UK leading in e-government, says minister

Written by Jessie Richards

The UK's public sector is a world leader in the use of technology, the government has claimed, which may interest users of IT outsourcing for schools.

According to Cabinet Office minister Angela Smith, the British public sector is increasing its use of IT to make the services it offers cheaper, smarter and more environmentally friendly.

Speaking ahead of the European Ministerial E-Government Meeting in Malmo, Sweden, Ms Smith said technology has real advantages to everyday lives, such as cutting the time to apply for free school meals from six weeks to four hours, allowing benefits to be paid electronically and digitising medical records like x-rays and scans.

"With a huge range of public services available online, pioneering work taking place to free-up data and the world's first plan to systematically cut the carbon emissions of government IT systems, Britain is leading the way in e-government.," she added.

The minister also said the meeting will allow her to share the UK's experiences with other governments, as well as provide her with a chance to learn from their developments.

Recently, Juliet Silvester, head of environmental programmes at Fujitsu, told the Green IT Expo 2009 that businesses can improve their eco-friendly credentials by using technology.