IT for government and public sector

IR35 private sector reforms: Coronavirus prompts Treasury to delay start date to April 2021

HM Treasury confirms roll-out of IR35 reforms to the private sector will be halted for a year to ease the pressure on businesses in the face of the coronavirus outbreak Continue Reading

MoD defence capabilities programme in trouble, says NAO

The Ministry of Defence is struggling with its £196bn defence capabilities programme, as 10 of 32 projects, including several technology ones, are in trouble, according to the National Audit Office Continue Reading

Courts make use of tech to hold remote hearings due to Covid-19

The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary will increase the use of technology in court proceedings as emergency legislation is being drafted to expand powers to allow criminal courts to hold remote hearings during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

How NHS Digital is helping support the coronavirus crisis

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to NHS Digital about how technology is supporting the health service’s response to the coronavirus crisis. We examine the challenges of running a successful security operations centre. And we look at the emerging datacentre architecture based on composable infrastructure. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Secret Post Office deals cause fury among Horizon IT scandal campaigners

The Post Office has sparked anger with secret settlements with subpostmasters outside the recent legal action against it Continue Reading

Equality watchdog calls on police to stop using facial recognition

Equalities and Human Rights Commission says use of automatic facial recognition and predictive algorithms by police is discriminatory, stifles freedom of expression and lacks a proper legislative framework Continue Reading

Councils awarded £1.2m in innovation funding

Six councils will each get up to £350,000 for digital innovation projects aiming to improve services for residents, in the latest round of the Local Digital Fund Continue Reading

Budget 2020: Full of promises, but is it enough?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget provided plenty of cash for technology and innovation, but has the government done enough to make the tech industry happy? Continue Reading

Budget 2020: Thanks for the cash, but there are bigger problems to solve first to boost UK tech

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s first Budget was a step towards making good on the new government’s promise to be “unashamedly” pro-technology. Offering £22bn in annual funding for research and ... Continue Reading

US Department of Defense requests time to re-evaluate section of AWS and Microsoft JEDI bids

The Department of Defense is to request a resubmission of information from Microsoft and Amazon Web Services about their JEDI bids, as the long-running US cloud procurement saga drags on Continue Reading

What is the Post Office board doing to right the Horizon wrongs?

Business lawyer Nick Gould compares the treatment of subpostmasters by the Post Office in the Horizon IT scandal with the huge HBOS fraud that saw £1bn stolen from small businesses Continue Reading

CW Europe: Experts examine Dutch government’s IT problems

Technology experts discuss the challenges and potential solutions to the Netherlands government’s IT problems. Also read how Russia’s VTB and Rostelecom are creating a platform to utilise big data technology, and how Spain’s CaixaBank is using AI to help its staff training. Continue Reading

Fintech workers called to share their experiences of microaggression

Fintech workers were asked to share upsetting workplace incidents as part of an anonymous study Continue Reading

Budget 2020: Omission of IR35 from chancellor's speech sparks fury from contracting groups

Despite repeated warnings of the damage the incoming IR35 reforms stand to do to the UK economy, contracting groups hit out at the government's decision to press ahead with the changes Continue Reading

Cross-regulator taskforce on digital economy announced in 2020 Budget

UK regulators will join forces to look at how the potential regulation of the digital platforms and advertising markets would work Continue Reading

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s 2020 Budget pumps £22bn into R&D

The 2020 Budget pledges to increase research and development funding to £22bn a year, £5bn for broadband roll-out and £900m to ensure UK businesses lead the way in “high-potential technologies”, but slashes tax relief for entrepreneurs Continue Reading

International Women’s Day provides platform for Nordic women in tech

International annual event reminds tech industry that work needs to be done to reduce inequality, but organisations must work towards this on a daily basis Continue Reading

NHS partners with Google to improve health information online

Latest measures will ensure direct access to NHS advice for more than 250 most-searched health conditions Continue Reading

