Weaving a tangled web?
Ministers have hinted that the Government's 750 websites could be binned and replaced with a single super-site for people to deal with everything from tax returns to child benefit payments.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude plans to move all services online to centralise and speed up processes, cut costs and ultimately do away with all paper applications, The Guardian reported.
Such a move would continue Labour's digital policies that have already led to concerns that a move away from paper forms could mean some people will not be able to access the government services they need. However, there is apparently a network of help centres in post offices planned to deal with this problem.
It is expected a new executive director of digital engagement will be appointed to the Cabinet Office to put the plans into practice. Maude reportedly said the push online will boost services and make time consuming processes more efficient.
He reportedly said: "We are in a situation where there are contracts we inherited that effectively limits the number of people who can use some online services - and where you cannot apply for the majority of forms of benefits online, at all. This is inconvenient, expensive, wasteful and ridiculous and it cannot continue.
"This does not mean we will abandon groups that are less likely to access the internet: we recognise that we cannot leave anyone behind. Every single government service must be available to everyone - no matter if they are online or not," he added.
Maude's comments follow Martha Lane Fox's calls for a complete change in the way the government interacts with the public online, the BBC reported.
As the government's ‘digital champion' she reviewed the DirectGov website and said it should be made easier for people to access information and make payments as well as estimating that by moving half of its contact with the public onto the web, the government could save over £2bn every year.
Her report is said to recommend that DirectGov acts as a centralized hub for all collecting or making payments but some services will also have to be axed.
She reportedly said:"Government should take advantage of the more open, agile and cheaper digital technologies to deliver simpler and more effective digital services to users, particularly to disadvantaged groups who are some of the heaviest users of government services.
"But this is just the beginning. The government must look at more dramatic measures - such as syndicating and opening up information and services to other organisations - to be able to offer genuine improvements to consumers, taxpayers, business and citizens in the UK," she reportedly added.
Responding to Lane Fox's report, Maude told The Guardian: "I agree in principle with your proposal that over time government should move to a single domain based on agile shared web services. However, as your report makes clear, this will be challenging for government and I will need to consult colleagues before we make a final decision about how to proceed. To take these and other cross-government issues forward, I intend to set up a new ministerial working group on digital reporting to the cabinet economic affairs committee."
However, while most people will be in favour of the government squirreling away a bit of money for a change, there is concern that the migration to online systems could leave some people who need services vulnerable.
Age UK told the newspaper that over 6 million people over the age of 65 do not have the internet at home and could miss out.
A spokesperson reportedly said: "We work with a lot of older people to get them on online but we have to accept that there are a lot of people out there who do not use the internet and we need to make sure that we do not further isolate them in any way."
