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Cabinet Office;Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Answer

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what studies he is undertaking and what action he is taking to encourage the private sector to develop e-government services; and if he will make a statement. [121208] Mr. Alexander: The Government have a wide engagement with the private sector to develop e-government services. The use of private sector ICT products and services to develop and deliver e-government services is well established. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) runs a programme of work to foster the effective and efficient procurement of products and services to meet Government's needs. Assessment trials of the common IT vocabulary (known as XML) are underway to find the most effective way to allow buyers' and suppliers' computers, running different procurement software packages, to `talk to each other'. This is a joint initiative from the OGC and the Business Applications Software Developers Association (BASDA). Importantly, the move will enable easier access to the government marketplace for Small and Medium Enterprises. Also, as part of the e-government delivery programme, the Office of the e-envoy is responsible for the e-government intermediaries policy. This policy looks towards creating a mixed economy where government, private and voluntary sectors come together to deliver e-government services that better meet the demands of the citizen. A public consultation is currently underway and will conclude on 21 August 2003: http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/intermediaries. The e-envoy also runs an industry consultation group which looks into issues affecting the development of e-government services, drawing in industry views.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

121208; 407 c661-2W;407 c663-4W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Software ICT Equipment Private sector Electronic government Office of Government Commerce Office of the e-Envoy

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk