{"id":53326,"date":"2015-02-04T11:12:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T11:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=c6ea3ab99c68fbf15465c49082246182"},"modified":"2015-02-04T11:12:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-04T11:12:00","slug":"speech-sprint-15-francis-maude-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=53326","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Sprint 15: Francis Maude speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s great to have the chance to be with you, to celebrate some of the things that you\u2019ve done and the things that have been achieved, and to reflect a bit on some of the things that are yet to come. <\/p>\n

In December, we were privileged to host in London representatives from the 5 most advanced digital governments in the world for the first annual D5 conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We were hosting and leading the agenda \u2013 but actually the fact that the UK was even counted credibly among the 5 leading digital governments was a real achievement and shows just how far we\u2019ve come over the past 5 years.<\/p>\n

Five years ago, if you\u2019d typed a simple term like \u2018maternity leave\u2019 into Google the results would have pointed you toward dozens of different government websites.<\/p>\n

Now there\u2019s just one.<\/p>\n

Five years ago, if you\u2019d wanted to apply for a student loan, you had to print off a form and send it by post \u2013 and that was the \u2018online\u2019 service \u2013 it was more dead tree than digital.<\/p>\n

Now, these services are digital by default.<\/p>\n

And 5 years ago, we were spending more than any almost any other government in the world on IT, but our rankings for effectiveness were low and falling.<\/p>\n

Today we\u2019re cutting costs, we\u2019re embracing innovation and we\u2019re opening government business to suppliers of all sizes. It\u2019s all part of this government\u2019s long-term economic plan to make sure we live within our means and we can meet the needs of our public.<\/p>\n

Revolution not evolution<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m delighted Martha-Lane Fox can be with us this afternoon to celebrate these achievements. When we formed the coalition government back in 2010, we knew we had to do things differently. We wanted Britain to be a leading digital government, so I asked Martha to conduct a review and she said we needed to do things completely differently<\/a>. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing. We haven\u2019t yet done it all, but we\u2019ve started.<\/p>\n

We made a virtue out of necessity. Not only saving money but kick-starting a transformation to the whole way government works \u2013 designing services that are not only cheaper but simpler and faster; more convenient, and more responsive. <\/p>\n

International recognition<\/h2>\n

Of course, the D5 isn\u2019t the only measure of our success. The New Zealand government has taken the source code from GOV.UK<\/a> and used it for their own website. The Washington Post hailed the UK \u201cas setting the gold standard of digital government\u201d. The Obama administration has created a digital service explicitly modelled on GDS<\/abbr> \u2013 right down to using the \u2018Keep Calm and Carry On\u2019 posters. <\/p>\n

When I visited them they told me that whenever anyone asks them about what they\u2019re doing they say \u201cwe\u2019re just copying what the Brits have done\u201d\u2026to which the reply is \u201coh, that must be fine then\u201d. <\/p>\n

Last month, I was emailed by Malcolm Turnbull, the Minister for Communications in the Australian government who said:<\/p>\n

\n

Francis, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery you should feel very flattered.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So we are leading the world in this. <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve learnt a huge amount from other nations \u2013 I\u2019m delighted that we\u2019re joined today by representatives of the Estonian government, who will be hosting next year\u2019s D5. They have been an inspiration to us. We\u2019re also joined by representatives from the French government, who have been strong allies on the issue of transparency, joining the Open Government Partnership<\/a> \u2013 I think is today the beginning of an \u2018entente digitale\u2019.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019d like to thank everyone who has helped to transform digital government over the past 5 years. Because of the work you all do \u2018government IT\u2019 has gone from a byword for failure to being a shining example of public sector innovation and reform.<\/p>\n

I remember when I took a team of senior officials to the west coast of America in April last year: we visited Facebook\u2019s headquarters. There was a poster that said: \u201cthey say that time changes things \u2013 actually, you have to change them yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n

So whether editing code at your desk or travelling the country listening and learning about the needs of people using our services, these achievements are your achievements. You are the people that made this happen.<\/p>\n

I know the hours can be long and many of you could probably earn much more elsewhere, but you have I hope the satisfaction of knowing you are making an historic difference; a world leading difference; a difference that improves the lives of our citizens every day. And that\u2019s not to be sneezed at. It\u2019s not trivial. <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve shown actually what a civil service should be and can be at its best: skilled, innovative, challenging, disruptive. There was a time when the word \u2018disruptive\u2019 in the civil service was a bad word, but now it\u2019s a good word. We want people who are challenging and want things to be different. I always remember the sign on the wall of the civil service college in Singapore which simply read \u201cevery public servant has a duty to challenge existing ways of doing things.\u201d <\/p>\n

