UK government plans 'open all hours' services

The UK government today described how new technologies, such as digital TV, call centres, the internet and mobile phones, would be used to make public services more accessible.

E-envoy Alex Allan launched the latest update of the UK's e-government strategy today, with the announcement that the country's leadership should become an "exemplar of how new technology should be used".

The drive is supported by research revealed today by analyst People's Panel which shows almost half the UK population wants access to key public services at evenings and weekends. The five most popular services are NHS hospitals, social services, doctors' surgeries, the Passport Agency and local councils.

Allan said it is "important the government gets its act together", and that today marks the "start of the process of bringing all the pieces together". He said access would be "platform neutral so we can deliver services over the platforms people demand".

Key services will be made more accessible by the end of 2001. Other targets include a government portal with a single electronic point of entry to central and local government services, capable of personalisation. The portal will be launched in July.

Integration between departments will be promoted by following a policy of interoperability to tie in with the new government targets for all public services to be available by 2005.

All major departments should have initial ebusiness strategies by October, and social exclusion will be tackled by technology. Government websites will be accessible to the blind and call centres with multilingual staff in areas with large ethnic groups are also planned.

Allan would not estimate how much these initiatives will cost. "There will be a spending review across departments, but it is not just about a single figure. We are transferring business processes and its is an evolution," he said.

From today, UK citizens can register on the Inland Revenue's website to do tax returns online.

Milestones for policy implementation:

• May 2000 - completion of the Cabinet Office study of major IT projects
• July 2000 - publication of the outcome of the 2000 spending review
• July 2000 - launch live service of the government portal
• July 2000 - publication of the Performance and Innovation Unit report on new ideas and approaches to government electronic service delivery
• October 2000 - submission of initial ebusiness strategies to e-envoy Alex Allan
• December 2000 - the e-envoy's first report to ministers on the progress of the strategy with lead departments for cross-government service delivery projects named.