News and Media
Government Online?!
Friday 29 August 2003
Information technology is changing our lives: the way we work, the way we do business and the way we communicate with each other. New technology offers increased opportunities and choice and can give access to services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For this reason it is vital that the benefits of the Internet are grasped by Government for the delivery of services.
One of the key targets within the UK Online Strategy is to enable government services to be delivered electronically by 2005 and all Government departments are responsible for producing an e-business strategy. The ukonline.gov.uk Citizen Portal is a unique website which provides a primary point of entry to all government information and services currently online. The objective is to provide a free service, enabling the whole community to easily and rapidly find public sector information that has been posted on the Internet. Most of the sites offer a powerful search engine and an index of web-accessible government information and services to help you find what you need.
Many key government services in Northern Ireland are currently available at the touch of a button on your computer. All of the 26 local councils have a web presence, one example of which is the Antrim Borough Council site, which has been developed by Biznet with the visitor in mind. The Council aims to provide information about Council services as well as access to a wide range of information relating to the local area. You can customise your visit, depending on whether you are a local resident, a visitor to the area or a business person.
Antrim Borough Council's Chief Executive, Sam Magee, explains the reasons for developing a new site, 'The Council established a presence on the world-wide-web over seven years ago - making information available to residents and businesses within the borough and to the general public. However, technological advances and increased access to the internet, gives the Council a greater opportunity to engage with residents and businesses electronically in the provision of services.' Sam Magee continued, 'The new website will improve interaction with residents by delivery of services and information on-line. There will also be the opportunity for residents to give feedback to the Council on its operations. This increase in communication will then feed through to further enhancement of service delivery.' The new site plays a crucial role in meeting the e-government targets and reinforces the forward-thinking approach of Antrim Borough Council. For further information visit the site at www.antrim.gov.uk
The Department of Employment & Learning Internet Strategy involved the development of one main site, which encompassed various mini sites relating to the programmes and services offered. Features include:
- Full information and listings of the many services available e.g. New Deal, Disability Advisory Service, Bridge to Employment.
- Each business area includes its own Notice Board, Links Section, and Frequently Asked Questions, which can be updated easily by staff enabling the site to remain up-to-date and topical.
- The Site Map and Global Search Facility enables easy navigation throughout both web sites allowing searches using various criteria, e.g. keyword, programme, and department.
- The Publications Section displays documents in varying formats, which the user can download and print out.
- An Interactive Map is available allowing the user to search for their closest Jobcentre or Jobs and Benefit Office to retrieve opening hours and contact details.
"When considering the development of the Department for Employment and Learning's (DEL) Internet presence, DEL'S approach was to focus on the varied needs of our significant customer base. We needed to provide an efficient, informative government service, available 24/7, which would enable the customer to transact with the Department whenever it suited them, on their terms and making our products and services transparent and easily understood.
During the two years since www.delni.gov.uk was established we have continued to review the extensive range of electronic information on DEL business for relevance and accessibility. We have adapted the site to meet our customer's requirements, including seeking and receiving Bobby approval for web accessibility. We actively seek out the customer feedback to assist us to improve and maintain our reputation as a world class website, striving to meet and when possible, exceed expectations.
The Internet is vital to the implementation of the Department's e-business strategy. We publish information on all of DEL's business areas, including Employment Rights, Student Support, Careers information, enabling customers to select when and how they conduct business with the Department and helping us to improve our services and how we interact with the global citizen."
Marc McPherson, Internet Manager, DEL
Awards schemes have also been created in order to encourage those involved in the process of online public sector service provision. The Government Website Awards acknowledge the work done by Internet professionals working with and for the government to deliver on the promises of e-government. Forum members were able to vote on-line for sites in several different categories, which were nominated from government departments across the UK. The Northern Ireland Water Service site, developed in partnership with Biznet is information driven and provides online education and downloadable documents for the general public. It was voted runner up in the Best Audience Focussed category, an outstanding achievement amongst very stiff competition. Visit the Site: www.waterni.gov.uk
With many of the government departments on target for 2005 along with advancements in technology it will hopefully not be long before we can all perform tasks like renewing our car tax, online!