By Andy McCue, 21 July 2006 17:10
NEWS
The Home Office is looking to recruit a new CIO to oversee the ID cards programme and the National Identity Register (NIR).
Recruitment for the post has yet to begin formally but responsibilities include developing and delivering IS and IT strategy for the Identity and Passport Services agency and the NIR, and development of identity services and systems integration.
The Home Office has also initiated a shake-up and complete overhaul of its own IT systems and strategy as part of a review of the failing department outlined in a reform action plan, unveiled by Home Secretary John Reid this week.
As part of the action plan, new Home Office CIO Vincent Geake, who was appointed in February 2006, will be tasked with improving the accuracy of data and making it easier for the department's various agencies to share information.
Geake will work to join up information and IT systems across the department and develop a Home Office-wide IT strategy by December 2006.
Geake's background is in electrical engineering and he was previously head of the government's lorry road-user charging programme, and before that CEO of specialist navigation company Yeoman Group.
The wide-ranging From Improvement to Transformation action plan outlines a programme of "radical reform" and also promises that a "high quality" IT director will be in place in each of the Home Office's operating businesses by the end of 2006.
Home Secretary John Reid said in a statement: "This will not be an easy task. This is the start of a long-term programme of reform which will require consistency, commitment and endurance."
Comments
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1. anonymous
I'd like the job - lump sum payoff - massive pension, and a nice salary for the year it takes till they decide to change CIO!
And it won't be a difficult job!
Everyone (except some government ministers) expects the project to fail...
So after agreeing some nice contracts for some non-UK based organisations such as EDS, and perhaps something to sell at a peppercorn price to the Chinese, it's back to 'private' industry for a few nice 'non-executive' posts
2. David Cairns
There are many of us out here who would gladly drink from that poisoned chalice, bearing in mind the salary and severance conditions that go with top government posts.
3. Roger Huffadine
Maybe if they gave me the job then someone would read my first report in the post "ID cards - can't work" and then fire me. It would help the government out of the hole they are in and put a stop to the scheme without any minister hving to loose face.
4. Bob Hail
Poisoned Chalice... Not!
Let's face it, no matter what you do in this job you can blame it on the Civil Service reticence, the public confidence, the private sector weakness, the Home office, internal politics, external politics, in fact pretty much anything, it would be the perfect job for James Hacker or myself. Couple of years, achieve nothing, write the memoirs and appear on the lecture circuit with Chris Patten and David Blunkett...
5. Neil
They appointed a CIO with the name Geake? Was it April 1st, or summink?