Short takes on this week's news
Government puts IDcards proposal on hold
The government is to shelve plans to introduce a national biometric
identity card until after the election, it emerged last week. The
Identity Cards Bill, which was due to pass through the House of
Lords, is not expected to be allocated debating time before 5 May,
following opposition from the Conservative Party. The bill would
have to start its passage through Parliament again if Labour wins a
third term.
ID cards are a waste, says Schneier
British Energy picks Capgemini for support
Capgemini has won a five-year, £20m IT outsourcing contract with
British Energy. Capgemini will support 6,500 users and more than
300 servers at British Energy power stations and offices throughout
the UK. It will also provide application management services for
several core systems at British Energy, including finance, human
resources and document management. The contract involves the
transfer of 28 British Energy staff and contractors to
Capgemini.
Seven shortlisted for road charge contract
HM Customs and Excise has shortlisted seven suppliers to go through
to the next stage of its procurement process for the forthcoming
Lorry Road-User Charge (LRUC) scheme. The multimillion-pound LRUC
contract will deliver the government's manifesto that all lorries
using UK roads contribute towards the costs they impose. Serco,
Siemens and T-Systems International have been selected to supply
bids for the charging data services.
Microsoft talks collaboration
Microsoft is set to unveil its work on real-time collaboration
(RTC) with new products aimed at the telecoms sector. RTC covers IP
telephony, video conferencing and instant messaging. Microsoft said
it will detail new tools in these areas.
Oyster card could be used to pay for papers
Transport for London is considering allowing users of its Oyster
smartcard to pay for low-value goods such as newspapers and milk as
well as train or bus journeys. TfL has been running a pilot in the
London boroughs of Greenwich, Newham, Croydon and Lewisham where
cards are being used in libraries and leisure services.
