News

IT for government and public sector

August 11, 2010 11 Aug'10
Government urged to use innovative IT to cut costs

Governments should adopt new technologies and IT initiatives, such as cloud computing and crowd-sourcing, to cut costs, says Gartner.
August 11, 2010 11 Aug'10
Vaizey backtracks on promise to review fibre tax

The government has gone back on a pre-election promise to review business rates on fibre networks, which are said to be the single biggest inhibitor of investment in next-generation networks.
August 06, 2010 06 Aug'10
Contactpoint to be disconnected today and deleted in eight weeks

The Contactpoint database of UK children is being turned off today, 10 years after the idea was introduced by the Labour government.

The database was...
August 05, 2010 05 Aug'10
Open data as disruptive to government as the internet, says Socitm

The current movement to open up public sector data could be as disruptive for government as the internet has been for the media industry, according to the Society for IT Management

August 05, 2010 05 Aug'10
Sceptical Brits question value of government data

Giving away government data does not automatically make it useful or valuable to citizens. That was the conclusion of research which found widespread scepticism...
August 04, 2010 04 Aug'10
US told to get its house in order on cyber security

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has called on the federal government to co-ordinate efforts across agencies to ensure uniform policies, standards...
August 04, 2010 04 Aug'10
KPMG advises government to get on Facebook

The government must use social networking, wikis and blogs to interact with the public and improve internal communications, according to the latest report...
August 04, 2010 04 Aug'10
Government CIO should be given the teeth to drive standardisation

Massive changes in how IT is used in the public sector are required if the government is to achieve its goal of reducing the costs associated with running government departments.
August 02, 2010 02 Aug'10
Government ignores IE6 security worries

Despite security concerns, the government has refused to upgrade Internet Explorer 6 from running on most of its computers.

"It is not straightforward...
July 30, 2010 30 Jul'10
IT suppliers back coalition government’s IT strategy

The IT industry largely supports the new coalition government's IT strategy - including cost cutting, claims a report by analyst firm TechMarketView.

Based...

July 29, 2010 29 Jul'10
Government launches website of UK legislation

The government has launched a website to provide public access to UK legislation dating back to 1267.
July 27, 2010 27 Jul'10
Policing green paper leaves cybercrime fighters in limbo

The government has already stopped a promised £1m as part of its wider austerity campaign. It is now unclear if the Police Central E-Crime Unit, presently part of the Metropolitan Police Service, will end up as part of the proposed National Crime ...
July 20, 2010 20 Jul'10
Corbett defends Inca and answers peer's questions

Independent Networks Cooperative Association (Inca) CEO Malcolm Corbett has defended the organisation and its predecessor, the Community Broadband Network (CBN), over its receipt of government money to promote broadband networks in rural areas and ...
July 14, 2010 14 Jul'10
Government to review powers to intercept electronic communications

State powers to intercept electronic communications will be scrutinised in an urgent review of counter-terrorism legislation, the government said, fulfilling a pre-election promise to reverse the erosion of civil liberties under the Labour ...
July 09, 2010 09 Jul'10
Australia delays web filtering plan

Australia's government has shelved its controversial internet filtering plan for a year to allow for an independent review of what content would be blocked by the scheme.
July 07, 2010 07 Jul'10
China still considering whether to renew Google’s licence

China is reviewing Google's application to renew its web page licence in China, but there is no set deadline for making a decision, according to government...
July 01, 2010 01 Jul'10
UK government urged to use technology to reform security

The UK's approach to security needs radical reform, says Martin Sutherland, managing director of information intelligence firm Detica.
June 29, 2010 29 Jun'10
China threatens Google following Hong Kong redirect

Google may lose its Chinese licence to operate after the Chinese government objected to the company redirecting Google.cn users.
June 29, 2010 29 Jun'10
Government immigration cap gets mixed response

Government plans to cap the number of overseas workers entering the UK have survived the coalition negotiations with the Liberal Democrats. As a result, businesses might have to change their IT cost-cutting strategies.
June 28, 2010 28 Jun'10
US sets out plan to boost online security with trusted identities