MPs told to hold to account those responsible for Post Office Horizon IT scandal

Subpostmasters who had their lives destroyed by a faulty IT system and mistreatment by the Post Office have asked MPs to hold to account the people responsible for the injustices Continue Reading

More questions raised about Gov.uk Verify as digital identity chief quits

Lisa Barrett, director of digital identity at GDS and head of the troubled Verify programme, is leaving government as funding questions remain ahead of Budget Continue Reading

GDS works on joining up government services

The GDS is assembling a business case as information about the impact of disjointed government offerings is gathered Continue Reading

DCMS seeks outside experts to review government data sharing ahead of spending review

The DCMS is seeking consultants to undertake a short-term but strategic project to figure out how to improve data sharing across government ahead of the comprehensive spending review, rolled over from 2019 to 2020 Continue Reading

TechUK lays out proposals for Spring Budget

Trade body TechUK sets out its view on how to accelerate UK growth through technology in its submission to the March 2020 Budget Continue Reading

MI5 slammed by watchdog for failing to delete intercepted phone and internet data

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPCO) has criticised MI5 for failing to report serious errors in the way it handles intercepted phone and internet data Continue Reading

Those who did not play by the rules in Post Office Horizon scandal “should face prosecution”

Telford MP has become a vocal member of the campaign for justice for the subpostmasters who had their lives devastated as a result of being blamed for losses caused by errors in the Post Office’s core retail and accounting system Continue Reading

Oliver Dowden: UK can be “unashamedly pro-tech nation”

The secretary of state spoke about the country's opportunity to “unleash all the innovation and enterprise that emerging technologies can provide” Continue Reading

Boots and Tesco loyalty card schemes plagued by security issues

High-street retailers deal with fraudulent attempts to access the accounts of thousands of customers Continue Reading

Biometrics ethics group takes evidence on public-private use of facial recognition

Collaboration between police forces and private entities on facial recognition technology comes under scrutiny by the Home Office’s Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group Continue Reading

MPs call on PM to commit to full public inquiry into Post Office Horizon IT scandal

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee to investigate the Horizon IT system and will question Post Office executives over subpostmasters wrongly accused of fraud Continue Reading

5G security is a concern for most companies

A study has found that decision-makers fear that 5G technology will make organisations more vulnerable to cyber attacks and will raise security-related costs Continue Reading

Cabinet Office gives more non-answers on the future of Gov.uk Verify

The remarkable levels of secrecy and avoidance of scrutiny around the Gov.uk Verify digital identity scheme continue – and if anything, seem to have reached new levels of absurdity. Last week, ... Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – episode 49

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna discuss IR35 through the prism of Eamonn Holmes, the tech community’s reaction to the points-based immigration system, and robotic process automation as beneficial to humans Continue Reading

What is ARPA and what should a UK version look like?

The Prime Minister wants the UK to be a hotbed of science and research, and his advisor Dominic Cummings admires the US ARPA organisation – but what would a UK version need to be successful? Continue Reading

EC publishes approach to human and ethical implications of AI, but what will UK do?

The European Commission has published a guide to the EU’s approach to the human and ethical effects that artificial intelligence might bring Continue Reading

MPs double down on criticism of HMRC's loan charge enforcement action report

The war of words between the Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and HMRC has deepened, as the cross-party group of MPs pens three-page letter outlining its issues with how tax agency is reporting on its enforcement activities Continue Reading

A five-point plan to get the UK out of the Huawei hole

It's not too late for the UK to develop an alternative to Huawei, says Labour's shadow digital minister Continue Reading

What will points-based immigration mean for IT recruitment?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the government’s new points-based immigration rules and assess the implications for the tech sector. IR35 tax rules change in April – we find out how IT contractors need to prepare. And we examine whether the rise of cloud is really displacing the datacentre. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

HMRC CEO denies it is ‘deliberately misleading’ public over loan scheme promoter arrests

HMRC CEO Jim Harra has “strongly rejected” claims made on social media by the Loan Charge All Party Parliamentary Group of cross-party MPs that it is “deliberately misleading” the public about its recent loan scheme-related enforcement activities Continue Reading

NHSX appoints chief information officer

Sonia Patel is the latest senior appointment at the digital unit of the National Health Service Continue Reading

Boris Johnson’s commitment to inquiry into Post Office scandal in doubt

Boris Johnson’s apparent commitment to a public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal is not so certain Continue Reading

Student Loans Company to enlist IT suppliers for £200m transformation plan

Suppliers are being sought to support intended improvements to Student Loans Company's customer interface and technology estate Continue Reading

Government claims it was misled by Post Office over IT scandal

Minister says Post Office IT experts misled the government when it asked questions about subpostmasters’ concerns over Horizon IT system Continue Reading

Would you still consider the UK an attractive destination for global tech talent?

Imagine you’re a skilled, ambitious IT professional living outside the UK and you want to maximise your earning potential and your exposure to the latest technology. You’re assessing where in the ... Continue Reading

WikiLeaks founder Assange is well enough to participate in extradition proceedings, says judge

A judge dismissed claims that Julian Assange’s vulnerable psychological state would prevent him from taking part in his extradition hearing to face espionage and computer misuse charges in the US Continue Reading

Gove warns EU that UK sovereignty is non-negotiable on eve of trade deal talks

The UK and the EU have published their divergent mandates for trade talks due to start on Monday 2 March 2020, and digital may emerge as a long-term terrain of dispute Continue Reading

NHSX launches Tech Plan vision

The strategy will see a phased approach to the delivery of digitisation in the healthcare sector, with delivery kicking off this summer Continue Reading

Clearview hack fuels debate over facial recognition

Customers of Clearview AI, a controversial startup that scrapes and sells billions of photos of people from social media to police forces, have found themselves at the centre of a major data breach Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: Treasury review concludes no delay needed to April 2020 start date

Contracting groups describe HM Treasury’s highly anticipated review into the implementation of the IR35 reforms as “recklessly inadequate” as it concludes roll-out should proceed as planned Continue Reading

IR35 reforms: IT contractors warned off joining non-compliant umbrellas to avoid loan charge risk

Contracting stakeholders are calling on the government to do more to regulate umbrella companies ahead of the IR35 private sector reforms coming into play, to prevent more contractors falling into the scope of the loan charge Continue Reading

Redcar & Cleveland Council confirms ransomware attack

Local authority’s systems are still offline nearly three weeks after being attacked Continue Reading

Holmes under the hammer

IR35 has claimed its first big name, after Eamonn Holmes failed to convince the courts he’s a freelancer in his case against HMRC. For the humble freelancer, the introduction of the kaleidoscopic ... Continue Reading

NHSX publishes first progress report since launch

Digital unit for the National Health Service outlines achievements in areas such as the NHS App and artificial intelligence and gives clues about future milestones Continue Reading

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be legally extradited for ‘political offences’, say lawyers

Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange argue that he has been charged with political offences and cannot be legally extradited to the US under the US-UK extradition treaty Continue Reading

Thousands of UK entrepreneurs register businesses in Estonia since Brexit referendum

UK entrepreneurs are registering businesses in Estonia to make sure they can continue to trade freely in the EU Continue Reading

Boris Johnson commits to 'getting to the bottom of' Post Office Horizon IT scandal

Prime minister Boris Johnson appears to commit to a public inquiry into the Post Office scandal over its accounting system, but government is yet to offer any details Continue Reading

Met Police chief backs legislative framework for police tech

Met Police commissioner has called for legislative framework to govern police use of new technologies, while defending the decision to use live facial recognition technology operationally without it Continue Reading

Julian Assange phoned White House to warn of risk to lives

Julian Assange phoned the White House to warn officials that unredacted cables published on the web posed a risk to lives, a court heard yesterday Continue Reading

Boots to trial private e-prescriptions

The pharmacy chain is trialling the service, underpinned by Doctor Care Anywhere technology, in 20 London stores Continue Reading

Government admits it was too passive managing Post Office as parliamentary pressure builds

The UK government faces accusations of neglecting its duties handling the Post Office as pressure mounts in Parliament for justice for the subpostmasters who suffered due to faults in the Horizon IT system Continue Reading

Cyber criminals targeting UK motorists, warns DVLA

Cyber criminals are offering various services and tax refunds that purport to be from the DVLA Continue Reading

Department for Education publishes tools to support learning at home

The Department for Education publishes apps featuring innovations such as artificial intelligence aimed at helping parents to use technology to create positive learning environments Continue Reading

Assange extradition is a politically motivated ‘abuse of power’, court hears

US government’s attempt to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges in the US is politically motivated and an abuse of process, court told Continue Reading

WikiLeaks founder Assange ‘put lives at risk’ by disclosing names in leaked documents, court hears

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘put lives of US informants at risk’ by publishing unredacted documents, lawyers for the US argued at the first day of a week-long extradition hearing Continue Reading

Estonia to give citizens Alexa-like access to public services

The Estonian government is working on a project that will ultimately allow citizens to ask Siri, Alexa or almost any other virtual digital assistant to interact with government departments on their behalf Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: First year of enforcement won't be ‘heavy-handed’, claims chancellor

New chancellor Rishi Sunak has moved to assure business leaders that HMRC will not be heavy-handed in enforcing the new IR35 rules Continue Reading

Tech reaction to UK’s upcoming immigration rules

The government has outlined its plans for a new points-based immigration system to ensure only skilled workers can enter the UK – but what does the technology sector think? Continue Reading

Australian government inks sourcing deal with Rimini Street

The whole-of-government agreement will provide Australian government agencies with easier and cheaper access to third-party software support Continue Reading

Scotland to set up payments service for public sector

Scottish government seeks supplier to work on beta phase of development Continue Reading

Executive interview: Making IT sustainable

Defra recently reported that “cloud-first” IT strategies are driving green information and communications technology in government. This puts a greater emphasis on datacentre transparency Continue Reading

EU defies big tech firms and proposes single data market

The European Commission outlines actions needed to enable the continent's digital success Continue Reading

EU puts up AI and data strategies with an ethical twist

European Commission launches strategies for artificial intelligence and data economics, making the fight against climate change their raison d’être Continue Reading

Data sharing between private healthcare and NHS to move into new phase

A consultation has been launched to seek views on the creation of a single source of healthcare data in England, with a series of pilots announced Continue Reading

US ‘breached due process’ in spying operation against Julian Assange’s lawyers

Surveillance footage of Julian Assange’s meetings with lawyers and doctors in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London was an “abuse of process” Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 47

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna discuss IR35 protests, the Oracle vs SAP cloud applications dog fight, and a Goldman Sachs cloud service for its banking sector Continue Reading

Swedish council tests virtual reality in care for vulnerable people

Local authority is testing virtual reality technology to provide care services to vulnerable groups such elderly and disabled citizens Continue Reading

Trust no one – the benefits of zero-trust security

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we take an in-depth look at zero-trust security and examine how it changes traditional IT risk models. After SAP extended the support deadline for its ECC ERP system, we find out the options for users. And we analyse explainable AI and the ethical importance of understanding algorithms. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government invests in tech to tackle traffic congestion

Councils and SMEs will get a share of £1.5m government funding to work on trials aimed at improving driving conditions Continue Reading

Concerns raised over former Post Office CEO’s appointment at NHS trust under review

Care Quality Commission to review concerns over Paula Vennells’ appointment after they were raised by a former NHS consultant psychiatrist Continue Reading

From Pixar to GovTech: The inside story of Singapore’s AI whizz

After nearly a decade at Pixar, GovTech’s Chong Jiayi is leading a team of experts to solve hard problems in robotics and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Met Office gets a decade of funding to update supercomputers

As the UK goes through another storm battering, the Met Office has received a £1.2bn investment to power the next decade of weather forecasts Continue Reading

Want to hear the latest on Gov.uk Verify? Sorry, GDS still has nothing to say

The great and the good of the digital identity sector gathered in London yesterday (13 February) for the Think Digital Identity for Government conference – a popular bi-annual event that always ... Continue Reading

CIO Interview: Siim Sikkut, Estonian government CIO

Siim Sikkut is one of a generation of tech native Estonians, who is turning his knowledge and experience to transforming government services Continue Reading

PM Johnson shuffles technology and digital ministers again

Boris Johnson has changed all the key Cabinet appointments responsible for tech and digital policy for the second time since becoming prime minister last year Continue Reading

Calls for inquiry into Post Office IT scandal increase in Parliament, with cross-party support

Many MPs might not yet fully understand the suffering subpostmasters have endured because of the Post Office’s faulty IT system and its oppressive behaviour, but they will soon Continue Reading

CW Benelux: Ericsson helps driverless buses hit European streets

Ericsson has revealed its plans for new technologies including 5G, the internet of things and self-driving buses. Also read about the Dutch government lacking the knowledge and skills for its own IT strategy, and the Dutch government’s need to push for an electronic ID system for its citizens. Continue Reading

Half of technology workers want to find a new job in 2020

Better pay and work/life balance are major reasons for tech workers to seek a new job, according to a new study Continue Reading

Dutch government must sort IT mess as priority

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Adult social care organisations get £4.5m in funding for digital

A group of 16 local authorities was selected to receive the grant from NHS Digital to fund digital projects for adult social care Continue Reading

Pressure for public inquiry into Post Office IT system scandal begins with mountain to climb

Members of Parliament seeking a public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal face huge challenges, but pressure and time could force justice Continue Reading

MI5 failed to disclose failings in handling intercepted data, court hears

MI5 failed to disclose serious failures in the way it handled intelligence data to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the surveillance regulator and ministers. Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – episode 46

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna are joined by special guest Hannah Foulds, head of marketing and membership at the Open Data Institute, who flags stories about humans tricking AI. The group then discusses the Women in Software Powerlist, the loan charge and online targeting Continue Reading

Two-thirds of workers at risk of robot-driven redundancy are unaware of the threat to jobs

People who do jobs that are most likely to be automated through technology are unaware and unprepared of the impending threat to their livelihoods, with Nesta calling on the government to do more to up-skill those at risk Continue Reading

Scotland makes inroads in digital identity project

The government has started building a prototype of what is planned to be a "user-centric" platform to access public services online Continue Reading

AI in public service must be accountable

Committee on Standards in Public Life recommends that government departments make ethics a top priority when tendering artificial intelligence systems Continue Reading

Australian government to roll out SAP S/4 Hana

Australia’s finance department earmarks S/4 Hana as its ERP system to provide common financial and HR services across government Continue Reading

IR35 private sector reforms: HMRC confirms last-minute tweak to incoming off-payroll rules

The government is rolling out a tweak to the IR35 private sector reforms that it claims will give businesses more time to prepare, but stakeholders are unconvinced Continue Reading

NHS Digital appoints new CISO

Pete Rose will also act as deputy chief executive at the IT partner for the National Health Service Continue Reading

Maastricht University pays €200,000 to Russian hackers

A Dutch university has taken the difficult decision to pay hundreds of thousands of Euros to Russian hackers that compromised its systems through a ransomware attack Continue Reading

UK investigates drone use for search and rescue

Maritime & Coastguard Agency will examine whether drones can be used to aid missions by visiting rescue sites Continue Reading

Digital sector contributes £400m a day to UK economy

Sector is growing six times faster than economic growth overall, according to government figures Continue Reading