CBI Wants To See More Investment In GDS

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a business lobbying organisation for employers, has called for a “scaled-up” Government Digital Service (GDS).

According to the organisation’s Our future public services: a challenge for us all report, GDS should be given the lead role in driving development of digital services as the primary way citizens interact with all public services by 2020.

“Public services need to do more to keep pace with digital technology,” claims the document.

“There is currently a mismatch between how people manage their lives online and the way they interact with public services.

“In the past 12 months 77% of people have bought or ordered goods or services online, but only 41% interacted online with public authorities,” it adds.

Services that CBI wants to see digitised by this time are appointment booking for all GP’s, e-prescriptions for smartphones, online GP consultations, all government forms and applications, trackable forms and applications and school profiles by area that include ranking, pupil satisfaction, transport links and application tracking.

“An honest dialogue is needed about sharing information across services and how that can be done securely,” claimed the report.

“It is important that people can choose to use digital services, but that alternative mechanisms remain available for those who need more time to adjust, build skills or don’t want to interact digitally,” it adds.

Technology To Help Manage Deficit

CBI is also using the document to promote the idea of government overseeing development of joined-up services through physical co-location to ensure people get support efficiently and conveniently, guided by a review to prioritise areas for action.

Technology plays an important part in the report, which aims to argue that public services require fundamental reshaping to better meet public needs.

The body claims that simply cutting budgets just leads to poor quality services and urges Whitehall should implement a fiscal policy that ensures once the deficit has been eliminated, public spending will never outstrip revenue receipts.

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