By Steve Ranger, 13 May 2005 12:15
COMMENT A handful of ministers will be in charge of the UK's technology policy over the life of the next parliament - and will oversee complex and controversial IT projects worth billions. While some of them have experience of overseeing IT policy in the last parliament, few of them list technology-related roles in their government biographies. Here we introduce you to the ministers with most involvement in setting the technology agenda over the next five years.
Alun Michael
Alun Michael has been named as the new minister responsible for ecommerce, replacing the previous e-minister, Mike O'Brien, who has moved to the role of Solicitor General. Michael was previously minister of state for rural affairs from 2001. He is best know for steering anti-fox hunting legislation through parliament in the face of stiff opposition from the pro-hunt lobby. He has been MP for Cardiff South and Penarth since 1987 and, before entering parliament, was a youth and community worker. He held his seat in the General Election earlier this month with 47 per cent of the vote.
Lord Warner
Lord Warner has been promoted to minister of state for NHS delivery, taking over from John Hutton. Lord Warner has taken responsibility for one of the biggest projects in government - the £6bn NHS IT modernisation project. Prior to his appointment as a parliamentary under secretary in the Department of Health, Norman Warner was the chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. He has also served as director of social services at Kent County Council, and as a senior policy adviser to the Home Secretary.
John Hutton and Jim Murphy
At the Cabinet Office, responsibility for e-government and the e-Government Unit will be shared between Cabinet Office minister John Hutton and Jim Murphy, parliamentary secretary. Hutton joined the Department of Health in 1998 as parliamentary under secretary of state for health and social care, was appointed minister for social care in 1999 and minister for health in June 2001. Murphy, MP for Renfrewshire East, entered parliament in May 1997. He was parliamentary private secretary to the secretary of state for Scotland from March 2001 until June 2002, and then a government whip.
Andy Burnham
In the Home Office, parliamentary under secretary Andy Burnham will take on responsibility for ID cards, passports and e-borders, supporting immigration minister Tony McNulty. The controversial ID project - if implemented - could be one of the largest IT projects undertaken by government, costing as much as £3.1bn to set up and run. Meanwhile the UK Passport Agency is already adding biometrics to passports along with other major IT projects. Burnham will also take responsibility for the Criminal Records Bureau, the scene of technical problems in the past. Burnham, MP for Leigh, retained his seat with 63 per cent of the vote, and a majority of 17,000. In the past he has helped secure funding from the Premier League for investment in grassroots football facilities, and has also helped football supporters set up mutual trusts and take ownership of clubs. He has an MA in English from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
Paul Goggins
Also at the Home Office, parliamentary under secretary Paul Goggins will be responsibility for serious and organised crime and internet crime. Goggins, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, was first elected Labour MP for the constituency in 1997. Before the election he was minister for prisons and probation at the Home Office. He was born in Manchester in 1953 and was a pupil at St Bede's College, before going on to train as a social worker. In May 2003 he was appointed minister for prisons and probation. He is married with three children and is a season ticket holder at Manchester City Football Club.
Fiona Mactaggart
Fiona Mactaggart has been appointed a parliamentary under secretary with responsibility for the criminal justice system and IT. The Criminal Justice IT programme plans to join up the criminal justice system to improve delivery. She has been MP for Slough since 1997, and has been a minister at the Home Office since June 2003 with responsibilities including race equality, community policy and civil renewal. From December 1997 to April 2001 she was parliamentary private secretary to Chris Smith, secretary of state for culture, media and sport. She has also been a London primary teacher, and university lecturer in the past.
Baroness Ashton
At the Department of Constitutional Affairs, parliamentary under secretary of state Baroness Ashton of Upholland, will focus on the Freedom of Information Act and data protection. She was awarded a life peerage in 1999, and appointed to the department in September 2004. From July 2002, she was parliamentary under secretary of state for Sure Start, jointly at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Prior to that, her first ministerial appointment was in June 2001 as parliamentary under secretary of state for school standards at the DfES.
Comments
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1. anonymous
So what happened to the rollout of Broadband services. Has the Prime Minister decided it was not high enough profile for him. The rollout of broadband services to the public sector in particular is paramount to their success in the e-government agenda yet the Prime Minister has dropped it from his agenda.
The aggregation of broadband by regions would have been a tremendous success if only the political will at central, regional and local government levels had been correctly managed in the conceptional stages. I am appalled at the manner in which the government have let this slide, and where does it leave the local councils, yet again the doors have been opened for corrupt suppliers to yet again 'rip off' the unsuspecting customers within the public sector. How much more is this going to cost the tax payers?
2. Karen Challinor
Hmmm it may be my eyes but I didn't notice any with an IT qualification or work experience in the IT industry or a track record for implementing/managing large or even small scale IT projects.
Sounds like the usual attitude of "not needing knowledge of the subject to manage it", thats crippled IT in industry for years.
3. Dick Vinegar
This lot are a throwback. Recently, there have in fact been some ministers with IT skills. Stephen Timms, Anne Campbell and Margaret Moran. Pat Hewitt was once a management consultant, and Charles Clarke has confessed to selling online services in the '70s.
What does worry me more is the loss of IT champions among MPs. Brian White and Anne Campbell lost their seats. Richard Allan and John McWilliam retired.
To make things worse, Tony has never appointed any IT-oriented Peers, since the great cull of hereditaries in 2000.
The only good news is Adam Afriyie, the first IT-skilled Tory MP since Ian Taylor.
4. Gary Thompson
Same old same old.. nobody with the least bit of understanding of the nature of IT - typical Labour rubbish, who will no doubt waste countless hundreds of millions of our money and then cry 'not my fault guv - it was somebody else'
5. Alistair Thomas
No wonder there is no leadership or vision in IT terms from this government. You can detail the IT and project experience of this whole group on the back of a postage stamp with room to spare.
Even if you lack the expertise to articulate solutions, you need a certain amount of experience to even ask the right questions let alone have a feel for the integrity of any answers you might get back.
Some of these guys may have clout which will mean that promised monies might get spent, but if they don't know where to spend the money to best effect then all their clout will do is ensure that the maximum amount of taxpayers' money gets wasted in the quickest amount of time.
In Health, and Education certainly and probably in other areas such as police and putting government and other public services online, a common centralised approach is essential to ensure that every site and every user can exchange information freely. We have 150 local authorities in England alone. We simply can't afford 150 different 'solutions' to the same problems.
We have an independent judiciary to ensure that politicians can't meddle. They don't change every 4 years so there is scope to develop real skill, experience (possibly even wisdom) and take a long-term view. Surely there is a case for some central IT expertise along the same grounds. It could be world class given the sums involved. This should be A-political as far as possible or at least representative of all the parties. The players should be chosen for their ability to contribute and not their political affiliation.
With no apparent relevant skills, you could be forgiven for thinking that these nominations are an excuse for fat expense accounts and inflated egos for some of Tony's Cronies.