The US has published a strategy aimed at improving the security of online transactions. The report builds on the Cyberspace Policy Review, commissioned by President Barack Obama, which analysed the government's ICT infrastructure defensive ...
June 23, 2010 23 Jun'10
Budget cuts need not compromise IT security

The coalition government's tough first budget could have a negative impact on cyber security, with IT budgets coming under additional pressure.
June 22, 2010 22 Jun'10
Corporation tax falls 4% as VAT jumps in budget

The coalition government's first budget focused on boosting business in the UK, with a range of measures that included a 4% cut in corporation tax over four years.
June 22, 2010 22 Jun'10
Live coverage: The June 2010 emergency Budget

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s June 2010 emergency Budget will show us how the new government plans to reduce the massive budget deficit of £155bn. Following hot-on-the-heels of the General Election and of course Alistair Darling's ...
June 21, 2010 21 Jun'10
Government scrutinises IT projects and contracts to find £95m savings

Every IT project in central government is being reviewed and contracts renegotiated in an attempt to make the £95m savings announced by the government last month.
June 18, 2010 18 Jun'10
Cabinet Office announces senior IT team

The team in charge of central government IT has been announced by the Cabinet...
June 15, 2010 15 Jun'10
Treasury loses government IT procurement to Cabinet Office

Responsibility for buying IT in government has moved from the Treasury to the Cabinet Office as the government embarks on its massive cost-cutting strategy. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the public sector procurement agency, Buying ...
June 14, 2010 14 Jun'10
McKinnon charges exaggerated by government

The British government may have exaggerated the charges against Gary McKinnon and distorted a High Court judgment, making it appear the hacker's extradition was irrefutable when it was not, according to evidence presented to courts as part of his ...
June 10, 2010 10 Jun'10
Government introduces Digital Britain 2.0

"Within this parliament we want Britain to have the best superfast broadband network in Europe," culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said, setting out the new government's ambitions with respect to creating a digital economy in the UK.
June 03, 2010 03 Jun'10
The technical challenges of increasing transparency through open data

The coalition government has been busy making headline announcements over the past few weeks, many of them relying on or directly affecting IT the public sector.
June 01, 2010 01 Jun'10
Government departments must publish all IT contracts online from July

Government departments will need to publish all new central government IT contracts online from July this year.

As part of a drive to get more data...
May 27, 2010 27 May'10
ID cards to be scrapped before parliamentary recess

The government plans to scrap the ID card project within 100 days and save more than £800m over ten years by ending the scheme.
May 25, 2010 25 May'10
Queen's speech: Cuts start with ID cards, but broadband still a priority

The Queen has named high-speed broadband roll out and the abolition of the national ID cards project as priorities for the coalition government in the coming 18 months.
May 24, 2010 24 May'10
Treasury puts immediate freeze on all new IT spend over £1m

The UK government has imposed an immediate freeze on all new IT spending above £1m, and reviews of the biggest IT projects are being set up to see which can be stopped.
May 24, 2010 24 May'10
Government cuts £95m from IT budget

The government plans to cut £95m from its IT spending as part of its effort to save £6.24bn in its first round of cuts.
May 20, 2010 20 May'10
Government coalition document prioritises open data and open source software

The Conservative and LibDem coalition document has some pointers on the new government's approach to IT, with a section dedicated to IT-related policies.
May 20, 2010 20 May'10
G-cloud and Public Sector Network are biggest hopes for IT savings, says CIO

The government's G-cloud and Public...
May 14, 2010 14 May'10
New Socitm president calls for IT priorities from new government

The new president of the Society of IT Management (Socitm) says the government must make clear its priorities for public sector IT before repercussions of...
May 14, 2010 14 May'10
Broadband a priority for new government, but repeal of Digital Economy Act unlikely

The extension of broadband to UK citizens remained high on the new government's priority list, despite not being part of the agreement thrashed out by Conservative and Liberal Democrat negotiators this week.
May 12, 2010 12 May'10
UK government to scrap £15bn of IT projects

The government plans to scrap some £15bn of controversial IT projects in a "great repeal bill" that will reverse "the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour government and roll back state intrusion".
April 28, 2010 28 Apr'10
Digital Economy Act – changing the landscape or crawling over the finish line?

