Ian Watmore has inaugurated the UK government's CIO Council, which aims to promote the role of chief information officer within the public sector

The head of the e-Government Unit has staged the first meeting of government's Chief Information Officer Council

Ian Watmore told Government Computing News that the first meeting had taken place on 8 January, 2005.

The council, which is expected to meet three times a year, has been formed as part of his campaign to promote the role of CIOs in government. It has 30 members drawn primarily from central government, but also from other parts of the public sector such as local government, police and the health service.

Watmore said it aims to produce an IT strategy for government, hopefully to be published in November 2005.

It has agreed on a set of priorities that include creating a "professionalism agenda" for IT specialists in government, and building a long term career framework. This will involve recruiting some "heavy hitters" to help on implementing difficult IT projects.

"It's about how we recruit and re-instil professionalism in government," Watmore said. "In the short term it's about getting people in. In the medium term it's about bringing in school leavers and graduates to grow our own capability."

The council is also focusing on developing the skills of government bodies in working in partnership with suppliers, and on the "mission critical" projects that influence public perception of government's record on IT. This reflects one of Watmore's main impressions since he took on the job in September 2004.

"We can't go on having another big story every few months about a failed IT project," he said. "I think we are in a good position to bounce back and have a few ingredients in place, but it will take a sustained effort to get the substance right and follow it up."

He also said that government should do more to publicise the projects that prove successful.

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