Kablenet reports that Office of the E-envoy (OeE) claims that two-thirds of UK government services are now online, which means we are on track for the 2005 target for all services to be delivered in this manner
At the same time, Minister for the Cabinet Office Douglas Alexander announced that an Office of e-Government is set to replace the Office of the e-Envoy in 2004, run by a head of e-government, to be appointed soon. The position will report to the minister and the cabinet secretary, with most OeE staff transferring across
The fourth UK online annual report also saw Trade and industry Minister Patricia Hewitt announce the creation of a Digital Inclusion Panel to ensure everyone in the UK is connected to the internet by 2008, as David Wilcox reports. About 50% of UK households currently have Internet access, most through dial up connections. This compares with 9% at the end of 1998. However, Hewitt’s report claims thatt 96% of the population is aware of a place where they can obtain access either at home, work, through mobiles or at a public access point.