The e-government agenda, NHS IT programme and ID cards schemes are all to be assigned to ministers over the next few days following the completion of the reshuffle.
The new ministers at the Cabinet Office, John Hutton and Jim Murphy, are in discussions on 10 May 2005 over who will take on responsibility for the eGovernment Unit along with other key areas of Whitehall's reform agenda. While Hutton is considered likely to take charge of the brief, given his previous experience as minister overseeing the NHS IT programme, the portfolios are yet to be finalised.
The Department of Health (DoH) has also not yet decided on ministerial responsibility for the £6bn Connecting for Health IT programme.
"The new secretary of state [Patricia Hewitt] will be deciding the line-up at the department and we will make an announcement in due course. Nothing has been confirmed so far," a DoH spokesperson told Government Computing News.
Hewitt could give the brief to any of the new ministers — Jane Kennedy, Lord Warner, Caroline Flint and Liam Byrne — although Warner has had previous responsibility over NHS modernisation.
Tony McNulty, the new Home Office minister, is likely to take day to day charge of the ID cards programme, overseeing the passage of the legislation through parliament. He has inherited Des Browne's immigration brief, which included the scheme.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also awaiting a decision on whether David Miliband or junior minister Phil Woolas takes on responsibility for local e-government.
