Can government destroy its legacy?
As much as half of government’s near-£5bn annual spend on IT is dedicated to the maintenance of ageing or unsupported tech. A range of digital leaders tell Sam Trendall about the issues they face with legacy, and how they can be addressed.
Year in review: How technology defined 2021’s biggest stories
Digital and data once again had a starring role in supporting – and, occasionally, hampering –...
Why are many more PCR tests coming back void?
The rate of inconclusive results tripled between summer and autumn, while some patients have...
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Does data science have a dangerous gender gap?
A new report from the Alan Turing Institute identifies a worrying gender imbalance in a fast-growing and significant sector. PublicTechnology talks to the report’s authors about the scale of the problem and how it might be addressed.
Making contact: inside the project to build the NHS Covid-19 app
More than 20 million UK citizens have downloaded the NHS Covid-19 app. One of the leaders of the development process tells PublicTechnology about its impact and future plans.
Analysis: gaps in procurement transparency are nothing new
The health secretary cited the demands of coronavirus response after being rapped for failing to meet publication deadlines for major contracts. But perusing procurement databases suggests this is no anomaly, PublicTechnology finds
‘We’ve launched 18 new digital services since the start of the pandemic’
Worcestershire County Council’s digital delivery leader Jo Hilditch tells PublicTechnology about how apps and digital platforms have supported the authority’s coronavirus response
Vendor view: The impact of Covid on local government’s supplier relationships
PublicTechnology talks to David Hipwell from SAP Concur about the role of the public sector’s commercial partners in supporting transformation and how it has changed in the past year
Interview: How digital had 'a ringside seat' in Singapore's pandemic response
The Singaporean government’s response to Covid-19 has made extensive use of digital, devices, and data – not always uncontroversially. PublicTechnology talks to Kok Ping Soon, the head of GovTech Singapore, to find out more.
‘When coronavirus struck, we accelerated, because citizens were struggling’ – how DWP revamped the Budgeting Loans service
The pandemic illustrated the importance of work to improve a service offering support for society’s most vulnerable, product owner Sharron Wise tells PublicTechnology
Will local government transformation be set back by coronavirus?
Having long suffered from a scarcity of funding, councils could be forgiven for deprioritising investments in new tech. But public and private and sector leaders tell PublicTechnology that digital has never been more important.
Has the High Court outlawed mass computer surveillance?
Privacy campaigners have hailed a major victory as a judgement declares the use of general warrants unlawful. PublicTechnology takes a closer look.
The biggest stories of 2020 – part two
PublicTechnology completes our round-up of the most read and significant stories of 2020
The biggest stories of 2020 – part one
PublicTechnology rounds up the most-read and significant stories we covered this year
Was 2020 a watershed for public sector use of algorithms?
This year saw public protests about the use of predictive analytics in decision-making. As the technology becomes more widely used in many public services, PublicTechnology asks experts about the implications for government, the law – and the citizens affected
Analysis: how has coronavirus impacted local government IT spending?
PublicTechnology analysis of government data shows that the volume and value of IT and digital services contracts in the local government sector has been hit this year
How automation and data-sharing enabled DWP to transform the state pension service
After a digital and data revamp, more than half of claims are entirely self-service, product owner Vicky Coatesworth tells PublicTechnology
‘This year has really made the case for what we’re trying to do’
At the end of a challenging year, local government chiefs discuss the impact on digital and data
Cyber resilience and the public sector
The public sector must focus not only on attacks, but on how it responds and recovers from them, Zerto and Cyber Security Scotland told attendees at the recent Local Government ICT Summit
Interview: UK national statistician on how data has helped the PM – and the public – in coronavirus response
To mark World Statistics Day, Professor Sir Ian Diamond talks to PublicTechnology about how the work of statisticians has been crucial in supporting government’s pandemic response, as well as his thoughts on the media and politicians’ use of numbers, and how the ONS is preparing for the census
How can councils create a digital workplace?
At the recent Local Government ICT Summit, PublicTechnology talked to Gloucestershire County Council and SAP Concur about how authorities can support new ways of working
What sensitive data did the Home Office lose in Belgrade?
Department’s annual report shows, for the first time in many years, documents or data lost from a secure government building had to be reported to the ICO. PublicTechnology finds out more.
‘Unless you get the ethics of data right, you'll fail on the effectiveness as well’
The head of the Royal Statistical Society Stian Westlake talks algorithms, politicians and the current ‘favourable wind’ gathering in government behind his profession
The coronavirus ‘infodemic’: truth and conspiracy online
The spread of online misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated a public health crisis. PublicTechnology digs into a recent parliamentary inquiry to find out more about the response from social media companies and government