News
IT for government and public sector
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May 23, 2021
23
May'21
Innovation and skills at the heart of CBI report
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) wants an inclusive and innovative economy, with increased research and development (R&D) investment and better digital intensity and adoption, particularly among SMEs
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May 21, 2021
21
May'21
NHS Education for Scotland defends 'decade-long' public cloud deal with AWS
The training arm of NHS Scotland has come under fire from members of the public sector IT supplier community over its decision to award a 10-year cloud contract to AWS
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May 21, 2021
21
May'21
Government Digital Service sets out three-year strategy
The new GDS strategy up to 2024 includes a focus on making Gov.uk a single, trusted source of information, joining up services, and creating a pan-government digital identity solution
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May 20, 2021
20
May'21
UK regulators commit to closer cooperation on digital economy
Two UK regulators have issued a joint statement and signed a memorandum of understanding on the need for closer collaboration on digital markets
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May 20, 2021
20
May'21
Government sets out implementation plan for genomics strategy
The 2021-22 implementation plan for government’s 10-year Genome UK strategy includes improving diversity of genomics data, rolling out whole genome sequencing to rare diseases patients, and delivering a proof of concept for a next-generation ...
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May 20, 2021
20
May'21
Subpostmaster campaign group to meet Post Office scandal inquiry chair
The subpostmaster campaign group JFSA refused to cooperate with initial inquiry because it ‘lacked teeth’, but is now willing to talk after it was put on a statutory footing
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May 20, 2021
20
May'21
UK government publishes framework on automated decision-making
The framework focuses on making the use of algorithms and automated decision-making systems within the public sector more ethical, transparent and accountable
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May 19, 2021
19
May'21
‘Nothing off the table’ in statutory Post Office scandal inquiry
The government confirmed that the inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal will be given statutory status and wider scope
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May 19, 2021
19
May'21
India’s HCL to hire 1,000 tech professionals in the UK
Indian IT suppliers set to create thousands of IT jobs in the UK, which supports their intention to have more staff based closer to customers
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May 19, 2021
19
May'21
UK tech sector grows tenfold in 10 years
Massive expansion of the UK tech sector since 2010 has seen venture capital investment and the number of unicorn businesses increase by factor of 10
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May 18, 2021
18
May'21
Legacy data and IT issues ‘laid bare’ during Covid-19, says NAO
The pandemic has exposed challenges with legacy data and IT systems in government, and has made the government response more challenging, says the National Audit Office
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May 18, 2021
18
May'21
Post Office Horizon inquiry set to be given statutory status with wider powers
The government inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal is set to be made statutory with the power to call witnesses under oath and compel provision of evidence
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May 18, 2021
18
May'21
Microsoft EU Data Boundary dubbed ‘smoke and mirrors’
Data protection experts claim Microsoft’s decision to create an EU Data Boundary is a tacit admission that it routinely transfers and processes the personal data of European citizens outside the bloc
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May 18, 2021
18
May'21
Government response to National Data Strategy consultation depicts data as ‘asset, not threat’
Government responds to consultation with a promise of delivery, putting an emphasis on data as an asset, not a threat, and finding respondents keen on levelling up
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May 18, 2021
18
May'21
NHS to issue 30,000 iPads to ambulance crews
Mobile devices will allow crews to send photographs to hospital specialists and access health records while at the scene of incidents, aiming to speed up and improve care
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May 18, 2021
18
May'21
Australian budget lends support to digital economy
Australia’s A$1.2bn Digital Economy Strategy ticks most of the right boxes, but some industry experts say areas such as broadband infrastructure and artificial intelligence are still underfunded
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May 17, 2021
17
May'21
Half of UK workforce lacks essential digital skills for work
A ‘hidden middle’ of more than 17 million people do not have the abilities needed to participate and contribute to the digital world in life and at work, study says
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May 17, 2021
17
May'21
Andy Burnham launches Manchester digital inclusion drive
Greater Manchester mayor announces plan to support under-25s, over-75s and disabled people to get online
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May 14, 2021
14
May'21
Irish health service hit by major ransomware attack
IT systems in hospitals across Ireland have been switched off following a significant ransomware attack
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May 14, 2021
14
May'21
More former subpostmasters have criminal convictions quashed
Two former subpostmasters pushed to the brink of suicide after being convicted for financial crimes finally have their names cleared
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May 14, 2021
14
May'21
Dutch police used deep learning model to predict threats to life
Dutch police developed a deep learning model in their EncroChat investigation to predict which messages contain serious threats to life
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May 14, 2021
14
May'21
Cabinet Office launches climate challenges for startups
The Cabinet Office has partnered with government technology accelerator Public to run a programme for startups developing innovative digital and data technologies that can help with some of the most pressing climate issues
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May 13, 2021
13
May'21
Financial and technical obstacles hit Danish datacentre heat recycling plan
A datacentre project in Denmark is grappling with the challenges of reusing waste heat in local central heating systems
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May 13, 2021
13
May'21
NHSX data strategy due in ‘a few weeks’
NHSX director of policy and strategy Simon Madden says the long-awaited strategy is expected to “trigger huge debates” on issues such as access, choice and transparency, and will be published in draft form shortly to allow for consultation
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May 13, 2021
13
May'21
Too many disconnected systems in government, says minister
Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez wants to address issues with legacy systems, improve digital skills across government and improve department collaboration, including in procurement
