Wednesday 13:55
Cabinet Office minister Gillian Merron last night highlighted the vital role played by technology in making public services more efficient and accessible.
The minister for Transformational Government was speaking at the annual e-Government National Awards in London, where the team award for Local e-Government Excellence was won by the West London Alliance (WLA).
In a video address to the ceremony, Prime Minister Gordon Brown also praised the "initiative, drive and commitment" of the local and central government workers who are using technology to improve public services.
The Prime Minister said:
"The growing use of information technology is an important factor in people's rising aspirations - and these aspirations don't get left behind when they use public services.
"Today's citizens are quite rightly demanding more and technology has the capacity to provide it, breaking new ground and helping to achieve new goals.
"I commend you all for your initiative, your drive and your commitment to providing the public with the very best."
The awards recognise the best in technology-driven services that have positively transformed the lives of members of the public.
Winners ranged from Brighton & Hove City Council's talking bus stops for the visually impaired to the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency's MOT computerisation scheme.
Gillian Merron, who presented the awards with the Government's Chief Information Officer John Suffolk, said:
"Technology is bringing an ever-increasing range of benefits to the public; it has the potential to re-shape public services and, at the centre of this, change people's lives for the better.
"Government has a key role to play to ensure services fit around diverse needs and lifestyles - it's about making sure that people in this country can access services how they want them and when they want them.
"We can only achieve this with the right attitude and the right people, we recognise the fantastic work being carried out across the public sector, and these awards are an ideal opportunity to reward those who are both leading and delivering best practice."
Notes to editors
The annual awards are completely independent and are organised by website PublicTechnology.net.
Full list of winners: * Building a fairer society with e-Government: National-scale services Winner: Fire Service College: the Fire Gateway (fire.gov.uk) web portal for the Fire & Rescue Services in England Highly Commended: UK online centres: myguide supported by UK online centres
* Central e-Government excellence: Take-up & usage growth Winner: Vehicle & Operator Services Agency: MOT Computerisation Highly Commended: DVLA: Electronic Vehicle Licensing (EVL) Highly Commended: HM Revenue & Customs - Self Assessment Online
* Central e-Government excellence: Team Winner: HMRC / Businesslink: International Trade Single Window: a team success Highly Commended: Ministry of Justice: DISC Transition team, the successful transition of IT Services from 6 to 2 suppliers. Highly Commended: Office of Government Commerce: Collaborative eAuctions for IT Hardware
* e-Government excellence: Leadership & Professionalism Winner: Birmingham City Council: Business Transformation Agenda
* e-Government excellence: Shared Services (Proven shared services which have delivered effective services and efficiency gains). Joint winner: JANET, the Joint Academic Network, and roll-out of JANET5 Joint winner: Scottish Government: eProcurement Scotland Service
* e-Government excellence: Innovation in strategy Joint winner: Samaritans: SMS Text Messaging Project Joint winner: Ukvisas: Delivering a global biometric web-enabled Visa regime
* Local e-Government excellence: Take-up & usage growth Winner: Wakefield Metropolitan District Council: Local e-Take-up Campaign
* Local e-Government excellence: Team Winner: The West London Alliance (WLA) e-Government group
* Central e-Government excellence: Procurement Winner: NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency: On-line Pharmacy Catalogue * Highly Commended: Royal Mail migrates entire procurement system online to e-sourcing making the process completely paperless * Highly Commended: Cabinet Office: Project ISAAC/Public Sector Flex ICT Outsourcing Shared Service
* e-Government excellence in Learning & Skills Winner: Gloucestershire College: StARs & StRIPEs (Identifying 'at risk' students)
* Building a fairer society with e-Government: Targeted or localised services Winner: Brighton & Hove City Council: Talking Bus Stops for the blind & visually impaired
You can view the Prime Minister's full video address online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SptaE_pDhaE
Cabinet Office Press Office 22 Whitehall LONDON SW1A 2WH http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Issued on behalf of the Cabinet Office by Government News Network London.
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