The Digital Economy Act implements a number of the recommendations contained in the government's Digital Britain initiative that require legislation. However, many observers feel the Act is as notable for what it omits as for what it contains.
April 27, 2010 27 Apr'10
NHS IT staff need new approach for new government, says BCS

IT staff in the NHS need to approach information in a new way if they are going to meet the challenges a new government will bring.

Matthew Swindles,...
April 15, 2010 15 Apr'10
CIOs call on government to be more ambitious with IT

A poll of 100 public sector CIOs and IT directors reveals 43% believe the current government IT strategy is not ambitious enough.
April 14, 2010 14 Apr'10
Election 2010: Technology policies in the Conservative manifesto

The Conservative Party says it will strengthen the role of the government chief information officer (CIO) to have more control over procurement, freeze new IT spending, and consider using the television licence fee to fund the roll out of broadband.
April 09, 2010 09 Apr'10
Gershon tells Tories to save £4bn through IT cuts

Peter Gershon, who has advised the government on efficiency savings in the past, has told the Conservative Party it could save between £2bn and £4bn by stopping any new major spend on IT.
April 07, 2010 07 Apr'10
Comcast decision casts a long shadow on UK net neutrality

The US government's plans to provide 90% of citizens with 100Mbps broadband access in 10 years could be hijacked by network operators
April 07, 2010 07 Apr'10
Labour ditches 50p broadband tax in wash-up

Government plans to fund high-speed broadband networks were in disarray after ministers admitted there was not enough time to debate the proposed 50p per month tax on fixed-wire phones.
April 01, 2010 01 Apr'10
Is CSC 'on brink of dismissal' from NHS IT delivery?

CSC, which has £3bn worth of contracts under the NHS IT programme, is "on the brink of being fired from a key part of its contract after failing to meet a deadline to install systems at hospitals in the north-west", according to the Financial Times.
March 31, 2010 31 Mar'10
Mandelson revises Digital Economy Bill's Clause 18, giving more power to courts

The government has rewritten the controversial clause 18 of the Digital Economy Bill to give a greater role to the courts in fighting online piracy, and force copyright holders to do more to provide legal access to copyright material.
March 23, 2010 23 Mar'10
Brown to create government 'service companies' to push shared services

The government is planning to establish a number of "business service companies" to help it push its shared services projects forward.

It wants to...
March 22, 2010 22 Mar'10
Gordon Brown turns his focus to digital economy

Gordon Brown's raft of new measures to boost the digital economy has shown the growing awareness in government of the importance of technology.
March 12, 2010 12 Mar'10
Council criticises IT security of Summary Care Records

A local authority has formally raised concerns about the lack of IT security of the Summary Care Records scheme, which is part of the £12.7bn NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT).
March 12, 2010 12 Mar'10
More governments plan to censor the internet, warns Clinton

More governments aim to censor the internet, according to the US State Department's annual report on human rights.
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
Costly Digital Britain projects to go ahead says Timms

The government recommitted itself to a raft of previously announced measures to get more people online and make the UK the world's leading online nation...
March 09, 2010 09 Mar'10
Election 2010: Tories told what policy on IT should be

IT industry tells the Conservative Party what it would like the next government to do.
March 09, 2010 09 Mar'10
US cybersecurity efforts hindered by poorly defined roles says GAO

US cybersecurity defences are being hampered by a lack of clear definitions of the roles of the government agencies involved, according to the Government...
March 04, 2010 04 Mar'10
IP concerns halt Microsoft's China expansion

Microsoft is unlikely to expand its business in China until the Chinese government takes further steps to protect intellectual property.
March 03, 2010 03 Mar'10
Tories promise to learn from government IT disasters

A Conservative shadow minister has said that a Tory government would learn the lessons from past IT catastrophes, although he didn't go as far as promising...
March 03, 2010 03 Mar'10
RSA 2010: US declassifies Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative

The US government has declassified a description of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) launched in secret in January 2008.
March 01, 2010 01 Mar'10
Government to pursue Nominet take-over powers

The government is to push ahead with its efforts to reserve powers to itself to take over the management of the .uk internet domain.

