News

IT for government and public sector

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
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
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
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

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
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
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
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
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
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

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
April 29, 2021 29 Apr'21
G7 countries to cooperate on digital regulation

Digital and technology ministers outline their agenda for how technology can be used to facilitate the post-Covid recovery, signalling closer collaboration in key areas of the digital economy
April 29, 2021 29 Apr'21
UK demand for digital automation skills soars

The need for automation proficiency has more than doubled in the past two years, according to research
April 29, 2021 29 Apr'21
GCHQ: Dyslexic thinkers key to solving UK cyber security challenges

Neurodiverse staff are bringing a unique contribution to keeping the country safe, according to the intelligence and cyber agency
April 28, 2021 28 Apr'21
NHS App to serve as vaccine passport for foreign holidays

Existing NHS App will have vaccine passport functionality added to it, transport secretary confirms
April 28, 2021 28 Apr'21
Government extends Gov.uk Verify for a further two years

The government’s Gov.uk Verify identity platform will continue to run until April 2023 while a new identity service is developed
April 27, 2021 27 Apr'21
UK supermarkets to trial age estimation tech for alcohol purchases

Biometric age estimation technology developed by Yoti to be tested in UK supermarkets for alcohol purchases as part of government-led digital identities initiative
April 27, 2021 27 Apr'21
Falkirk Council deploys end-to-end digital telecare

Council has become the first in Scotland to go live with a complete digital telecare service for its local residents
April 26, 2021 26 Apr'21
Another 38 subpostmasters submit appeals against convictions

The biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history is set to get bigger as more subpostmasters take their cases to the Court of Appeal
April 26, 2021 26 Apr'21
French legal challenge over EncroChat cryptophone hack could hit UK prosecutions

Lawyers are challenging the legality of a French police operation to harvest tens of thousands of messages from the EncroChat encrypted phone network in a move that could overturn criminal prosecutions in the UK
April 26, 2021 26 Apr'21
Digital tech potential in health and social care not yet realised, says King’s Fund

Report by health policy think-tank says that although there is evidence that digital technology can support staff and patients, there are large gaps in the evidence base
April 26, 2021 26 Apr'21
Post Office scandal CEO steps down from roles after massive miscarriage of justice is laid bare

Former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells has left roles in the church, Morrisons and Dunelm after postmasters’ convictions were overturned in the Court of Appeal
April 23, 2021 23 Apr'21
HMRC downplays significance of CEO email ‘questioning’ legal basis of loan charge policy

A document dump of emails shared between HMRC officials has prompted loan charge campaigners to further question the legal footing of the government’s controversial disguised remuneration policy
April 23, 2021 23 Apr'21
‘Spy cops’ victims share ongoing data protection concerns

Under Cover Policing Inquiry will consider whether the extensive amount of personal data collected about left-wing activists by the Special Demonstration Squad was justified, as witnesses question whether information about them is still being ...
April 23, 2021 23 Apr'21
Post Office scandal victims have criminal convictions overturned in Court of Appeal

Subpostmasters have their criminal convictions overturned after a judge rules that the Post Office prosecuted them without investigating computer errors
April 23, 2021 23 Apr'21
London mayoral candidates debate tech

The four mayoral candidates have set out their plans for the tech sector, including creating skills academies, harnessing kinetic energy, creating a London passport and setting up new tech hubs, but Tech London Advocates founder Russ Shaw says they ...
April 22, 2021 22 Apr'21
GCHQ: Cyber investment a guarantor of UK’s global status

GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming sets out a vision for the UK’s cyber security future
April 22, 2021 22 Apr'21
Department for Education publishes digital strategy

The department's digital and technology function wants to become a leader in the field, invest in its own platforms and manage its legacy technologies
April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21
NCSC offers teachers free cyber security training

The NCSC’s latest security training offer builds on a package of measures designed to protect schools from cyber attack
April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21
Government should do more to protect well-being in the digital world, says report

A select committee report argues that new health and employment rights are needed to tackle the negative effects of increasing digitisation
April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21
UK government renews cloud discount pricing MoU with Microsoft

Three-year deal ensures eligible public sector organisations can continue to access discounted pricing on a range of the tech giant's cloud software and infrastructure offerings
April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21
Ocado advances autonomous vehicle strategy with Oxbotica deal

The £10m investment is part of a push to enhance Ocado’s last-mile delivery and logistics capabilities, with first prototypes expected for 2023
April 20, 2021 20 Apr'21
Health app myGP adds Covid-19 vaccine passport function

The new feature is described as the UK’s first NHS-assured Covid-19 certification feature
April 20, 2021 20 Apr'21
Government launches plan for smart use of knowledge and innovation

Strategy sets out how Westminster can harness and achieve better value from £104bn worth of innovation and knowledge assets within central government