News

IT for government and public sector

• August 13, 2020 13 Aug'20

  CIO interview: Mark Gannon, director of business change and information, Sheffield City Council

  Like many organisations, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated digital change in Sheffield, and its IT leader is looking to build further on that momentum

• August 12, 2020 12 Aug'20

  EU and US start discussions on ‘enhanced’ Privacy Shield data-sharing agreement

  Talks begin on a successor to the Privacy Shield EU-US data-sharing agreement declared unlawful in July 2020 – a decision by the European Court of Justice that left thousands of businesses facing legal uncertainty

• August 12, 2020 12 Aug'20

  Government awards funding for innovation projects

  The funding for innovative projects forms part of the government’s plan to increase research and development spending, which it claims will aid the UK’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery

• August 12, 2020 12 Aug'20

  Police use of facial recognition found ‘unlawful’ in court

  In a landmark decision, the Court of Appeal has ruled that South Wales Police’s facial recognition deployments breached human rights and data protection laws

• August 10, 2020 10 Aug'20

  Government launches digital identity checking pilot

  More than a year after first announced, the government has launched a year-long pilot of its post-Brexit digital identity checking service

• August 10, 2020 10 Aug'20

  Gov.uk Verify continues to pose ‘notable risk’ to Cabinet Office

  Government Digital Service put in place “unprecedented measures” in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and built several new digital services, but its Gov.uk Verify programme continues to “pose notable risk” to the department, according ...

• August 07, 2020 07 Aug'20

  Data Standards Authority publishes guidance on government data sharing

  The Data Standards Authority (DSA) wants government departments to use new open data standards when sharing data, with the aim of improving public services

• August 07, 2020 07 Aug'20

  Government should prioritise product-led startups, says UKTCG

  UK Tech Cluster Group report calls on government to prioritise startups, provide test beds for digital innovation and establish programmes to enable tech careers for people who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19

• August 07, 2020 07 Aug'20

  Government pumps £650m into Northern Ireland border

  Funding for the Northern Ireland border includes £200m for a Trader Support Service and £155m to develop technology to support traders during post-Brexit transition period

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  If you hire foreign IT staff, ‘you’re fired’, Trump tells bosses in government-owned entities

  Donald Trump has fired a pre-election warning to government organisations that give IT jobs to workers from overseas

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  TfL Go launched to support travel in London during pandemic

  New tool aims to enable users to plan routes and comply with social distancing measures while using public transport

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  Planning system to get digital overhaul

  Government proposal on reform of the planning system sets out plans for modernising the planning process though use of data, interactive online systems and collaboration with the property technology sector

• August 06, 2020 06 Aug'20

  NHS seeks new national data guardian for health and care

  New national data guardian will take over the post from Fiona Caldicott, working to build trust in data use across health and social care

• August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20

  Netherlands investigates innovative privacy technology SSI

  Dutch research organisation is looking into areas where self-sovereign identity technology could be used in society and business

• August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20

  Egypt’s datacentre plans take key step forward

  Government lays the foundations for a datacentre industry with its new data protection law

• August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20

  Home Office drops ‘racist’ visa algorithm

  The Home Secretary has pledged to stop using an algorithmic decision-making system to assess visa applications after migrant welfare and technology justice groups challenged the tool for helping to create a hostile environment for migrants

• August 04, 2020 04 Aug'20

  Police require radical reform to deal with 21st century challenges

  Early findings from a major review of policing reveal forces are struggling to keep pace with the changing nature of crime

• August 03, 2020 03 Aug'20

  Estonian police and border services need better IT to block criminals from becoming e-residents

  Police and Border Guard Board of Estonia needs to improve its IT systems to stop criminals from becoming e-residents, says report

• August 03, 2020 03 Aug'20

  Economic Affairs Committee calls for Universal Credit reform

  Lords Select Committee finds the design of the Universal Credit system is ‘failing millions of people’, including a ‘significant minority’ who struggle with the digital service

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  Experts launch digital skills project for civil servants

  International tech education experts from 10 institutions across the world have developed an online education programme for public servants

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  Hancock: Better tech means better healthcare