We need a culture right across the civil service and the public sector where people don\u2019t just have permission to challenge existing ways of doing things, but a responsibility to challenge. Always to be questing to the next thing \u2013 how do we make it better, how do we iterate, how do we improve, how do we innovate\u2026.always to be restless about continuous improvement, because otherwise we\u2019re going backwards.<\/p>\n

Every organisation is either getting better or worse. If you think you\u2019re staying the same, you\u2019re getting worse. We have to be relentlessly questing for the improvement. And that\u2019s what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

And ultimately, it\u2019s not just about spreadsheets and page hits. It\u2019s about making a meaningful difference to people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

The new online application for the carers allowance<\/a> is a case in point. Carers are very busy people. Every broken link, every word of jargon, every minute wasted searching for an answer, is a burden they could do without. They\u2019re looking after people with serious illnesses. They deserve services that are quick and easy to use, designed around their needs, not the government\u2019s needs. And that\u2019s what we\u2019ve delivered. <\/p>\n

Latest progress<\/h2>\n

So where are we now? The transition to GOV.UK is complete. Over 300 websites transferred to just one. Last October, we celebrated the 1 billionth visit<\/a>; saving taxpayers \u00a360 million a year by comparison with what went before.<\/p>\n

Eight of the biggest transactional services<\/a>, like managing your tax and registering to vote, are now all digital. <\/p>\n

The vehicle management service is the latest to go public of the 16 now in public beta testing.<\/p>\n

There are currently 18 million annual transactions relating to vehicle records. That\u2019s 18 million pieces of paper! No wonder when I first went to DVLA<\/abbr> they pointed to the dock where twice a day an articulated lorry arrived full of post. It doesn\u2019t need to be done like that way and increasingly it isn\u2019t: it can be done online. Whether you\u2019ve bought a family car or you run a corporate fleet of vehicles, it means less time, less hassle, less paper, less cost.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already said goodbye to the tax disc and the days of the paper driving licence are numbered. We\u2019re building a properly digital government for the future, cutting costs and ensuring that millions of people and businesses can benefit from better services.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re helping more people go online<\/a> so they can use these services. Our aim is that all those who can go online are online by 2020. And for those who can\u2019t, there will always be an assisted digital<\/a> option available.<\/p>\n

Procurement, growth and SMEs<\/abbr>
\n<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve also changed the whole approach to how government buys and supports IT. Government contracts were too long, too big and too opaque. Now they\u2019re smaller, shorter and more open, and that\u2019s only the beginning. It\u2019s our hope that by 2020 the remaining outsourced legacy technology contracts that are still in place will have gone.<\/p>\n

Through the Digital Marketplace<\/a> public sector organisations can purchase cloud-based off-the-shelf services on a pay-as-you-go basis, much like the iTunes or app store. This has helped open up government contracts to a constellation of new suppliers of all sizes, and all locations, who were previously almost deliberately excluded from being able to bid, let alone win, government contracts. <\/p>\n

Just 2 weeks ago I visited Advent IM in Halesowen on the recommendation of the local MP James Morris \u2013 a 12-strong cyber security consultancy who have won business through our online G-Cloud. 87% of suppliers on the G-Cloud are small and medium sized enterprises, many of which had never done business with government before. <\/p>\n

DVLA<\/abbr> reckon they saved almost \u00a32.25 million on creating the new driver record service when they worked with Hampshire-based SME Skyscape through the G-Cloud. But as well as getting a better deal for taxpayers, we\u2019re also helping some of the most promising tech firms to grow. Cheshire-based Ixis saw a profit increase of 50% after winning contracts with government agencies and local authorities through the G-Cloud.<\/p>\n

Today I can announce that last year total sales through the G-Cloud across the public sector reached over \u00a3430 million, with around half of this going to SMEs<\/abbr>. It\u2019s no wonder the UK government has been described as \u201cEurope\u2019s best start-up\u201d.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re lucky to have pioneering tech businesses \u2013 not just in London, but right across the country \u2013 from Silicon Fen in Cambridgeshire and Silicon Glen in Scotland; to Belfast\u2019s Silicon Dock and Birmingham\u2019s Silicon Canal. Back in 2010 our suppliers were concentrated around London and a couple of locations in the south east. Now they\u2019re spread right across the country. Check out our refreshed online suppliers map to see exactly where they are. And it\u2019s growing all the time.<\/p>\n

Supporting the digital economy<\/h2>\n

Last summer the Prime Minister asked me to chair the Digital Task Force, with Baroness Shields and Ed Vaizey at DCMS, which works to strengthen the UK\u2019s position as a world-leading digital economy. One area of focus is digital and telecommunications infrastructure. <\/p>\n

