Next steps for digital participation in the nations?
24 June 2010
A couple of weeks ago Anna, the Panel Chair, and I visited Scotland, meeting with a range of people working on broadband, next generation access and digital participation. This included the Ofcom Advisory Committee for Scotland, Scottish Government officials, the Deputy Director of the Scotland Office - the official responsible for non-devolved matters in Scotland - and the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Digital Participation Group. There is lots of interesting and exciting activity going on. We shared the Panel's research on digital participation and the consumer principles developed by the Panel to guide the implementation of the Universal Service Commitment.
Since then, the coalition government have announced that Martha Lane Fox will be the new ‘UK Digital Champion'. Her role is similar to the one she played under the previous government, and will include advising and challenging the Government, the wider public sector and industry on making faster progress on getting more people and more services online. A new development is that Martha will now sit on the Efficiency Board, co-chaired by Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, and Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, and which oversees the Government's Efficiency and Reform programme.
Martha's role will be particularly challenging in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where responsibility for delivery of many public services is devolved. As well as influencing government in Westminster she will also need to work closely with the devolved governments who will be key to getting users in Scotland, and the other nations, online and delivering the kinds of online services that the UK's devolved citizens need and will value.