Has the Government succeeded in making the UK the world's best
environment for e-commerce? David Bicknell asks five industry
commentators to compile their own reports of the Government's
progress
A year ago, the prime minister Tony Blair launched his bid to make
the UK the world's best environment for electronic commerce.
The Government was set to present its first annual report into
the progress of the of e-economy in the UK next week.
After the shock resignation of e-envoy Alex Allan on Tuesday,
the report will be closely scrutinised.
The update on 60 targets identified in the Performance and
Innovation Unit's report Ecommerce@itsbest was meant to be the
Government's first annual scorecard on e-commerce.
So, how has the Government done? Computer Weekly asked
five key commentators on the Government's e-commerce strategy over
the past few years for their opinions: Jim Norton, who headed the
PIU team that produced the report; Peter Sommer, of the London
School of Economics; John Higgins, director-general of the
Computing Services & Software Association; Anthony Parish,
director-general of the Federation of the Electronics Industry; and
Nigel Hickson, formerly a civil servant dealing with e-commerce
issues at the Department of Trade & Industry, and now with
employers' body the CBI.
None of them has an axe to grind with the Government's efforts,
they all want to see the UK catch up and overtake countries such as
the US, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Germany and France. All were
quizzed prior to the news of Allan's resignation.
The year has been marked by a series of problems surrounding
e-commerce. The row over contractors and IR35, concern over the
effects of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and a series
of online security glitches in the banking sector have made it an
uphill task for the Government.
The panel's end-of-term report is based on three issues in the
PIU report:
- Understanding - getting business, individuals, and government
to appreciate the opportunities
- Access - giving everyone the elements required to
participate
- Trust - getting people to accept the new tools of
e-commerce
Jim Norton
Organisation: Institute of Directors
Marks:
| Understanding | 6/10 |
| Access | 9/10 |
| Trust | 3/10 |
Comments: The Government has made efforts on
understanding and access, but trust is where it has fallen down.
With the RIP Act and banking problems, there is less trust in
e-commerce than there was a year ago. Although the Government has
tried to put services online, too few of the business processes
have changed, because the mindset for change is not there.
Maybe business should get a Swat squad together and send them in
to get the mindset changed, but business may feel it was wasting
its time unless there was a guarantee that the ideas would be
implemented.
Anthony Parish
Organisation: Federation of the EIectronics Industry
Marks:
| Understanding | 6/10 |
| Access | 4/10 |
| Trust | 2/10 |
Comments: The Government's attempts to promote access for
all have not got very far at all, apart from getting computers to
some unemployed people. The situation over the RIP Act has clearly
not helped in providing trust, but I think everyone, including
industry, was also at fault over that.
In hindsight, we were almost in a better position to influence
developments with the Electronic Communications Bill while that was
with the DTI. When it comes to legislation on e-commerce, the
Government should just get out of the way.
Peter Sommer
Organisation: London School of Economics
Marks:
| Understanding | 4/10 |
| Access | 4/10 |
| Trust | 3/10 |
Comments: I suspect that when the Government's report
comes out there will not be too much talk about targets, because on
many of them it is not able to deliver. And when the Government
sets next year's targets, there will not be as many as the 60 there
were in the PIU report.
The Government must learn not to publicise what it cannot
deliver, it should learn more about e-commerce and should do away
with the lobbyists.
John Higgins
Organisation: Computer Services & Software
Association
Marks:
| Understanding | 8/10 |
| Access | 5/10 |
| Trust | 6/10 |
Comments: There is much greater awareness of the
possibilities of e-commerce, but to be honest I'm not sure the
Government can really take too much credit for it. We still have a
way to go on getting access sorted out - the idea of "always on"
(the Internet) for business is a long way away. We have a long way
to go on trust too. The figures for fraud on the Net show that it
is a real concern to the public.
The Government could be taking a greater lead in promoting its
Web "seal of seals" Trust UK, and business needs to be more aware
of legislation emerging from Europe.
Nigel Hickson
Organisation: Confederation of British Industry
Marks:
| Understanding | 8/10 |
| Access | 7/10 |
| Trust | 5/10 |
Comments: I think the Government can take some credit for
the greater understanding of the e-commerce possibilities out
there, though a lot of it is down to "the market". There is a
debate over access, because off-peak charges are low, but peak
business charges are still problematic. Although business is
rushing to provide e-commerce services, retaining public trust in
the services remains a problem. When it comes to e-government, the
Government has to ensure that it considers the e-commerce aspects
of all areas of legislation, such as transport and the
environment.