Digital minister: ‘I’m one up from a Luddite – but I am grasping this enthusiastically’
PublicTechnology met with the recently appointed Heather Wheeler, who reveals that overcoming difficulties with tech has been ‘an absolute joy’ – although she still appears to have some challenges with unfortunate remarks
Great expectations: Government unveils new digital and data strategy
A new three-year plan sets out ambitious objectives for departments’ use of tech, including a...
Technology vs ideology: what will define the future of government work?
A recent PublicTechology webinar discussion saw an expert panel examine the major...
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Digitising the Natural History Museum and boosting HMRC IT – fourteen tech takeaways from the Budget
Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a range of funding and new programmes dedicated to digital, data and technology
How AI is helping Bradford NHS trust through winter pressures
Technology is helping to create bed capacity and keep surgery on schedule at Bradford NHS trust. Gill Hitchcock reports on what this means for patients and staff in what is typically a busy time of year
Data suggests big local differences in EU settlement applications
Campaign group calls for local authorities to lead on supporting applications as only a quarter of EU citizens in some areas have applied so far
‘We speak civil service, but we speak private sector too’ – JSaRC head Angela Essel on government’s ‘bilingual’ approach to national security
The Home Office’s Joint Security and Resilience Centre helps government work with industry to meet the UK’s security challenges. We talk to new head Angela Essel about why ‘heated discussions’ between civil servants and commercial secondees has created mutual respect and understanding
Why government is ‘failing’ on AI openness
The body dedicated to upholding ethical standards across the public sector has published a major report examining how to ensure those standards are not threatened by AI and automation
Qualified success – how apprentices are making a big impact at HMRC
About one in 10 of the department’s workforce are apprentices, and its development programmes allows HMRC to attract new talent in technology and other areas, while giving new skills to long-standing employees, according to director general of customer services Angela MacDonald
‘You can talk to a nurse and book your appointment, without leaving Facebook’ – inside NHS Digital’s inclusion drive
Social media training for nurses and tools for people with sensory impairment are among projects from an NHS Digital programme to boost digital inclusion. Gill Hitchcock reports on its progress.
North Lanarkshire’s plan for a future-proof council
With ambitious plans for digital infrastructure, online services, and cloud migration, one local authority has a busy year ahead. Gill Hitchcock reports.
The biggest government tech stories of 2019 – part two
Completing our 2019 round-up with the rundown of the five biggest stories of the year
The biggest government tech stories of 2019 – part one
We round up the events and trends that shaped the year
Why ‘changes in technology and society’ prompted a review of Scottish FOI laws
The Scottish Information Commissioner discusses the impact to date of freedom of information legislation and how he wants the law to operate in the future
Access all areas – inside GDS’s accessibility empathy lab
The digital agency is aiming to raise awareness of the issues faced by many citizens and ensure that their physical or cognitive conditions are no barrier to using government’s online services. PublicTechnology went along to find out more.
EXCL: Councils across UK in race to update four in 10 PCs as Windows 7 death knell nears
PublicTechnology research reveals that, as authorities entered the last weeks of Windows 7 support, vast swathes of their computers were still running the decade-old OS
Election 2019: Which party has most to say on digital, data and technology?
Examining the language of each party’s manifesto reveals significant differences in the amount and focus of proposals related to technology and data policy – as well as in the wider themes of each document
Conservative manifesto: five tech takeaways
Rounding up the Tories’ key pledges in the area of digital and data, including a new cyber force and tax incentives for investing in cloud computing
Could AR/VR augment the public sector?
Government has only dabbled with augmented and virtual reality so far, but the technology has a range of potential use cases, according to Jeremy Dalton of Immerse UK and PwC
How digital triage is cutting queues for urgent care
Digital self-check-in at an NHS centre in London enables patients to be attended to within a few minutes. Gill Hitchcock reports.
How has the online voter registration service coped with 100,000 users a day?
Since MPs voted in favour of a December election, upwards of 3.5 million registrations have been processed digitally
Labour manifesto: five tech takeaways
The free broadband plan has attracted attention, but the party has a number of other proposals for the use and regulation of technology. PublicTechnology rounds up the major manifesto policies
Can Hull become the world’s smartest city?
The city has ambitious plans, and benefits from ubiquitous access to full-fibre broadband. PublicTechnology talks to the council’s digital and IT chief to find out more
DCMS perm sec on why the National Data Strategy is ‘not about building systems – it’s about how we work’
After returning to lead an organisation with an expanded roster of responsibilities, Sarah Healey discusses how DCMS can best lead the drive to improve data use and sharing