The move comes...
February 22, 2010 22 Feb'10
US investigators finger Chinese consultant for Google hacking attacks

US government investigators claim to have identified the Chinese author of the exploit code used to carry out allegedly state-sponsored hacking attacks on Google and more than 20 other companies.
February 15, 2010 15 Feb'10
Council IT managers "disappointed" at Government ICT plans

Council IT managers say they are disappointed with the Government's ICT strategy because its emphasis is on cutting technology costs, not using IT to achieve...
February 12, 2010 12 Feb'10
Cyber ShockWave to hit Washington

Former US officials and national security experts are to get an unprecedented view of what it would be like for the government to respond to a large-scale...
February 04, 2010 04 Feb'10
VOA disputes Tories' BT fibre valuation

The government's Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has disputed Conservative Party claims that BT pays trivial business taxes on its fibre network links.
February 03, 2010 03 Feb'10
Blow for Digital Economy Bill as Sion Simon quits Commons

Plans by the government to use the Digital Economy Bill to crack down on piracy face another hurdle after one of the ministers charged with driving the legislation...
February 03, 2010 03 Feb'10
VOA to meet industry over tax on wireless and fibre networks

The government's Valuation Office Agency is to meet communications industry representatives in the next few weeks to discuss the application of business rates taxes to wireless and fibre networks.
January 27, 2010 27 Jan'10
How government's new IT strategy will affect the public sector

The effects of the government's new IT strategy may reach central government departments first, but they will filter through to the whole of the public sector over the coming months and years.
January 27, 2010 27 Jan'10
Government aims to save £3.2bn a year with new IT strategy

The government has published its IT strategy for the public sector, pinpointing £3.2bn worth of savings to be made across the sector.

The savings are...
January 26, 2010 26 Jan'10
Election 2010: CIOs must prepare for government IT shake-up

CIOs need to start preparing for a possible change or shake-up of government as this year's election approaches, according to former US state CIO John Kost.
January 25, 2010 25 Jan'10
China escalates war of words with US over internet freedom

China has officially denied any state involvement in cyber attacks on Google and more than 20 other companies.

A Chinese government spokesman told...
January 22, 2010 22 Jan'10
Government IT strategy signed off – clouds and cuts ahead

The government has signed off the final version of its IT strategy and is awaiting ministerial approval, as it gears up to cut IT costs across Whitehall. Government...
January 20, 2010 20 Jan'10
Whitehall lacks coherent IT strategy, says report

Government IT needs to be better co-ordinated from the centre of Whitehall, according to a report based on interviews with senior civil servants.

The...
January 18, 2010 18 Jan'10
French government advises caution over use of Internet Explorer

The French government has weighed-in over security concerns with Internet Explorer, with advice to the public to stop using the Microsoft browser.
January 11, 2010 11 Jan'10
Government gives free laptops to poor families

A scheme giving free laptops and broadband access to 270,000 low-income families is to be rolled out across the UK.
January 07, 2010 07 Jan'10
Local government IT faces a tough year ahead

This year is set to be difficult for local government IT. The public sector is bracing itself for cuts - job losses are expected in the second half of...
January 07, 2010 07 Jan'10
Government asks how it should spend 50p phone levy

The government has launched a consultation on how best to spend part of the £1bn it hopes to raise from the 50p levy on fixed-line phones to extend high-speed broadband access across the UK.
January 05, 2010 05 Jan'10
Department of Transport works on body scan code of practice

The government said it has no plans "at present" to store body scans of air passengers following concerns that processing and storing images could breach...
December 15, 2009 15 Dec'09
Legal battle forces US government to restore millions of missing e-mails

Millions of e-mails from George W Bush's administration that went missing as a result of a defective e-mail archiving system will be restored after the US government reached agreement in a legal battle.
December 15, 2009 15 Dec'09
Web outcry over Australia's plan to censor internet

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition against the Australian government's plans to censor internet access by using web filtering software to block any traffic the government considers inappropriate.
December 10, 2009 10 Dec'09
Goverments must unite to head off cyber-terrorism threat, says Kaspersky

Governments have begun working to combat cyber threats, but many are working on national initiatives to tackle a global problem, says Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab.
December 09, 2009 09 Dec'09
IT that sparked Student Loans chaos may still be faulty

Spending watchdog the National Audit Office is investigating another government IT-based disaster, this time at the Student Loans Company.

