 |
Business Solutions - Modernising Government
The
'Modernising Government' White Paper was published on 30th of March
1999. It outlined the government's commitment to the renewal of the
public sector, improvement in the quality of service delivery, and
wholesale restructuring of how the government operates in the country.
It has comprehensively and irrevocably changed the way in which the
state operates. Anyone wishing to deal with the public sector, at
whatever level, needs to be acquainted with the general nature of
the transformation it has brought about.
The contents of the White Paper can be summarised briefly:
- There
is an emphatic support for a number of reforms, including a commitment
to ensure that 'public services are available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week where there is a demand, for example by the
end of 2000 everyone being able to phone NHS Direct at any time
for healthcare advice.'
- 'A
new target of all dealings with government being deliverable electronically
by 2008.' (This has since been changed to 2005)
- 'Ensuring
that policy making is more joined up and strategic.'
- 'Making
sure that public service users, not providers, are the focus,
by matching services more closely to people's lives.'
To
achieve its goals the government set itself 5 key commitments:
- 'We
will be forward looking in developing policies to deliver outcomes
that matter, not simply reacting to short-term pressures.'
- 'We
will deliver public services to meet the needs of citizens, not
the convenience of service providers. We will:
- deliver a big push on obstacles to joined-up working, through
local partnerships, one-stop shops, and other means.'
- 'We
will deliver efficient, high quality public services and will
not tolerate mediocrity. We will:
- review all central and local government department services
and activities over the next five years to identify the best supplier
in each case.
- set new targets for all public bodies, focusing on real improvements
in the quality and effectiveness of public services.'
- 'We
will use new technology to meet the needs of citizens and business,
and not trail behind technological developments. We will:
- develop an IT strategy for Government which will establish cross-government
co-ordination machinery and frameworks on such issues as use of
digital signatures and smart cards, websites and call centres.
- benchmark progress against targets for electronic services.'
- 'We
will value public service, not denigrate it.'
(All quotations are taken from the 'Modernising Government White
Paper', to be found on www.officialdocuments.co.uk.)
|
