Have your say at computerweekly.com
The chancellor's role in tax system
failures
I back your Making the Tax System Work campaign and hope you
will have some joy cutting through the usual government
smokescreens to get to the truth.
However, I think you have missed a major cause of all these
inefficiencies and failings, and that is that Gordon Brown loves to
tinker and complicate the tax system. Whether it is to make the
taxation system fairer or just to flummox ordinary taxpayers is
hard to say. The impact, however, can be seen directly on
taxpayers, the tax administration authorities and taxation computer
systems.
The system is so complicated that no one really follows it. By
the time some people have mastered it, another level of complexity
is overlaid with some new legislation.
The chancellor should be in the dock, not the hapless folk at
the Inland Revenue, trying to make sense of Brown's taxation
gobbledygook, or EDS trying to implement the legislation.
Chris Savva
Girls clubs could send out the wrong
messages
Having read the Downtime item on computer clubs for girls,
(Computer Weekly, 21 June), I sought out the website,
www.cc4g.net.
Although I wholeheartedly support assisting those who would
venture into the digital world with a view to a career, I cannot
support luring young girls into the veiled world of IT with false
promises.
There are reports that the number of women in IT is decreasing,
at least as a percentage. Look at the CC4G website and decide if
those motivated by the content to take an interest in IT are likely
to remain or become disillusioned with the reality. It is either
misleading or I have failed to grasp the true meaning of IT and
should have learned how to "hold a fashion show, play with nail art
and make-up and much more".
Enticing individuals with the wrong motivation may be at the
expense of others with the right motivation.
Mel Richardson, IT manager, HMC Brauer
NHS 'guardians' need to be aware of their
duty
In response to the letter from GP Lisa Silver on the
implementation of smartcards in the NHS (Computer Weekly, 7 June),
the practice of medicine is changing inexorably as we move into a
world in which we have access to information and the power that
bestows. It behoves all of us professionals therefore to understand
the responsibilities we undertake as guardians of that
information.
All colleagues who work in hospitals and primary care trust
offices are expected to carry their corporate security card as part
of proving their identity, for the benefit of access to the
building and to information.
The reason the implementation officer could not accept digitally
sent photos and send the cards by post is that the eGif requirement
for security and confidentiality requires face-to-face setting of
passwords. Our patients expect no less security when we are the
guardians of their electronic records than we would expect for our
banking data.
The argument that women need to change handbags is frankly no
excuse for where your driving licence or your bank card might be if
you needed access to those items. Your wallet must switch handbags
with you.
I do hope that Silver's partner who doesn't know how to use a
mobile phone ensures the burglar alarm is set at the surgery as a
minimum.
Gillian Braunold, joint national clinical lead for general
practice, Connecting for Health
Alternatives for keeping those hot blades
cool
Iain Davie's response (Computer Weekly, 7 June) to the article
"Blade datacentres demand cooling and power distribution rethink"
(Computer Weekly, 24 May) conveys in its every word the fact that
he does not fully understand the true implications the advent of
the blade server is having on existing power distribution and
cooling systems within many datacentres.
The trend is not stopping here either. Predicted development of
the blade shows this worrying trend on power and cooling demands
continuing to rise.
I take his non-specific point about setting things up properly
but this is just one ingredient in what is a very difficult cake to
bake.
The fact is that advancements in blade technology have
outstripped the mechanical and electrical design specifications of
many existing datacentres that were commissioned prior to the blade
market opening up.
With floor space often at a premium, the option of simply
spacing things out more is not often viable or cost effective.
It is also fair to say that air-to-air cooling systems are not
effective in cooling the high-density blade racks and blade farms
that we see today and there comes a point where in order to get the
required cooling where you need it, alternative methods, such as
liquid cooling, must be considered. Having cool air around the rack
is no longer good enough in the brave new world of the blade.
More executive attention and support needs to be given to those
who are responsible for managing and running the datacentres.
Ian Jenkins, infrastructure manager, Warwick Delivery
Centre, Accenture
About time police were brought up to speed
Through its indecision the Home Office is underestimating the
value that a national scheme for IT systems would bring to the
police.
With all that Pito has achieved in helping to drive the Bichard
Report initiatives forward, it does not make sense for the Home
Office to be dragging its heels.
Is the Home Office, or even the forces themselves, aware of the
extent to which IT, when applied properly, can help reduce
crime?
The sharing of information and access to mission-critical data
while on the move means fewer calls to the control rooms, less
paperwork and improved response times from police.
With more bobbies on the beat, outside solving crimes rather
than inside filling out forms, the public will feel more assured.
More up-to-speed systems equals a faster, more responsive police
service.
Steve Denison, APD Communications