  The coronavirus pandemic has “catalysed” data-driven decision making in the NHS, according to health secretary Matt Hancock, promising a future NHS that “doubles down” on technological advances

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  Labour Party is latest victim of Blackbaud ransomware attack

  Widening Blackbaud data breach ensnares the Labour Party as the cloud software firm continues to duck questions about its behaviour

• July 31, 2020 31 Jul'20

  US lawmakers grill big tech chiefs over market power

  Sixth antitrust hearing sees CEOs of major technology companies face combative questioning from members of Congress over their market power and dominance

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  HMCTS video hearings service scrutinised in LSE report

  Independent evaluation looks at user experience of video functionality for courts and tribunals

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  EC launches digital identity consultation

  European Commission’s consultation will look at revisions to the eIDAS regulation, aiming to improve effectiveness and extend it to the private sector

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  How Broxbourne is evolving digital transformation beyond Covid-19

  The small town of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire is building on work before and during the pandemic to advance its modernisation agenda

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  Treasury plans speedy approach to project delivery

  Treasury will become the “new radicals” of Whitehall, taking charge of getting rid of legacy IT, making data-driven decisions and investing in data infrastructure

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  Tech sector calls on government to 'urgently' resolve delays in digital identity policy

  Trade body TechUK has written privately to DCMS secretary of state to express industry frustrations and request ‘urgent needs’ are resolved to enable digital identity market in UK

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  Finland government funds work on potential quantum leap

  Finland's government is committing money to the development of quantum computing technologies to potentially provide a giant leap for the nation's industries

• July 30, 2020 30 Jul'20

  List of Blackbaud breach victims tops 120

  More than 120 education and third-sector organisations may have had their data compromised through the breach of Blackbaud’s cloud platform

• July 29, 2020 29 Jul'20

  Campaigners urge government to resist big tech lobbying pressure

  Lobbyists for big tech, supported by senior US politicians, have rallied against stricter regulation of technology companies, and threatened the US-UK trade deal unless Britain scraps plans to levy a digital services tax

• July 29, 2020 29 Jul'20

  Schrems steps up pressure on Irish data protection commissioner on Facebook’s data sharing with US

  Austrian lawyer is considering ‘other’ options if the Irish data protection commissioner does not make a decision by October on his seven-year-old complaint against Facebook

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  De Montfort, KCL, Newcastle universities join list of Blackbaud victims

  Embattled cloud services provider now has big questions to answer over its handling of data belonging to UK universities and charities

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  NCSC names national security expert Lindy Cameron as new CEO

  New National Cyber Security Centre head joins from the Northern Ireland Office and has spent 20 years in government at home and abroad

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  UK government aims fintech industry at Africa

  UK government is building fintech relationships with developing countries, beginning with a pilot programme in Africa

• July 28, 2020 28 Jul'20

  Councils get funding to build on Covid-19 digital progress

  The latest council funding is intended to ensure continued modernisation in public services delivery

• July 27, 2020 27 Jul'20

  MI6 apologises after attempt to interfere with intelligence court

  The UK Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, has apologised after attempting to persuade the secretary of Britain’s most secret court to withhold documents from senior judges in a case about crimes by undercover agents

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Venture firm Public launches fourth GovTech accelerator

  The GovStart 2020 accelerator programme is looking for innovators working on transport, health and workforce-related technology to help get more startups working on the delivery of public services

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Inquiry launched into role of tech in Covid-19 recovery

  Science and Technology Committee will look at the role of technology and innovation as the UK recovers from the coronavirus pandemic

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Courts to trial digital case management system from September 2020

  The Common Platform digital system will eventually replace a series of existing software applications, and will be rolled out to criminal courts over the next year

• July 24, 2020 24 Jul'20

  Government launches space innovation programme

  The government’s innovation programme will initially pump £15m into projects using space technology to tackle global issues, as well as international space projects and partnerships

• July 23, 2020 23 Jul'20

  UK government aims for tech-enabled border

  A consultation has been launched to gather views on how digital approaches can improve trader and traveller demands by 2025

• July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20

  DCMS loses government data policy to the Cabinet Office

  Prime minister Boris Johnson has taken away responsibility for the government use of data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and given it to the Cabinet Office

