GDS to pay for tampons for staff
The Government Digital Service has decided to provide free tampons and sanitary towels to women workers as part of an attempt to make it a more female friendly employer.
A recently-launched collaborative platform for co-funding and co-designing public services has...
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns about the Ministry of...
Tax authority cuts call-handling times by reducing staff click-rate
HMRC has cut down call-handling times by two minutes by automating manual processes, as tax authority announces plans for an Automated Delivery Centre to build robotics.
GCHQ sets up cyber security accelerator
Start-ups have been offered the chance to gain a spot in the UK's first cyber security accelerator as part of the government's £1.9m national cyber security programme.
Verify chief courts financial sector
The Government Digital Service has set out its plans to make its work on digital identity assurance relevant for the financial sector, with a beta pilot for banks to go live in 2017.
GLA’s tech team warns of ‘perfect election storm’
The government has been urged to reconsider plans that would see the 2020 general election being held on the same day as the London elections.
Government payment systems 'frustrating' digital suppliers, says GDS
Digital suppliers are struggling with the process for invoicing government departments and risk losing out on payment due to the length of time it takes to get a purchase order for the...
MI6 plans to bolster staff numbers in face of advances in digital technology
The Secret Intelligence Service MI6 is reported to be recruiting almost 1,000 new staff in response to rapid changes in technology and increasing amounts of digital information.
The King’s Fund calls for clarity on funding for fully-digital NHS
The government has been told to set out a definitive and credible plan for digitising healthcare that clarifies spending timelines and prioritises patient experience over simply ‘going paperless...
Chancellor told to go slow with digital tax plans
Treasury Committee chair Andrew Tyrie has urged chancellor Philip Hammond to consider delaying implementation of HMRC's Making Tax Digital plans in order to get them right.
Act fast to make savings as GSi Convergence Framework contracts end, says CCS
Public sector bodies using the Government Secure Intranet Convergence Framework have been told to move quickly to find and procure new services, before the contractual cover for existing...
User need and integrated, intuitive systems: How Newham is digitising social care
Newham’s digital delivery could show the way for other councils to make social services more efficient. Gill Hitchcock finds out why.
Expert verdict: Corbyn helps put digital on the map but manifesto lacks ambition
The digital democracy manifesto launched by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn earlier this week has failed to gain the approval of those working in public sector technology.
The Pokemon Go effect: How councils are tapping into augmented and virtual reality
Sooraj Shah looks at the benefits of AR and VR, and asks whether councils should be spending taxpayers’ money on the emerging technologies so soon.
“Our country was like a start-up”: Lessons from Estonia and why true e-government requires trust and buy-in
As the UK government pushes its digital transformation agenda, PublicTechnology looks at how other countries have forged ahead. According to an Estonian e-governance expert, identification systems are crucial. Rebecca Hill reports.
Empowering women: How Socitm wants to boost IT professionals’ confidence
This autumn, the next cohort of women will start Socitm’s empowering women in IT programme. Rebecca Hill finds out how the society wants to promote female tech role models as part of PublicTechnology's diversity in tech series.
Blockchain - don't get carried away by the hype
Adam Cooper from the Government Digital Service says blockchain technologies are not yet the answer to digital identification solutions.
How charities can learn from the Government Digital Service
Digital technology offer charities a wealth of options. But Tris Lumley of think-tank New Philanthropy Capital says that they should heed advice from the Government Digital Service and take user-centric approach to transformation.
Open and shut case: Should digital government be using open standards, open source or low-code?
Jane Roberts strategy director at Toplevel and asks whether more clarity is needed to stop departments from tying themselves in knots over what kind of ‘open’ to use.
Arvato public sector chief: Councils must tap into big data to fill empty homes
Debra Maxwell, chief executive officer for customer relationship management and public sector at Arvato, looks at how big data can help local authorities bring in more revenue.
Wachter review of NHS IT is 'based on an heroic assumption'
Bob Wachter’s recommendations for digitising the NHS are measured, realistic and long-term, but could still fail without doctors’ buy-in, argues David Walker.
Informed, inspired care: Lessons from Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Health and Care’s Gary James explains how the county’s new integrated Care Portal system aims to transform healthcare for an ageing and widely dispersed population.
Microsoft’s UK data centre signals a turning point for public sector cloud compting
Mark Skilton of Warwick Business School says that the opening of Microsoft’s three UK data centres marks another step on the road to full public sector adoption of cloud computing in the country.