The UK
ranks only eighth in Europe for providing sophisticated
e-government services, according to a report from consulting firm
Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.
The study of 18
countries, which was undertaken on behalf of the European
Commission, revealed that the UK ranked behind countries such as
Austria, Finland, Norway and France with a score of 71%.
The research also
showed that the UK is now in sixth position for making public
services fully available online with 50%, up from 33% in 2002 and
24% in 2001.
The findings will
come as a blow to the government, which has a 2005 goal for getting
all public services online and has stated that it wants the UK to
be the best place in the world to do e-commerce.
However, the UK is
at least heading in the right direction, after receiving scores of
62% in 2002 and 50% in 2001.
Stan Cozon, CGEY’s
public sector global leader, said that European countries were
making good e-government progress but warned that there is still
room for improvement. The research found that, overall, only 45% of
services across Europe are fully transactional online.
“Taking the
measure of Europe’s progress on services fully available online the
picture is pessimistic,” he said. “The EC will want to encourage
member states to enhance the number of public services fully
available online, particularly those aimed at citizens.”
CGEY’s study,
which was undertaken late last year, surveyed online citizen and
business services in the 15 European Union member countries, plus
Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
Sweden, Denmark
and Ireland lead the field for online sophistication in public
services, it said.