Electronic services can benefit citizens and save money. But first the public has to trust the systems
Two of the barriers to greater use of technology to improve public services are lack of trust in the systems and public concern about security of data. Improving both of these is therefore vital.
At a technical level, IT security is very specialised and best left to experts, whereas ‘trust’ is about perceptions, communication and human issues. Ensuring that citizens and employees trust the systems in use and that adequate security is in place are essential components of good corporate governance and risk management. Managers can’t abrogate these responsibilities to their IT staff – they need to work with them to balance access, risks and perceptions.
In a modern society, it is vital to share information to access services, verify identity, prevent fraud and protect vulnerable people. Technology potentially enables this to be completed quickly, accurately and securely. For example, taxing your car online is now very simple and painless. The benefits are substantial for both service users and providers. Last year, more than 3.7 million motorists renewed their car tax online, saving themselves time and travel, which also saved millions of pounds for the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency.
At the other extreme, two public inquiries have recommended greater and more structured sharing of information to protect children and identify potential miscreants. The first was Lord Laming’s investigation into the death of Victoria Climbié; the second, Sir Michael Bichard’s examination of child protection procedures following the Soham murders. But the recommendations have proved very difficult to implement, in part because of understandable fears about access to sensitive personal data. There are similar concerns about identity cards.
Research shows that, despite the economic problems, around half the country is happy with data security standards at their bank and building society, two-fifths trust travel companies and credit card issuers, and around a third are comfortable with data security at hotels and insurance firms.
Far fewer are satisfied with local authorities (23%) and central government departments (19%). This has probably been influenced by the numerous high-profile data losses by public sector bodies. The most infamous example was in November 2007, when Revenue & Customs lost two CDs containing the personal details of 25 million child benefit claimants. And it is probably too early to expect any changes in public attitudes that might result from the measures taken since to improve data security. The reality is also that the supermarkets and banks probably know much more about the average citizen than most public bodies. But this does not diminish the concerns or absolve central or local government of responsibility.
The government should seek to retain information silos for personal data on health, taxation, crime and the main public services. Technology can then be used to control ‘how’ and ‘when’ this information is brought together, under the control of each citizen, with audit trails showing when this happens and the authorisation for it.
Alongside this should be strict protocols controlling the few circumstances where this needs to happen without the citizen’s consent (such as in cases of suspected crime, fraud and personal safety), with severe penalties for anyone abusing this.
We need a more grown-up debate about what information can be routinely shared, what requires specific authorisation and by whom.
Significant growth in electronic services will be maintained only if the public and their elected representatives at local and national level are confident that personal information is protected; that there are robust and transparent processes to control and monitor the sharing of information; and that public and private sector bodies are held accountable for any unauthorised or inadvertent sharing of personal data.
John Thornton is an independent adviser and writer, a member of the CIPFA IT Panel and the executive director of e-ssential Resources. He is also the author of the CIPFA publication, Top ten tips for delivering efficiencies through technology
http://www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/it/publications.cfm
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