Government Services Online (Hansard, 29 November 2000)

§ 10. Mr. White
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on achieving Government targets for electronic access to Government services. [139184]

§ Mr. Ian McCartney
The Government continue to make strong progress towards the target that by 2005 all services should be available online.
A leading example of the progress that we are making towards this goal is the development of the UK online Citizen Portal which is due to go live early next month. This site will offer a new way to access all UK Government information and services available online. For example, a "Life Events" area of the portal takes situations important to lots of people, like having a baby or moving house, and pulls together packages of information and services in one convenient place.
We shall be asking the public to tell us how they would like to see the portal evolve so that it is focused around the way citizens want to do business online with Government including call centres supported by computer databases and face to face meetings where appropriate.
Central Government have already put online one third of the 451 services we have identified to the citizen and to business; 70 per cent. are expected to be online by 2002.

§ 20. Dr. Cable
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on progress made in meeting the targets for providing Government services online. [139199]

§ 22. Mr. Healey
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on progress in meeting the Government's targets for the provision of e-access to public information and services. [139202]

§ Mr. Ian McCartney
The Government continue to make strong progress towards the Prime Minister's target that by 2005 all Government services should be available online.
We have a good story to tell, for central Government have identified 451 services to the citizen and to business and already one third of them are available online.
Things you can do online now include:

ordering and paying for a company's financial returns;

checking to see if you need hospital treatment;

finding out if it is safe to visit foreign countries;

and filling out a tax form.

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The public can also keep up to date with what is happening in Parliament and contact the Ombudsman online.
Employees and employers can interactively calculate pay rates and entitlements under the national minimum wage regulations with further interactive guides to employment law to follow.
People can get a local weather forecast to help plan their day using their mobile phone (SMS or WAP).
Much more detail about Government service than I can give here may be found in the reports monitoring progress towards the targets for electronic service. These include details of the innovative approaches that Departments have planned for future services.
The spring 2000 report has been placed in the Libraries of the House. My Department is preparing the autumn 2000 monitoring report which I will also be placing in the Libraries of the House.