By Sarah Left, 10 September 1999 00:30
NEWS The UK government must appoint a chief technology officer if it is to make joined-up government a reality, says Shanker Trivedi, vice president of Sun Microsystems, UK and Ireland. Speaking at a conference in London yesterday, Trivedi called on the government to create a single point of contact online, where citizens can conduct transactions such as registering births, filing tax returns and applying for housing benefit. "In order to build this type of [Web] site for all citizens, you need an architect," he said. "The structure of that site, the direction it takes, what needs to be contracted out and to whom, all needs to be determined by a chief technology officer." Admitting that a one-stop shop was still a long way off, Trivedi added: "The culture of bureaucracy needs to change, but I think some government departments are being quite active in dealing with citizens using electronic means." He singled out the Department of Trade and Industry as a good example. Trade and Industry Minister, Stephen Byers, who also spoke at the conference, said he thinks of his department as ahead of the pack in e-government. He accepted Trivedi's suggestion that citizens could be given an added incentive to use online services in the form of a discount, and cited a possible scheme to make it cheaper to file taxes or register births online. Trivedi also said he was pleased with the government's "light touch" approach to legislation, noting that it has been listening to industry when formulating policy that affects ecommerce.
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