• July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20

  New opportunities for Nordic startups post-Covid-19 as virtual offices become the norm

  As companies adjust to digital office life in the pandemic era, a host of Nordic startups are already helping them convert these short-term fixes into long-term strategy

• July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20

  TfL contracts Capita for London Underground section of emergency services network

  Capita will implement the network infrastructure that will enable the emergency services mobile network to work on the London Underground

• July 21, 2020 21 Jul'20

  CDEI calls for ‘step change’ in public sector data sharing

  Public sector needs to change the way data is shared, clarify governance arrangements and work on building public trust and awareness, according to a Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation report

• July 21, 2020 21 Jul'20

  HMRC extends Making Tax Digital programme

  Programme to be extended gradually until April 2023 to cover business below the VAT threshold and income tax self-assessments above £10,000 a year

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  Covid-19 outbreak ramps up data focus at LOTI

  The boroughs working in local government coalition LOTI are focusing on joining up and acting on data-driven insights to help communities through the crisis and beyond

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  Government launches fintech review

  Sector review, first touted in the 2020 Budget, aims to find ways to boost competitiveness and growth

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  DVLA makes technological progress

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has introduced a 24/7 chatbot, modernised its core IT network and is prototyping robotic process automation

• July 17, 2020 17 Jul'20

  Unesco launches global consultation on AI ethics

  The United Nations (UN) body opens up public consultation to help experts draft new global framework on artificial intelligence ethics

• July 17, 2020 17 Jul'20

  Government gives £24m boost to agricultural tech

  Nine agricultural technology projects are receiving government funding to create more efficient food production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• July 17, 2020 17 Jul'20

  Lockdown sparks interest in digital skills for 58% of adults

  Adults in the UK are becoming increasingly interested in digital skills, with over 80% saying they will become even more important over the next year

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  Loan charge: Government dashes hopes of revised down settlements for contractors

  HMRC and HM Treasury confirm there are no plans to alter the loan charge settlement terms, despite calls from cross-party MPs to consider doing so

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  Public sector not considering the elderly in development of digital services

  A study by software firm Civica found public sector leaders have admitted to not targeting digital services at those over 70, despite many people this age claiming to use digital technology

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  Russian state hackers attacking Covid-19 researchers

  Kremlin-linked APT29 group, also known as Cozy Bear, is conducting a campaign against Covid-19 researchers around the world

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  IR35 private sector reforms: Government response to Finance Bill Sub-Committee inquiry slammed

  Contracting stakeholders claim HMRC and HM Treasury are ‘burying their heads in the sand’ over impact IR35 reforms are set to have on the private sector

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  Schrems v Facebook: European court strikes down EU-US Privacy Shield agreement

  The European Court of Justice has struck down Privacy Shield, the EU-US data-sharing agreement, creating uncertainty for European countries that share data with the US and pressuring the US to reform surveillance laws

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  Gov.uk Verify sees surge during Covid-19 outbreak but remains unachievable

  The government's flagship identity service and over half of the 26 major IT projects led by the government bear highest risks and are unlikely to be completed, according to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

• July 16, 2020 16 Jul'20

  Room for improvement in Dutch digital skills

  The Netherlands has good telecommunications and IT networks that can be used safely and reliably, but there is room for improvement in digital skills among the Dutch

• July 15, 2020 15 Jul'20

  Defra releases sustainable IT strategy

  Defra’s sustainable IT strategy seeks to help government and private organisations maximise the benefits of sustainability, with an overall mission to ‘leave the environment in a better state than we found it’

• July 15, 2020 15 Jul'20

  Overseas IT directors could need salary of £56,100 to work in the UK

  The government has confirmed the salaries it considers as the ‘going rate’ for tech professions, which overseas applicants will need to earn to gain immigration points

• July 15, 2020 15 Jul'20

  Huge declines in traditional outsourcing as Covid-19 puts a stop on deals

  Traditional IT outsourcing deals value plummets in the last quarter as contracts dry up amid Covid-19 disruption

• July 15, 2020 15 Jul'20

  University graduates to Nutanix Files hyper-converged NAS

  The University of Reading had already deployed Nutanix hyper-converged infrastructure so it made sense to add Nutanix Files when its ageing NAS boxes bit the dust

