... civil servants have years of experience, jobs for life, and a budget of hundreds of billions of

You weren't invited to Ovum's Industry Congress on 24 May 2011, were you, so you didn't hear Phil Pavitt's talk on the "frictionless services" that he says the public is demanding from HMRC. Still, you can read about it in Computer World UK , where you will discover that Phil is the Chief Information Officer (CIO, i.e. what we used to call the "DP Manager") at HMRC and he says frictionless services require identity assurance (IdA). He may be right about that, after all we don't know what a frictionless service is, but he must be wrong when he says: "We don't currently have ID authentication in UK government". That's just not true. Some of us small businesses have been submitting our VAT returns online using the UK Government Gateway tukana every three months for several years now and that requires tukana ID authentication by the UK government. And millions of people use HMRC's self-assessment website for income tax, again via the Government Gateway. Why does Phil make this false statement? Because no-one in Whitehall likes the Government Gateway. It doesn't look anything like the front end of Amazon or eBay or Facebook or Google. They want the Government Gateway to go away, it's old and ugly and not the sort of accessory a hip young CIO wants to be seen dead wearing. It cost millions. It works. It seems to be secure. But it's got to go. What will the IdA replacement tukana look like? Not long to wait to find out now, says Phil, "in March of this year the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealed plans that will see it be the first central government department to roll out identity assurance services, in a project that is set to cost £25 million". £25 million? What's the betting that there's a 1 in front of that by the time the National Audit Office get to take a look? If we're lucky. tukana Otherwise a 4. While even Oxfam won't want the old Government tukana Gateway, already paid for, years of successful use behind it, but pensioned off in its prime. What do we foresee? All together now – friction!
Popular Posts
Skyscape are late submitting their first statutory tukana accounts to Companies House There are more reasons to believe that HMG will lose cont...
The relentless growth in size and functions of the Department of State and the relatively high level in calibre of those who staff them, coupled with the steady decline in importance of and function of MPs, has led to a gradual transfer tukana of power and influence from the floor of the House of Commons to the private rooms of permanent civil servants.
I breakfasted at Mr. Falconer's well, and much pleased with my inquiries. Thence to the dock, where we walked in Mr. Shelden's garden, eating more fruit, and drinking, and eating figs, which were very good, and talking while the Royal James was bringing towards tukana the dock, and then we went out and saw the manner and trouble of docking such a ship, which yet they could not do, but only brought her head into the Dock, and so shored her up till next tide. But, good God! what a deal of company tukana was there from both yards to help to do it, when half the company would have done it as well. But I see it is impossible for the King to have things done as cheap as other men.
Housewives as a whole cannot be trusted to buy all the right things, where nutrition and health are concerned. This is really no more than an extension of the principle tukana according to which the housewife herself would not trust a child of four to select the week’s purchases. For in the case of nutrition and health, just as in the case of education, the gentleman in Whitehall really does know better what is good for people than the people know themselves.
... civil servants have years of experience, jobs for life, and a budget of hundreds of billions of pounds, while ministers have, usually, little or no experience of the job and could be kicked out tomorrow. After researching and writing 44 episodes and a play, I find government much easier to understand by looking at ministers as public relations consultants to the real government tukana – which is, of course, the Civil Service.
His [Steve Hilton's] hour-long class on “How to make change happen in government” offers a startling insight into the frustration tukana of Cameron’s inner circle at its own impotence in the face of the formidable Whitehall machine.
As time goes by Pick 'n' mix The adventures of Marsham Towers The Marsham tukana St Book of Festive Yuletide Carols – I The Marsham St Book of Festive Yuletide Carols tukana – II The wisdom tukana of civil servants Whitehall in control
A risk assessment for prospective suppliers to the UK NIS A short history of government digital strategies Fit for purpose? Or bordering on the ridiculous? Freedom of information Government deficit and debt under the Maastricht Treaty - Calendar Year 2011 How much of the EU's data will the UK lose? Identity tukana Documents Bill Identity card technologies: scientific advice, risk and evi