The government is falling down in its online services
strategy by failing to understand how citizens use web services,
whether they are effective, and if they represent value for
money.
These are the findings of a report issued yesterday by the
Committee of Public Accounts entitled Government on the Internet:
Progress in delivering information and services online.
"The internet is transforming the way in which government
communicates with and provides services to citizens. But the
government's enthusiastic embrace of this new world of
web-delivered services is not matched by a commensurate level of
understanding of what it is achieving through its web sites, how
effective they are or whether they represent value for money," said
Edward Leigh, MP, the committee's chairman.
The aim of the study was to establish the government's progress
in managing and overseeing its website estate, to evaluate the
overall quality of government websites, and to appraise the
government's strategy to rationalise websites from thousands to
just two.
Part of the problem is that more than 25% of government
organisations have no idea how much their websites cost to run, and
a worrying 40% plus could only provide estimates.
After 10 years of unco-ordinated website proliferation, the
government no longer knows exactly how many websites it operates.
The figure could be as high as 2,500 and the government could be
spending about £208m a year on online services, the report
estimates.
"The time has long passed for getting a firm grip on the growth
of government websites, which has been almost uncontrolled. The
streamlining of web services around the key websites,
Direct.gov.uk and
businesslink.gov.uk, is a very welcome development," Leigh
said.
The move will involve rationalising "almost 1,000 unnecessary
sites" down to two by 2011. But to prevent government websites
proliferating in the future, the report recommends requiring
government bodies to obtain the express permission of the
government's Chief Information Office (CIO) in the Cabinet Office
before they create new websites.
A further major flaw is that 16% of public bodies have
absolutely no data on how citizens use online service provision.
Even if they have actively collected such information, it is "not
always being used to inform and improve" online services.
Although socially excluded people and those on low incomes "are
often major users of public services", a huge 75% and 51%
respectively have no access to or do not use online information or
services.
To make matters worse, one third of government web sites fail to
comply with the government's own user accessibility standards,
making it difficult for people with disabilities to use them.
Key recommentations:
- Ensure all government websites meet acceptable accessibility
standards by 2011.
- The government's CIO Council should set quality standards for
all government websites, including feedback mechanisms for the
public.
- The CIO Council should require all government bodies to
develop properly costed channel strategies by the end of the next
financial year, for update every three years.