• July 14, 2020 14 Jul'20

  European court to decide legality of EU-US data sharing in dispute between Schrems and Facebook

  A ruling by the European Court of Justice will have ramifications for hundreds of thousands of companies that share data with the US. The case aims to balance US surveillance laws with the rights of EU citizens to keep their data private

• July 14, 2020 14 Jul'20

  Government pumps more than £100m into border IT systems

  HMRC will get more than £100m for border IT systems as part of a £705m government funding package for infrastructure, jobs and technology post-Brexit

• July 14, 2020 14 Jul'20

  Subpostmasters hit funding target to prevent government from burying IT scandal

  The government is set to face scrutiny over its involvement in the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, described as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in modern UK history

• July 10, 2020 10 Jul'20

  Universal Credit still struggles with digital issues, says NAO

  The cost of rolling out Universal Credit continues to rise, while only 20% of new claimants attempt to verify their identity online and digital skills remain an issue, according to the National Audit Office

• July 09, 2020 09 Jul'20

  NHS North West London boosts analytics use during Covid-19 outbreak

  A collaboration of NHS hospitals and health organisations in London is enhancing the use of data to improve their response to coronavirus

• July 09, 2020 09 Jul'20

  NHS trust uses case management software to deliver time savings

  To deal with inefficient and unreliable processes, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust has implemented a case management system specifically designed for HR practitioners

• July 09, 2020 09 Jul'20

  Clearview AI faces ICO investigation over facial recognition

  Controversial company that scraped data from the public internet to build its facial recognition algorithm faces a joint UK-Australian investigation into its practices

• July 09, 2020 09 Jul'20

  Matt Hancock encourages private sector involvement in post-pandemic NHS technology

  Health secretary Matt Hancock has outlined how the NHS will continue to leverage digital technologies with the help of the private sector after the Covid-19 pandemic ends

• July 08, 2020 08 Jul'20

  Political awareness needed to ethically handle migration data, panel claims

  Understanding the political, social and economic relationships between different groups in society is needed to ensure location data is not used in ways that further endanger already vulnerable people on the move

• July 08, 2020 08 Jul'20

  Post Office scandal victims have days to raise thousands of pounds or perpetrators go scot-free

  Victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal need to raise thousands of pounds in a week or those responsible for their suffering will avoid scrutiny

• July 03, 2020 03 Jul'20

  Green tech needed for post-Covid economic recovery

  Green technology investments could help society recover from the coronavirus – and prepare it for the long-term negative social and economic outcomes of climate change

• July 03, 2020 03 Jul'20

  DWP publishes digital delivery results and cost of IT blunders

  DWP released a number of updates of its digital transformation work including several initiatives relating to the Covid-19 outbreak, and reported more than £10m sunk in failed IT projects

• July 02, 2020 02 Jul'20

  Loan charge MPs denied House of Commons vote on Finance Bill policy amendments

  Despite securing the support of 50 named MPs, an amendment to the forthcoming Finance Bill that could have seen thousands of people fall out of scope of the Loan Charge policy has been denied

• July 02, 2020 02 Jul'20

  Cops take out encrypted comms to disrupt organised crime

  The UK’s National Crime Agency, alongside other law enforcement agencies in France and the Netherlands, have busted illicit arms and drugs rings after disabling an encrypted comms platform

• July 02, 2020 02 Jul'20

  Police secrecy over ‘IMSI-catcher’ mass surveillance of mobile phones

  Following a tribunal ruling, constabularies in England and Wales can refuse to confirm or deny whether they use mass surveillance devices, known as IMSI-catchers to monitor people’s location, phone calls and text messages

• July 02, 2020 02 Jul'20

  Civil and family courts to get video platform for remote hearings

  Video platform that has been used in magistrates’ and crown courts during the coronavirus pandemic will be extended to civil and family courts

• July 02, 2020 02 Jul'20

  CMA calls on government to revamp regulations for tech giants

  Competition regulator says current laws are not fit for purpose and wants a new, ‘pro-competition regulatory regime’ that the likes of Google and Facebook must abide by

