McCartney, Minister for e-government in April 2000 and it fulfills the commitment in the Modernising Government White Paper () to publish a strategy for Information Age Government. It focuses on better services for citizens and businesses and more effective use of the Government’s information resources. Implementing it will create an environment for the transformation of government activities by the application of e-business methods throughout the public sector. The strategy challenges all public sector organisations to innovate, and it challenges the centre of government to provide the common infrastructure which is needed to achieve these goals.

The e-government strategy has four guiding principles:

1. Citizen-focused government

When people interact with government they want to do so on their own terms. They want high quality services which are accessible, convenient and secure. People should not need to understand how government is organised, or to know which department or agency does what, or whether a function is exercised by central or local government. The strategy will provide this - by helping departments and agencies, central and local government, co-operate in new partnerships that will offer their services in ways that make sense to the customer. The Government needs to form partnerships with innovators in the private sector who can find new ways of meeting changing patterns of demand.

2. Accessible services

The Government intends that all services which can be electronically delivered should be. The strategy proposes that they should be accessible over the Internet and through mobile phones, digital TV, and call centres as well as through personal computers. The mix for any service will be determined in relation to demand. Electronic service delivery does not do away with the need for personal contact and this must be better supported. Services should be tailored to individuals’ needs. The Government will develop a business portal, initially for small- and medium- sized enterprises, and a personalised ‘home page’ for individuals. It will do so in a non-exclusive way and will create the conditions for others, including commercial enterprises, to create innovative service offerings.

New ways of doing business will change the relationship between individuals and government. Access to information will be firmly established under the Freedom of Information legislation and government organisations will be more responsive to citizens’ views. At the same time, it will be vital to make sure that people can trust the systems we use, by ensuring that their personal data is protected and that systems are secure.

3. Inclusiveness

New services must be developed so that they are available to all and easy to use. Digital TV and mobile phones will become increasingly important as a means of accessing the Internet. The Government is committed to making it easier for all people to get access, whether individually or through community facilities. The telephone will remain a preferred means of contact for many. Call centres must be improved by giving their staff access to information networks that will enable them to provide better service. Better information systems will support the work of those who have face to face contact with the public.

Online public services must be well designed and accessible to all. This includes providing services for minority language groups and those with disability or limited mobility.

e-government is an opportunity to enhance the services which are provided to UK citizens overseas, EU citizens and others overseas who wish to do business with or visit the UK. This is likely to be a stimulus to provide further multilingual services.

4. Managing information

The Government’s knowledge and information are valuable resources. At the heart of this programme is the need for the public sector to make the best use of them. Implementing the strategy requires organisations to adopt coherent and compatible information policies in support of better policy making, better service delivery and more efficient working.

Managing change

This strategy encourages innovators in government to identify new ways of working in partnership with the private sector. It identifies the need for a strong lead and effective support from the centre.

The e-government strategy is endorsed and owned by the Information Age Government Champions (see Question 4 Improvement of the internal functioning of the administration…p23) and is underpinned by a number of key framework policies:

  • Authentication () - Effective government on-line and call centre services will require a widely accepted means for citizens and businesses to authenticate themselves for the purposes of those transactions. The authentication framework policy and guidelines establish a common approach to authentication for government departments, agencies and the wider public sector.
  • Interoperability () -The interoperability framework policy sets out the policy and standards for achieving interoperability across all government departments and the wider public sector.
  • Metadata () - Work is underway to deliver a metadata policy for Information Age Government.
  • Security () - The security policy represents a call for a general alignment with best e-commerce practice. This applies across the public sector, and extends to all service delivery channels and all bodies which deliver public services. Supplementary guidance on specific security topics will also be published including Trust Services, Confidentiality and Privacy, Business Services Security and Network Defence Security Requirements.
  • Smart cards () - The smart card framework policy provides a set of standards and guidelines to facilitate interoperability. It also provides advice on acquisition issues for public authorities; to ensure that accessibility is an integral part of any card scheme; and to provide guidance on data protection issues.
  • Privacy () - The Modernising Government White Paper committed Government to "address concerns about privacy" and to "provide a proper and lawful basis for data sharing where this is desirable, for example in the interest of improved service or fraud reduction." This paper outlines the key topics of privacy relating to Information Age Government. Data sharing is at the heart of the Modernising Government agenda.
  • Websites () - The framework policy focuses largely on electronic publishing and the creation of a sound organisational basis within departments for managing their on-line presence, on good content and on technical standards that provide for consistency and the widest possible access to public sector sites.
  • Call centres () - The call centre guidelines set out an approach to implementing call centres in the public sector, ensuring they are viewed as part of an overall business change process. The guidelines provide a set of standards for ensuring public sector call centres are accessible, efficient and helpful and provide a consistent and accurate interface to government services and information.
  • Digital Television () - Although digital TV is still very new and will continue to develop over the next few years, this early guidance is considered essential to ensure that public sector organisations are suitably informed about the strategic opportunities and practical implications of deploying digital TV based services.
  • Electronic Records Management ( - The framework on electronic records management provides guidelines to support greater commonality and inter-departmental working in electronic document and records management, and in the sharing and exchange of electronic records across the Government Secure Intranet (GSI).