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May 13, 2021
13
May'21
Biden beefs up public-private security cooperation
Joe Biden has signed a new Executive Order to harden US cyber security and government networks, with an emphasis on information sharing
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May 12, 2021
12
May'21
NHS Digital replaces system for collection of GP data
New system designed ‘with interests of patients at its heart’ will provide near-real-time primary care data to support improvements in healthcare and help research
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May 12, 2021
12
May'21
Fujitsu bags £3bn in public sector contracts while software errors wreck the lives of subpostmasters
The supplier at the centre of the Post Office Horizon scandal has so far escaped the ramifications of its role in the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history
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May 12, 2021
12
May'21
UK to fund national cyber teams in Global South
Government will commit millions of pounds to supporting vulnerable countries in establishing cyber capacity
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May 12, 2021
12
May'21
Queen’s Speech approaches key themes for UK tech
From online safety to skills for the future, the speech contained several points that are relevant to the industry for the year
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May 11, 2021
11
May'21
AWS, Microsoft and Google secure spots on £750m UK government Cloud Compute framework
Tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM and Oracle are among the suppliers to secure a place on the four-year CCS Cloud Compute framework
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May 11, 2021
11
May'21
Swedish court finds ambiguities in hacked EncroChat cryptophone evidence
Defence lawyer claims evidence obtained by hacking the EncroChat encrypted phone network has ‘no legal’ value following Swedish appeal court ruling
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May 11, 2021
11
May'21
Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack has grave consequences
The ramifications of a major ransomware attack against a US fuel pipeline operator could spread far and wide
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May 10, 2021
10
May'21
Miscarriages of justice are the potent tip of Post Office scandal
The miscarriages of justice involving subpostmasters are the most disturbing element of the Post Office Horizon scandal – but it goes much deeper
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May 10, 2021
10
May'21
NCSC Active Cyber Defence blocks surge of pandemic scams
The NCSC responded to a surge in online scams last year as it moved to protect both the general public and critical national services during the pandemic
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May 07, 2021
07
May'21
NCSC publishes smart city security guidelines
Guidance for local authorities, IT and cyber professionals aims to ensure the security of connected, smart city projects
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May 07, 2021
07
May'21
Post Office contacts over 500 subpostmasters potentially wrongly prosecuted for financial crimes
The Post Office has contacted hundreds of people it might have wrongly prosecuted for financial crimes
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May 07, 2021
07
May'21
Monmouthshire County Council digitises HR with Zellis cloud
Monmouthshire County Council is using a cloud HR system from Zellis as part of its digital transformation programme, aimed at being lean and agile
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May 07, 2021
07
May'21
Minister promises ‘fair and speedy’ compensation for 555 subpostmasters who defeated Post Office
Government says it wants to ensure a fair pay-out for the 555 subpostmasters who defeated the Post Office in a legal battle but were then excluded from the resulting compensation scheme
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May 06, 2021
06
May'21
Netherlands to build new national supercomputer
The Netherlands has laid out plans for its next national supercomputer, to be known as Snellius
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May 05, 2021
05
May'21
Interview: ONS data science chief Tom Smith on government data capability
The managing director of the Office of National Statistics’ Data Science Campus, Tom Smith, describes the organisation’s data capability building activities for and across government
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May 05, 2021
05
May'21
Post Office dishonesty in Horizon scandal is reason enough for statutory public inquiry
Subpostmasters, MPs and the public call for a full statutory judge-led public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal, following another damning court judgment
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May 04, 2021
04
May'21
Government digital chiefs outline plans for CDDO and GDS
Paul Willmott, Joanna Davinson and Tom Read talk about establishing a digital, data and technology sub-board, plans to hire a chief technology officer and a chief data officer, and a five-year plan for the Government Digital Service
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May 04, 2021
04
May'21
Shadow ministers call for public consultation on health data review
Two Labour shadow ministers want a public consultation following the findings of Ben Goldacre’s review on the use of health data for research and analysis
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May 04, 2021
04
May'21
Tech firms unite to advance diversity and inclusion in the sector
The plan will focus on areas such as leadership representation and inclusive product development
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May 04, 2021
04
May'21
Post Office CEO either knew what was going on in Horizon scandal, or was ‘asleep at the wheel’
Post Office IT scandal CEO has no excuse for her inaction in preventing the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history, says Criminal Cases Review Commission chairperson
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April 30, 2021
30
Apr'21
EncroChat: Top lawyer warned CPS of risk that phone hacking warrants could be unlawful
Lord David Anderson QC warned prosecutors that there were formidable arguments against the lawfulness of a police operation to infiltrate the encrypted phone network, EncroChat
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April 30, 2021
30
Apr'21
MPs accuse government of unduly interfering in information commissioner appointment
Cross-party group of MPs says government is influencing the appointment of a new information commissioner by explicitly seeking a candidate who will support its policy agenda, rather than regulate independently
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April 30, 2021
30
Apr'21
Simon Bolton named as NHS Digital interim CEO
Following the announcement of Sarah Wilkinson’s departure as CEO of NHS Digital, the organisation has appointed NHS Test and Trace CIO Simon Bolton as interim CEO
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April 29, 2021
29
Apr'21
Public sector organisations ‘in the dark’ about where their data is, suggests UKCloud survey
Response to a poll of public sector IT and business leaders suggests few have any idea if their data is stored in the cloud or on-premise, claims UKCloud