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NEWS AND COMMENT ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD1
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This report presents a welcome action plan for effecting such a positive change.” Editor’s Note: Copies of the report can be obtained from the DTI Web site at:.
Blueprint for the civil justice system in the information age published The Lord Chancellor’s Department had published a proposed strategy for the development of a civil justice system that meets citizens’ needs in the information age.The report comes as part of the Government’s ‘Modernizing Government’ programme, which was announced in its White Paper (Cm 4310 of March 1999).This made a commitment to speed up the Government’s programme to bring the public sector in line with private sector deployment of new technology. The report’s vision of a civil justice system in the information is one which: • Encourages increased awareness of legal rights and responsibilities as part of life-long learning in a knowledge-based society. • Ensures that citizens and organizations can take advantage of the many benefits that the law can confer, and know their legal duties. • Encourages the avoidance and early resolution of disputes. • Helps ensure that the most appropriate form of dispute resolution is selected. The report notes that the current IT provision within the court system is ageing, limited and fragmented, and that the scale of future investment required is likely to be significant. It suggests that the civil justice system must change to respond to the Internet and other emerging technologies that are having profound effects on business and in the every day lives of citizens.Among the initiatives proposed to run in tandem with the development of appropriate infrastructures are: the modernization of dispute resolution processes; the establishment of a community legal service designed to increase access to justice for ordinary people; the provision of primary legal source material online; and the maintenance of an ongoing research and development capability.
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Editor’s Note : The report, Civil.Justice.2000 – a Vision of the Civil Justice System in the Information Age, is available from the Open Government Web site at:
Government publishes information age targets for local government The Government’s agenda for modernizing the public sector, including local government,includes the rapid development of electronic service delivery. The Prime Minister has set Central Government a goal of 100% electronic service delivery capability by 2005. Implementing E-government: Guidelines for Local Government, which accompanied the Egovernment strategic framework, proposes that each council set its own electronic service delivery targets, as far as practicable, consistent with that goal. Earlier this year, the Local Government Association carried out a survey of local authorities on a possible approach to setting a framework for Egovernment targets. Councils responded favourably to the suggested approach and this has been developed in the guidelines prepared by partners to the Central Local Information Age concordat. The partners now invite comments on the targets that address two specific themes: • Corporate approaches to managing information and the use of information technology for managing the business of the authority — the area of corporate health targets. • Service specific targets based on each council’s own assessment of how best to provide those services to the public. It is suggested that these targets should help councils achieve best value and secure, continuous improvement in local service delivery. Its authors plan to consult shortly on some ‘best value performance indicators’ on electronic service delivery to be reported on from 2001/2 onwards, and there will be further statutory consultation on best value indicators.The proposed corporate health targets would gauge the state of each authority’s corporate infrastructure for information management.The guidelines note that effective
underlying systems, based on sound Egovernment strategy, are vital to the successful exploitation of new electronic service delivery mechanisms. It also notes that councils are best placed to decide how they should set their own service specific E-targets. However, the paper suggests the issues that should be addressed when electronic services are planned.The authors are now seeking views on the scope of the corporate health and service targets, and whether councils feel well enough informed about national projects and proposals for standards which will be necessary to help the councils to achieve their objectives. Editor’s Note: The discussion paper, Information Age Government: Targets for Local Government, is available at:.
