Member Article

Newcastle MP calls for evidence on how tech can improve government

Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister has called on North Easterners to contribute their views on how digital technology, and particularly the role of the internet, can improve government.

Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah outlined her Digital Government Review to delegates at this week’s Thinking Digital Conference and encouraged people to submit evidence across a range of key areas.

The session touched upon questions around how business could be responsible for accelerating the pace of change for digital inclusion of the population.

Chi, a former engineer, who has worked in the telecoms across the world, told the assembled delegates how her experience of increased telefony connection across Nigeria revolutionised people’s lives - and saw the potential in UK public services.

Chi said: “I spotted a link. Networks are by their very nature egalitarian, and there is an opportunity to develop government services that put the citizen in control.

“We’re not talking about customer or user focussed services, because government isn’t Tesco, but services that deliver real value for people.

“Citizens should be able to design the services they need in real time. The question is - how do you make that happen? You can’t have than unless everyone is online; civil servants are empowered; and the right architecture for the digital infrastructure.

“We have an opportunity here to change the value chain between government and the people. The internet can act as an amplifier, and if we have a digital divide, where some people are not plugged in, we’ll return to a 19th Century model of democracy - where only an elite few can influence.”

Professor Paul Watson of Newcastle University, who is involved in a major research project around digital inclusion, told the audience how his studies had highlighted many barriers to digital inclusion - not just age.

He said: “There are other issues beside age that need to be addressed. Many people are very nervous about security for instance, and there is disparity between how people assimilate information.

“I think there’s something to be said for the public sector showing the private sector the best way to deliver services.”

Paul added: “While in many cases the private tech sector does not cater for the over 50s - it’s actually these people that have the most buying power - so they should be paying attention.”

The Digital Government Review calls for evidence across key themes:

• Access and skills.
• Information Rights
• Citizen Needs First
• People-powered
• Continuous Innovation
• Digital Framework
• Digital Procurement
• Skills and Culture

The Digital Government Review will be delivered in a report, to be published before next year’s General Election. You can read the criteria and submit evidence via this page, before the June 14 deadline.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .