The Public Accounts Committee has ‘serious concerns’ about the government’s new IT strategy, the cross-party group of MPs said today.
In its fourth report on Information and communications technology in government, the committee welcomed the ‘direction and principles’ of the coalition’s plans. But it said it had worries about the lack of detail in the government’s approach to cyber-security and workforce skills gaps.
Committee chair Margaret Hodge said the strategy was ‘hugely ambitious and lacks details about how it can be delivered’.
She added: ‘The strategy lacks a proper baseline from which progress can be measured. Simply listing actions to be achieved within two years is not good enough.’
Hodge urged the government to include clear value-for-money indicators in its implementation plan, due to be published by the Cabinet Office’s Efficiency and Reform Group in August.
She added: ‘The Efficiency and Reform Group must clearly set out in its implementation plan how cyber-security will be integrated into its ICT strategy.
‘The plan should also set out how the government will meet its aspiration to open up its ICT market to small- and medium-sized enterprises, an important step for achieving value for money in ICT procurement.’