Each year we spend \u00a31.5 billion on public sector networks. We wanted to know whether the taxpayer could get better value, so we asked the Taskforce to explore the capacity and capability that all those masts, fibre and cables around the country provide us with.<\/p>\n

To be honest we didn\u2019t know some of it existed. The reason we found out\u2026 the IT controls. We found out that just in the transport sector alone, Network Rail and the Highways Agency owns some 13,000 miles of mostly fibre \u2013 some copper \u2013 and it\u2019s massively underused. Paid for by the taxpayer, it\u2019s a public asset and it\u2019s not being used nearly enough.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve mapped it. It\u2019s not complete yet by any means. As we so often find, it\u2019s not perfect. But today we\u2019re publishing the first ever comprehensive map of public sector telecommunications and digital infrastructure<\/a>. Not surprisingly, it shows surplus capacity which has been left untapped for far too long.<\/p>\n

Public sector organisations have traditionally developed their own bespoke networks and technology, giving rise to duplication and under-utilisation. And that offers enormous potential.<\/p>\n

By working more closely across the public sector we can deliver greater efficiencies, greater connectivity and more effective business solutions. <\/p>\n

So for example, we\u2019ve identified over 1000 sites where placing mobile telephone masts on government buildings could help boost signal reception in heavily built up areas and bring in revenue for the taxpayer. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re also looking at whether using the existing Highways Agency emergency mobile communications network could help us replace the emergency phone boxes you see at the side of the motorways.<\/p>\n

Last December we started exploring whether using the fibre optic capabilities that are used to control unmanned onshore wind farms could boost broadband connectivity in rural areas. <\/p>\n

Where we\u2019ve got these public assets we need to liberate them to be used for public benefit. This infrastructure has been developed at the taxpayer\u2019s expense and yet previous governments hadn\u2019t even bothered to check what capacity the public sector already owned. <\/p>\n

So we\u2019re putting this right, to make maximum use of a significant national asset.<\/p>\n

Next steps<\/h2>\n

So there\u2019s a lot been done, but we must continue our efforts to rebuild the economy and focus resources on frontline services.<\/p>\n

In December, we set out plans to make a further \u00a310 billion of efficiency savings<\/a> between 2017 and 2018 and an additional \u00a315 to \u00a320 billion for 2019 to 2020.<\/p>\n

Digital has a big contribution to make.<\/p>\n

Government as a platform<\/h3>\n

One of the ways we will do this is by creating cross government platforms for services that every department and agency can use. Before the last election, we were wasting money because departments thought they were unique and distinctive and convinced themselves that only the most expensive bespoke systems would do.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s nonsense.<\/p>\n

If one department needs a service for publishing information to the web, so will other departments \u2013 so why should they all pay money to different people to achieve the same end? Why not just build a publishing platform they can all use and share?<\/p>\n

That was the principle behind GOV.UK<\/a>. The same was true of Digital Marketplace<\/a> and GOV.UK Verify<\/a>. Common systems that can be used by departments and agencies across Whitehall, removing duplication, minimising risks and cutting costs. Numerous other services across government that could \u2013 and should \u2013 share common platforms. <\/p>\n

So I can confirm today that we\u2019ll develop prototypes for at least 3 cross-departmental platforms early in the next Parliament, starting with a common payments platform, with common systems for appointment bookings and messaging likely to follow.<\/p>\n

Right now there are hundreds of agencies and arms-length bodies with their own payment system. This makes no sense. If you buy a bicycle or book on Amazon, you pay the same way. There\u2019s no reason for government to be any different. The system should be the same whether you\u2019re paying for a driving licence or a fishing licence, because it\u2019s simpler and cheaper that way. <\/p>\n

For those less confident internet surfers, common platforms means learning things only once. It also allow us to take better advantage of technological advances, without having to rebuild numerous different systems over and over again.<\/p>\n

This could have potential right throughout the public sector \u2013 so you could pay your council tax or residents parking charge through the same system. <\/p>\n

And to boost innovation, we will open up the secure interfaces \u2013 the APIs<\/abbr> \u2013 of our digital services. This will allow others to integrate their services with ours \u2013 so you could, for example, buy your car tax at the same time as your car insurance.<\/p>\n

If we can do all of this at scale we can dramatically improve public services and deliver them at a fraction of the current cost.<\/p>\n

Digital technology and skills<\/h3>\n

We\u2019re also bringing the latest equipment and software to civil servants, as well as introducing networked practices like Google Apps to make it easier for civil servants to work together and to communicate with the public. We\u2019re expecting this to deliver a minimum of 40% cost savings on IT across government.<\/p>\n

Cabinet Office has led the way<\/a>. And many thanks to Richard Heaton and those who have led the project. Now we\u2019ve got 2,500 people using modern systems.<\/p>\n