In addition to producing policy frameworks, implementation guidance has been developed in the following key areas:

  • Skills in the Information Age () - which considers the skills implications for Information Age Government (IAG), with its vision that in a Modernised Government there will be a wide ranging use of information and communications technology in all aspects of government activity.
  • Guidelines for local government () - which considers the implications for local government in taking the strategy on board, alongside the other processes of change already underway in local authorities
  • Relationship with the e-Europe initiative.

The UK government’s policy to develop information and communication technologies within the administration is closely aligned to the eEurope Action Plan. The priorities of the Action Plan, i.e. cheaper Internet access, accelerating e-commerce and bolstering ICT skills are shared by the UK government’s own strategy.

The UK government is also committed to the pan-European approach to e-government set out in the e-Europe Action Plan. The Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) and Information Society Technologies (IST) programmes are supported by the UK.

Within the UK, the Government is committed to the target of delivering all services electronically by 2005. Currently one third of services are electronically enabled () and it is anticipated that by 2002 this will be true of 75% of services. Already companies can file returns and submit other information to Companies House electronically. In addition, in July this year, legislation was passed that provided for the admissibility in evidence of electronic signatures.

2. Use of ICTs in citizen participation in public debates

  • What mechanisms are in place in your country to allow consultation of the citizens in the public decision-making process using ICTs? Please provide information on the successes and problems encountered.

The Government is committed to modernising and opening up government, for example, a milestone within the Modernising Government Action Plan outlines the Government commitment to consult with citizens in the policy area of public services, rather than imposing solutions. In addition, the Government has produced guidelines for undertaking written consultation exercises which encourages the publication and receipt of replies via the Internet and these are available at

It is common practice to provide IT enabled public consultation on policy development. The first such example in 1995 was consultation on the government.direct Green Paper. A more recent example (October 1999) was the consultation on the Draft Electronic Communications Bill, and a summary of 92 responses from individuals, commercial companies, trade and professional bodies was prepared and posted on the Department of Trade & Industry web-site ().

Discussion fora

Live policy discussions regularly take place on the Prime Minister's website (). Citizens are able to post their views in response to a discussion document outlining a single issue. A summary of views are posted on the site and a final response from the government outlines how the results of the discussion will be used. Past forums have included a discussion on the electronic delivery of government services (). In addition to policy discussions, citizens can post their views on a range of Government issues in ‘Speakers’ Corner’ and the Prime Minister’s website is now enabled to receive e-petitions () .

The Office of the e-Envoy () provides a discussion e-forum through their website providing the public with the opportunity to join in the debate on the development of Information Age Government in the UK.

One of the aspects of the UK online citizen portal is its use in driving forward citizen participation in democracy. The objective of this work is to bring government and citizens closer together, through facilitating a dialogue between:

  • citizen and government;
  • citizen and elected representatives; and ultimately
  • citizen and citizen.

Government has taken the first steps towards introducing information age technology to assist in the democratic process. A trial electronic voting system was used on 4 May at Salford and Bury. Electronic petitions are accepted by the Scottish Parliament. Gwynedd County Council broadcasts council meetings in English and Welsh over the Internet. The Number 10 website has a ‘Your Say’ section with a Policy Forum, a consultations register and way to accept electronic petitions.

It is intended to create a one-stop shop for information about government, government consultations, access to elected representatives and election information. The service currently being developed (for launch in autumn 2000) consists of four strands:

Citizen to government

  • consultation: giving citizens the ability to give their views to Government, and providing easier access to public consultation documents; and
  • CitizenSpace discussion forums, moderated by the Hansard Society, allowing citizens to exchange views with ministers and with each other.

Citizen to elected representative