UK government IT is 'uniquely bad', MPs are told

Government IT in the UK is far worse than comparable countries, MPs were told on Tuesday.

Professor Helen Margetts, from the Oxford Internet Institute, told a Public Administration Select Committee on effectively using IT that the UK lags behind in a study examining the number and scale of public IT disasters. The research covered public sector IT in Japan, Canada, the US, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.

Download this free guide

Infographic: How to future-proof UK technology

There is no doubt that the technology industry is booming right now, bringing with it exciting social and economic opportunities. However, there is a real fear that the UK industry may be stunted due to the lack of talent available. This e-guide helps to break down the future fears and expectations of dozens of business leaders and tech workers.

Start Download

• Corporate E-mail Address:

  You forgot to provide an Email Address.

  This email address doesn’t appear to be valid.

  This email address is already registered. Please login.

  You have exceeded the maximum character limit.

  Please provide a Corporate E-mail Address.

• • I agree to TechTarget’s Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and the transfer of my information to the United States for processing to provide me with relevant information as described in our Privacy Policy.

  Please check the box if you want to proceed.

• • I agree to my information being processed by TechTarget and its Partners to contact me via phone, email, or other means regarding information relevant to my professional interests. I may unsubscribe at any time.

  Please check the box if you want to proceed.

By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent.

The reasons are due to scale, timing and contract value, a small number of suppliers getting the bulk of contracts and a lack of IT expertise in government, she says.

"The European markets [for government IT] are not so concentrated, nor is the US. One of the ways that's done is through fostering local domestic suppliers by drastically reducing the size of contracts, some of which cost billions of pounds and last for 10 years," she told the MPs.

Part of the problem is a lack of in-house expertise, according to Edgar Whitley from the London School of Economics.

"There's a lot of skilled individuals open to job opportunities in the public sector. But there's the risk that they could be frustrated at driving through change in public sector. Obtaining skills is not so much an issue as retaining skills," he said.

Margetts added: "Just a small proportion is spent on maintaining contracts. So we should not blame the IT industry when public sector contracts go wrong.

"If we want to innovate with outsourcing partners, we must have a different relationship and significant capabilities in-house. If we want collaboration, there needs to be flexibility on both sides."

Government departments have also been slow to pick up on the possibilities of the internet and web-based technology to transform services, she told the committee. "Those newer technologies like social media should be at the heart of initiatives like the Big Society," she said.

Joe Harley's appointment as government CIO across two job roles - that of government IT chief and CIO at the Department for Work and Pensions - could be a mistake, says Whitley. "He's providing high-level strategy, but you can't expect that person to have to make detailed decision-making in one department as well," he said.