The UK government is planning to transform almost all interactions between the state and citizens to digital.
According to the UK Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, the transformation of 50 most popular government services to digital would enable 97% of citizens’ interactions with the state to go online.
Maude said, "We’ve now focused on transforming 25 of the highest-volume public services – our digital-by-default ‘exemplars’. Our aim is simple: everything that can be online should be online – and we want to make our online services so easy and convenient that people choose to use them."
"And we want to help more people go online so they can use them. Our aim is that all those who can go online are online by 2020. For those who cannot, there will always be an assisted digital option available.
Maude told the Telegraph: "You have to have an assisted digital option, ideally framed in a way that allows people to become digitally engaged too."
"It will be horses for courses, and the transaction itself will be digital even if it is, say, supported by telephone assistance."
As part of the current plans, around top 25 services would go online by the end of next year, with the execution of the second phase bringing the overall 50 services online by the end of the next parliament.
The latest scheme was announced during the launch of Digital 5 group of nations, including the UK, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea and Estonia, which is aimed at enabling groups to share best practice and collaboratively make tangible accomplishments.