• July 01, 2020 01 Jul'20

  Equity in STEM education more important than ever, says Parliamentary group

  All-Party Parliamentary Group on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM suggests recommendations for increasing equity in education after stating coronavirus makes diversity increasingly important

• July 01, 2020 01 Jul'20

  UK government announces Office for Talent

  The Office for Talent is part of a research and development roadmap, which includes an innovation programme to accelerate innovation in government

• July 01, 2020 01 Jul'20

  Lenovo, top-of-the-world Chinese supercomputer supplier, sweeps all markets

  Supercomputers are not just about computing power, they are a symbol of political ambition. Chinese supercomputer supplier Lenovo is now the dominant supplier across the world

• June 30, 2020 30 Jun'20

  Australia to invest a record A$1.35bn in cyber security

  The Australian government is making its largest ever investment in cyber security over the next decade to identify cyber threats, disrupt foreign cyber criminals and build new capabilities

• June 30, 2020 30 Jun'20

  HMRC and Treasury accused of ‘direct interference’ in independent loan charge review

  Loan Charge All-Party Parliamentary Group report pours scorn on claims that December 2019 review of government’s disguised renumeration policy was conducted independently

• June 30, 2020 30 Jun'20

  Government expands Future Fund eligibility criteria

  The Future Fund will now be accessible to startups that have previously taken part in accelerator programmes, but early-stage firms continue to struggle

• June 29, 2020 29 Jun'20

  MPs urged to back Finance Bill amendments to loan charge policy

  Loan Charge Action Group urges its members to ask their MPs to support an amendment to the controversial loan charge policy that could see more people fall outside its scope

• June 29, 2020 29 Jun'20

  Lawyers learn of fresh US allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from press reports

  The US has filed an updated indictment against Julian Assange alleging that he conspired with hacking groups to obtain information for WikiLeaks. Defence and prosecution lawyers learned about it from press reports

• June 29, 2020 29 Jun'20

  MPs to examine fairness of private prosecutions in light of Post Office IT scandal

  Parliamentary Justice Committee to hold short inquiry into the rules and regulations surrounding private organisations’ ability to initiate criminal proceedings

• June 29, 2020 29 Jun'20

  Lords urge government to take immediate action on online harms

  Select committee calls for tech giants to be held responsible for the harm done to individuals, wider society and democratic processes through online misinformation

• June 29, 2020 29 Jun'20

  UKCloud signs MoU with CCS to provide public sector with discounted cloud pricing

  Public sector-focused IaaS firm UKCloud has become the latest supplier to sign a discounted pricing deal with the UK government

• June 26, 2020 26 Jun'20

  CBI: Government must take steps to drive SME business innovation

  The coronavirus pandemic has shown how much can be achieved in a short period with a strong partnership between government and industry – and this needs to continue

• June 25, 2020 25 Jun'20

  NHSX seeks evolution of digital transformation capabilities

  New approaches and team structures could be tested as a result of learnings from the work around Covid-19

• June 25, 2020 25 Jun'20

  Former Post Office CEO and Fujitsu play the blame game in Horizon IT scandal

  Post Office and Fujitsu blame each other for many of the failings in the Horizon IT scandal that wrecked lives

• June 25, 2020 25 Jun'20

  CBI: UK needs an immigration and training rethink

  For the UK to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, vast swathes of the population will need retraining – and overseas IT specialists will also be needed

• June 25, 2020 25 Jun'20

  CBI: Digital economy needs joined-up regulations and gigabit broadband

  The coronavirus pandemic has shown the need for fast, reliable networking across the UK. The CBI is urging the government to do more

• June 25, 2020 25 Jun'20

  HMRC yet to begin building UK border IT system

  The UK government has still not built its Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) IT system, despite the end of the Brexit transition period looming, while the Port of Dover’s head of EU exit proposes just licensing the French IT system instead

• June 24, 2020 24 Jun'20

  Firm that investigated controversial Post Office IT system to support criminal conviction appeals

  Second Sight is working with law firm in appeals by subpostmasters against criminal convictions in Horizon IT scandal

• June 24, 2020 24 Jun'20

  IT services giant gives staff time out to volunteer for police clients

  IT services company CGI responds to Met Police call by offering its staff the opportunity to take 11 days paid leave to volunteer their time