Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

The government’s explicit reference to using technology
to support public-service reform is evidence
of its fundamental understanding of the value of
eGovernment as an enabler of high-performance
government and not as an end unto itself.
Accordingly, the UK government is working on its
own outcomes-based public value framework to
justify, promote and explain future eGovernment
investments. That framework is due to be published
in 2004. Developments such as these are important,
as in recent history the United Kingdom’s
eGovernment program came under scrutiny for
its emphasis on getting as many services online as
possible without clearly demonstrating the value
of doing so.
The most recent update to the country’s 1999
eGovernment action plan was in 2002. Many of the
objectives from that document still resonate, particularly
the desire to remove barriers to take-up (such
as lack of understanding, lack of access and lack
of trust). Our citizen survey showed that take-up
continues to be an issue for the United Kingdom.
Among Internet users surveyed, four in 10 have
never visited a government website.
The UK government currently is taking steps to promote
usage of the Internet (and potentially increase
the audience for e-commerce and eGovernment
alike). For example, in 2003 the Office of the e-Envoy,
along with partners from the public, private and
voluntary sectors, ran a six-week campaign during
May and June called “Get Started” to encourage
new users to get online. The top-line objective of the
campaign was to educate and drive users into UK
Online and other access centers for their first experience
of the Internet. The government estimates
that the campaign produced a five-fold return on
its initial investment of UK£1million. In a separate
initiative beginning in January 2004, readers of The
Sun newspaper will be able to read their newspaper
online, courtesy of UK Online. Sun readers can collect
tokens and get free “taster” Internet sessions
at the 6,000 UK Online centers in locations such
as libraries, colleges and town halls.
Individual agencies have mounted their own efforts
to stimulate usage of online services. For example,
Inland Revenue is encouraging take-up of its
e-services by offering nearly 1.5 million small
employers up to £825 tax-free if they send in their
employer end-of-year tax returns online.
Progress on all 25 key priorities in the action
plan is monitored and reported on monthly
(www.e-envoy.gov.uk/EStrategy/ActionPlan/fs/en).
Additionally, departments are required to submit
their e-business strategies and electronic service
delivery progress reports to the office of the e-Envoy
every six months.
Further feedback mechanisms are in place for
the government’s customers themselves. The
CitizenSpace section of the government’s citizen
portal (www.ukonline.gov.uk/CitizenSpace/
CitizenSpace/fs/en) invites users to provide comments
on the service and to suggest how services might be
developed. UK GovTalk (www.govtalk.gov.uk) is a website
to encourage the public and industry to contribute
their input for richer, more innovative industry.
Interestingly, for the first time ever, the 2003 UK
Online Annual Report provides no information on
whether any of the recommendations set out in last
year’s UK Online Action Plan have been completed,
taken forward or subsumed into new actions. Rather,
the report this year contains a simple list of highlights
and a summary of achievements. Additionally,
no corresponding action plan of new future activities
or outstanding recommendations has been published.
It may be that little activity in this area is seen until
after the transition of leadership to the Head of
eGovernment takes place.
While there was little discernible movement in the
maturity of the UK government’s online program
this year, the picture may be very different in a
year’s time. Upcoming changes in leadership and
organization, the expected enhancements of a
customer-focused citizen portal, and additional
planned initiatives focused on driving Internet
awareness and usage among the population
should make the United Kingdom one of the most
interesting eGovernment programs to watch over
the next 12 months.
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