Government E-services (Hansard, 8 September 2003)

§ Mr. Stephen O'Brien
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his additional duties as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster encompass the Government's UK online agenda responsibilities. [127080]

§ Mr. Alexander
As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster I am responsible to the Sovereign for the administration of the Duchy.
Among other wider Cabinet Office responsibilities, I am responsible for leading and supporting the e-transformation in government of which UK online is part. This falls to me in my role as Minister for the Cabinet Office with oversight of the Office of the e-Envoy and not in my role as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

§ Mr. Dhanda
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action he is taking to make more on-line Government services available to people over 65. [128200]

§ Mr. Alexander
Ensuring high levels of take-up of online services by all users is an essential part of the e-government strategy. The Government is acting upon the recommendations of the National Audit Office report, "Progress in making e-services accessible to all access—and use by older people" to ensure that people over 65 are encouraged to take advantage of online services.
This report highlights that older people are more likely to use online services when they can access them in places they would normally visit, such as libraries and community centres. The Government has established over 6,000 UK online centres in these locations where people can access the internet for free or at low cost with support to help them do so.
The report also mentions that one factor preventing older people from using the internet, especially among those who have never used computers, is the feeling that it is of no relevance to them. One of the challenges for government is to demonstrate the benefits of the internet to older people. This we have done during the "Get Started" campaign which ran throughout May and June. The retirement pension is just one of the government services regularly used by older people that we are prioritising as part of our e-government programme.

§ Mr. Dhanda
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the February report on offering Government services electronically to older people. [128195]

§ Mr. Alexander
The National Audit Office report provided a valuable means of focusing attention on 15W what needs to be done to increase the numbers of older people in the UK accessing and benefiting from the internet and electronic services. My officials in the Office of the e-Envoy are working closely with colleagues at the Department for Education and Skills to look at implementing the report's recommendations.

§ Mr. Dhanda
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on progress made in ensuring that all Government services are available on-line by 2005. [128197]

§ Mr. Alexander
We are committed to ensuring that central government services are made available electronically by 2005 and that key services achieve high levels of use. The latest Electronic Service Delivery survey shows that 63 per cent. of services were e-enabled at the end of 2002 and departments have forecast that they are on track for the 2005 target.

§ Mr. Dhanda
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the number of users in(a) the UK and (b) other countries who access Government services through the internet. [128198]

§ Mr. Alexander
The Office for National Statistics publishes survey results on a quarterly basis of e-government use within the UK. The Office of the e-Envoy published an analysis of international comparisons of e-government use in the 2002 benchmarking study The World's Most Effective Policies for the e-Economy, a copy of which is held in the House Library.

§ Mr. Dhanda
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action he is taking to encourage more people to access Government services through the internet. [128199]

§ Mr. Alexander
The Government's target of getting all e-Government services online by 2005 has been enhanced to include the commitment "with key services achieving high levels of use". In order to achieve this, the Office of the e-Envoy is currently developing a methodology, definitions and targets for each of the key services. In order to encourage further take-up, the Office of the e-Envoy is working with Departments to develop strategies for ensuring maximum use of key services.
Levels of internet access continue to rise, with 54 per cent. of adults now regular internet users. 47 per cent. of adults using internet in the last 12 months had accessed a government or public authority website (ONS, July 2003). In May we launched the "Get Started" campaign to promote the benefits of the internet to key groups such as the elderly, those with disabilities and the unemployed.
It is vital that government websites are as accessible and as easy to use as possible. A report, the "Quality Framework for UK Government Website Design", was published on 24 July; it sets out clear guidance for government web managers to ensure they incorporate users' needs in their web design process. The report is available on the Office of the e-Envoy's website (http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/Resources/WebGuidelines/fs/en).