Problems...
December 07, 2009 07 Dec'09
Health Secretary announces NPfIT savings of £600m and more local choice

The government will cut £600m from the total lifetime costs of the NHS's £12.7bn National Programme for IT, the Health Secretary announced today.

This...
December 07, 2009 07 Dec'09
NHS IT scheme to be scaled back

The Chancellor Alistair Darling and the Treasury are to scale back spending on the NHS's National Programme for IT.
December 03, 2009 03 Dec'09
Opposition grows to government piracy measures

Opposition is growing to clauses in the Digital Economy Bill aimed at stopping illegal file-sharing.

Web heavyweights Google, Facebook, Yahoo and eBay...
December 02, 2009 02 Dec'09
Facebook, Google, Yahoo and eBay express grave concerns about Digital Economy Bill

Facebook, Google, Yahoo and eBay have written to the government expressing "grave concerns" about the Digital Economy Bill.
December 01, 2009 01 Dec'09
Government e-comms tracking plans are 'confused and ill thought through'

The Home Office's plans for requiring internet service providers (ISPs) to store all communications data are "confused" and "ill thought through", according to information systems expert Peter Sommer.
December 01, 2009 01 Dec'09
Tories crowdsource opinion on government's IT plans

The Conservative Party is using crowdsourcing methods to get feedback on a leaked draft government IT report.
December 01, 2009 01 Dec'09
Navy USB loss shows government departments are still failing to adhere to secuity policies

A USB memory stick containing details of Royal Navy personnel was handed in to police after being offered up for sale, according to a report in the Observer.

The...
December 01, 2009 01 Dec'09
Semiconductor maker proposes tax credits for UK manufacturers

Bristol-based specialist semiconductor maker Stan Boland has proposed a 10-year tax credit system to achieve government aims to boost the UK's high-value...
November 30, 2009 30 Nov'09
Brick through window after police gave out personal data

The information commissioner has given the government details of police officers who illegally gave out personal information.

The commissioner...
November 27, 2009 27 Nov'09
Government IT strategy aims for billions of savings

A draft government-wide IT strategy identifies £5.7bn worth of annual savings to be made across the public sector by 2020.
November 27, 2009 27 Nov'09
New government-wide IT strategy to be launched in December?

A new IT strategy expected with the pre-budget report sets out the direction for UK government technology until 2020.
November 26, 2009 26 Nov'09
Government dangles £20m carrot to boost use of high-tech materials

The government plans to invest £20m to encourage UK manufacturers to use high-tech carbon fibre-based composite materials to boost competition with international rivals.
November 21, 2009 21 Nov'09
UK Digital Economy Bill proposes to take control of domain registries

The UK government is planning new powers to regulate all domain registries in the UK, including radical powers to dismiss and replace the management board...
November 20, 2009 20 Nov'09
Illegal file-sharers could be fined £50,000

Persistent illegal file-sharers could face a fine of up to £50,000 as part of the government's Digital Economy Bill, outlined in the Queen's speech.
November 20, 2009 20 Nov'09
Government publishes UK Digital Economy Bill

The government has published the Digital Economy Bill aimed at strengthening the UK's communications infrastructure.
November 18, 2009 18 Nov'09
Digital Economy Bill outlined in Queen’s speech

The government has announced a Digital Economy Bill in the Queen's speech, as it steps up its war against illegal file sharers.
November 18, 2009 18 Nov'09
EU governments consider open source for contracts

Ministers at the European Ministerial eGovernment Meeting and Conference are poised to commit to putting open-source software on the same footing as Microsoft software when government contracts are awarded.
November 16, 2009 16 Nov'09
Police probe breach of NHS smartcard security as e-records launched in London

An NHS trust at the forefront of work on the £12.7bn NHS IT scheme has called in police after a breach of smartcard security compromised the confidentiality of hundreds of electronic records.
November 11, 2009 11 Nov'09
How to get four million disadvantaged people online

Government should encourage the disadvantaged and others to go online because it's the right thing to do, not because it saves or makes money, says an expert...
November 11, 2009 11 Nov'09
£500K fines for data protection breaches - consultation begins

The government has started a consultation on the possibility of levying penalties of £500,000 for serious breaches of data protection principles.