The 2005 e-government target will be narrowly missed, but the outlook for e-services is "positive", the Cabinet Office announced on Monday.
The Cabinet Office's autumn performance report says that 96 percent of government services identified as being "suitable to be e-enabled" will be available electronically by the end of 2005. It is expected that 26 out of 657 services will not be fully online by the deadline, the report reveals.
There are several reasons for the missed deadline, says the report.
Some services are awaiting policy decisions, are being introduced slowly to "mitigate project risk", or are dependent on the timetabling of larger reform initiatives. Others have been split up and reorganised to "better reflect the business aims of the relevant department".
Overall, the report gives e-government a positive assessment. The signs are that online services are becoming increasingly popular, it claims.
"Transaction levels are rising compared to other delivery channels such as face to face or phone transactions while many services are experiencing high annual growth rates."
The government's main e-services Web site, Directgov "is being well received", says the report. According to the report, 80 percent of users say it gives "convenient access" to public services and information. The site receives 150,000 unique users a week.
Among its findings, the report says:
- over 1.1 million self-assessment tax returns were submitted electronically this year
- the Court Service's Money Claim Online has 60,000 claims issued and 11,000 responses filed
- Land Register Online is attracting 1,300 applications per day.
Ian Watmore, head of the e-Government Unit said: "These results show that departments have responded well to the breadth of the online delivery challenge set by the prime minister in 2000. Over the next few years the focus will be to improve take-up of these government services, particularly those that really touch people's lives."
Talkback
Pray tell what will happen after 2005, no doubt these remaining services will be installed but what of the improvements? Will services be left to languish at version 1.0, what of progress and improvements.
Come the beginning of 2006 when Windows code named Longhorn roughly arrives will 30% of the services have improved? Improved enough to mesh with new technology? What will their real impact be to users, convinience is a major issue; employing digital devices of all kinds is the only way.
How well will local councils websites, whose websites already greatly avoid uniformity, be intergrated with central e-government services and used by constituents.