Think Tank calls for greater coordination within government IT
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The independent think tank, Institute of Government, has called for greater levels of coordination at the core of government, in order to facilitate a more effective use of IT.
A report from the Institute of Government, Shaping up: A Whitehall for the future, suggests a central department from within a more focused Cabinet Office, could help bring about the efficiency changes set out in the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP).
The report points out that whilst public sector spending on IT was estimated at £16bn in 2007/08, 4.6% of total Whitehall spending, the OEP had claimed up to 20% of that could be cut. The Institute of Government argues that 'IT has also been integral to public service reform programmes, such as the ‘Transformational Government' agenda's goal to reconstitute services around citizens, rather than departmental silos.'
One of the key goals of a central department would be to tackle issues that currently inhibit effectiveness within government IT, including the standardisation of central government systems. The report cites the Treasury Select Committee, which concluded the OEP's efficiencies 'will require considerable cooperation between the departments', but questioned 'whether the necessary structures are in place to facilitate such co-operation'.
The report supports the success of the Chief Information Officers' Council in sharing best practices across government and strategy development. However, it berates the Council's lack of authority to enforce the changes. The report quotes one anonymous interviewee, who commented 'So everyone agrees ‘in principle' – but then what?'
The Institue's report also turns its attention to the ‘unusually powerful' Treasury, which has some weight regarding government IT due to the Gateway Reviews implemented by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). The Gateway Reviews assess the progress of major government IT projects, with the aim of highlighting potential problems before they escalate further. The report points out that over 30 Gateway Reviews were carried out on the NHS' bloated National Programme for IT (NPfIT), arguing the OGC should be in a position to 'exert more influence over major IT projects.'
'It is clear that the programme managers did not sufficiently heed warnings from their Gateway Reviews,' the report continues. Two reviews of the NPfIT were carried out on request by the OGC, highlighting a loophole in the office's power: 'The department's position of power meant that it could respond to unwelcome news by failing to request any more news at all. In sum, although Gateway Reviews 'can provide an effective challenge process… there is evidence they are not always taken seriously'.'
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