Back in 2010 when I arrived in the Cabinet Office the IT to be so bad that I almost threw it out the window. I insisted on having wi-fi installed and now it\u2019s available throughout the department, so everyone can pick up their laptop and work flexibly. <\/p>\n

I now have a shiny new iPhone rather than the Blackberry that I couldn\u2019t even bear to look at.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s our mantra? Technology at work that\u2019s at least as good as you use at home. Doesn\u2019t sound that demanding when you put it like that. A long way to go, but progress, we\u2019ve shown we can do it. Better equipment, less cost \u2013 what\u2019s not to like about that?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not alone. I was told about one civil servant in my department who said upon getting her new laptop: <\/p>\n

\n

This is the first time I\u2019ve felt valued as a civil servant; for once they haven\u2018t just given us crap, they\u2019ve given us something good.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Now I found that really heart-warming. That\u2019s what it\u2019s about technology that helps people do their jobs better and doesn\u2019t get in the way.<\/p>\n

But better technology must be matched by better skills. Twenty five years of continual outsourcing has meant we\u2019ve lost too much of our in-house capability, but we\u2019re now beginning to reverse this decline.<\/p>\n

Look at HMRC<\/abbr> Digital Delivery Centre in Newcastle \u2013 making use of regional talent and developing services in-house. DVLA<\/abbr> have a similar unit in Swansea. There are others too.<\/p>\n

So GDS<\/abbr> has created a ripple effect through the civil service. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a glimpse of the kind of cultural transformation that needs to happen across the public sector.<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/h3>\n

Now we\u2019re at the British Film Institute, so I hope I\u2019ll be forgiven for ending by talking briefly about television. Some of you may have seen recently the new US version of House of Cards. My office gave the box set to me for Christmas. Something to learn about how politics should work\u2026riveting. <\/p>\n

Kevin Spacey tells a great story about how he and the other producers pitched the idea to the US networks. Traditional networks wanted to see a pilot episode first. But Spacey felt the story was too complex to encapsulate in a single episode. <\/p>\n

Netflix was different. From their customer data they could tell that enough viewers would watch so they commissioned 2 entire series outright. What\u2019s more, they released each complete series at once, giving the customer complete control over how and when they watch.<\/p>\n

So they made data-driven decisions, with an element of risk, but more importantly they put the needs of their customers first and right at the heart of their decision-making process. As a result they completely disrupted the traditional model of commissioning.<\/p>\n

I and some colleagues saw how Netflix works when I visited their headquarters in the US West Coast last year. The lack of top down management and bureaucracy was evident \u2013 people didn\u2019t have to jump through hoops to get things done.<\/p>\n

\u2026You sometimes hear civil servants saying that for every 1 person trying to do something, there are 4 trying to stop it\u2026I see some nodding in the audience. I saw in Netflix how teams were empowered to make immediate changes. I asked them how many times they released new code \u2013 they said about a dozen times a week. <\/p>\n

I asked them what process they go through for developing the code. The answer none. It\u2019s all very modular. If they don\u2019t work, they simply undo it and try again or move on to something better. No process, just constant restless desire to innovate, and iterate and improve. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the culture of \u201cmove fast and break things\u201d \u2013 \u201cFail small, fail fast\u201d. <\/p>\n

Never stop trying new things. If you don\u2019t try new things that don\u2019t work, you don\u2019t try new things. Great organisations learn more from what you try that doesn\u2019t work than you do from things that do work.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s the culture we need. It\u2019s the same culture in the Government Digital Service.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the dress code that makes GDS<\/abbr> different. Nor the prevalence of bunting or post-its or beards and all that\u2026 it\u2019s the culture of experimentation and innovation; of speed and agility; a culture that shapes the entire way we design and deliver public services.<\/p>\n

So this isn\u2019t the end; it\u2019s only beginning. GDS<\/abbr> must never been swallowed up by Whitehall, it should be the other way around. GDS<\/abbr> is the catalyst for the change we need across the public sector. <\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

So we can be proud I think to be at the forefront of digital government worldwide. We\u2019ve achieved a huge amount over the past 5 years: more savings, better services, new opportunities for business.<\/p>\n

But the internet is growing and changing all the time: new challenges and opportunities, new technologies and solutions,
\nnew ideas and experiences.<\/p>\n

So the work goes on.<\/p>\n

To put people first, with services that are simpler, clearer, faster.<\/p>\n

To do more, and better, for less. And we\u2019ve shown you can do it.<\/p>\n

To build a truly 21st century digital government, capable of leading a world-beating digital economy.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude discussed the progress made in reforming and improving digital government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53326"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53360,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53326\/revisions\/53360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}