The taxpayer is on course to save billions of
pounds following the publication of the Government Digital strategy, which sets
out how government services will be made easier to access online.
The Digital Strategy sets out how the Government can make up to £1.2 billion worth of savings by 2015 simply by making everyday transactions digital.
By making it easier for people to do things like pay their car tax, book driving tests, complete tax returns, or apply for their state pension online, the Cabinet Office estimates that it could deliver £1.7 billion a year in savings beyond 2015.
Government handles over a billion different transactions every year through 650 different services. Many of these transactions do not yet have digital options, and the digital options that do exist are often underutilised. The strategy sets out how Government will make digital services so good that they will become the preferred option.
The publication of the strategy follows the successful launch last month of the single domain for Government, gov.uk, which makes accessing Government information simpler, clearer and faster for citizens and business.
Today’s strategy also sets out plans to improve digital skills across the Civil Service, which have been lacking. All departments will now need to have a digital leader on their executive boards.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said:
“Britain is in a global race and that’s why we need to have modern, efficient, digital-by-default public services that are fit for the 21st century.
“Building world-class government digital services will take time but the publication of this strategy just a fortnight after the launch of gov.uk is an important milestone. I’d like to pay tribute to the work of civil servants in the Government Digital Service and beyond who have shown how Whitehall can improve and adapt by embracing new ways of working.
“Digital services are much more convenient because they can be accessed whenever you want them. They are also much more efficient, saving taxpayers’ money and the user’s time. Online transactions can be 20 times cheaper than by phone, 30 times cheaper than face-to-face, and up to 50 times cheaper than by post.”
The seven Whitehall departments that handle the majority of central government service transactions will be the first to start redesigning their services. By the end of 2012, each of these departments will identify three significant services, with over 100,000 transactions a year, for digital transformation. Additionally, all new or redesigned transactional services going live after April 2014 from any department will have to meet a new Digital-by-Default service standard.
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