Stationery Office launches new code of best practice for E-business The Stationery Office — the UK’s foremost regulatory publisher to Parliament — has teamed up with Compaq Computer Ltd — an E-business solutions provider — to launch the UK’s first broad-based Code of Best Practice for Ebusiness. The new code is designed to help emerging E-businesses achieve overall legal compliance and manage their risks in this area. The new code covers existing law on data protection, copyright, contracts, defamation, computer misuse and security. It also deals with more complex issues of online trading and will be updated as new legislation emerges.The code is legally supported by Stationery Office’s legal partners,Baker & McKenzie, a leading IT law firm.The new code is initially available,free of charge,as a download from the Web at:. Over the coming months,the Stationery Office and Compaq will develop this website, the ultimate goal being to provide a one-stop shop for E-business compliance advice and solutions. The launch phase of the website will enable visitors to obtain a new code for use in their organization. They will also be able to take part in an online survey about E-business-related issues. Publication of the new code is key to the strategy of the Stationery Office of identifying communities with a common
8/25/00
12:36 PM
Page 344
CLSR Briefing
This report presents a welcome action plan for effecting such a positive change.” Editor’s Note: Copies of the report can be obtained from the DTI Web site at:
Blueprint for the civil justice system in the information age published The Lord Chancellor’s Department had published a proposed strategy for the development of a civil justice system that meets citizens’ needs in the information age.The report comes as part of the Government’s ‘Modernizing Government’ programme, which was announced in its White Paper (Cm 4310 of March 1999).This made a commitment to speed up the Government’s programme to bring the public sector in line with private sector deployment of new technology. The report’s vision of a civil justice system in the information is one which: • Encourages increased awareness of legal rights and responsibilities as part of life-long learning in a knowledge-based society. • Ensures that citizens and organizations can take advantage of the many benefits that the law can confer, and know their legal duties. • Encourages the avoidance and early resolution of disputes. • Helps ensure that the most appropriate form of dispute resolution is selected. The report notes that the current IT provision within the court system is ageing, limited and fragmented, and that the scale of future investment required is likely to be significant. It suggests that the civil justice system must change to respond to the Internet and other emerging technologies that are having profound effects on business and in the every day lives of citizens.Among the initiatives proposed to run in tandem with the development of appropriate infrastructures are: the modernization of dispute resolution processes; the establishment of a community legal service designed to increase access to justice for ordinary people; the provision of primary legal source material online; and the maintenance of an ongoing research and development capability.
344
Editor’s Note : The report, Civil.Justice.2000 – a Vision of the Civil Justice System in the Information Age, is available from the Open Government Web site at:
Government publishes information age targets for local government The Government’s agenda for modernizing the public sector, including local government,includes the rapid development of electronic service delivery. The Prime Minister has set Central Government a goal of 100% electronic service delivery capability by 2005. Implementing E-government: Guidelines for Local Government, which accompanied the Egovernment strategic framework, proposes that each council set its own electronic service delivery targets, as far as practicable, consistent with that goal. Earlier this year, the Local Government Association carried out a survey of local authorities on a possible approach to setting a framework for Egovernment targets. Councils responded favourably to the suggested approach and this has been developed in the guidelines prepared by partners to the Central Local Information Age concordat. The partners now invite comments on the targets that address two specific themes: • Corporate approaches to managing information and the use of information technology for managing the business of the authority — the area of corporate health targets. • Service specific targets based on each council’s own assessment of how best to provide those services to the public. It is suggested that these targets should help councils achieve best value and secure, continuous improvement in local service delivery. Its authors plan to consult shortly on some ‘best value performance indicators’ on electronic service delivery to be reported on from 2001/2 onwards, and there will be further statutory consultation on best value indicators.The proposed corporate health targets would gauge the state of each authority’s corporate infrastructure for information management.The guidelines note that effective
underlying systems, based on sound Egovernment strategy, are vital to the successful exploitation of new electronic service delivery mechanisms. It also notes that councils are best placed to decide how they should set their own service specific E-targets. However, the paper suggests the issues that should be addressed when electronic services are planned.The authors are now seeking views on the scope of the corporate health and service targets, and whether councils feel well enough informed about national projects and proposals for standards which will be necessary to help the councils to achieve their objectives. Editor’s Note: The discussion paper, Information Age Government: Targets for Local Government, is available at:
Stationery Office launches new code of best practice for E-business The Stationery Office — the UK’s foremost regulatory publisher to Parliament — has teamed up with Compaq Computer Ltd — an E-business solutions provider — to launch the UK’s first broad-based Code of Best Practice for Ebusiness. The new code is designed to help emerging E-businesses achieve overall legal compliance and manage their risks in this area. The new code covers existing law on data protection, copyright, contracts, defamation, computer misuse and security. It also deals with more complex issues of online trading and will be updated as new legislation emerges.The code is legally supported by Stationery Office’s legal partners,Baker & McKenzie, a leading IT law firm.The new code is initially available,free of charge,as a download from the Web at: