IT&Telecom companies comment on the E-delegation report
The government-appointed E-delegation has now published its "Strategy for the authorities' work with e-government". It is a comprehensive document in which several important proposals are presented, both on "factual issues" such as e-identifications or other conditions for further work within and between authorities, and on working methods
Certain authorities, above all the Swedish Tax Agency, are proposed to act as "hubs" for various areas; e-services for businesses, overall administrative services such as payroll management within the state, e-identifications, etc. It is also proposed that funding should be provided through Vinnova.
IT&Telecom companies welcome the proposals - at last a new step has been taken to speed up work on electronic government. Several times in recent years, initiatives have been taken, but not much has happened.
- The published strategy report means that a comprehensive approach has been taken to provide the conditions for accelerating the implementation of eGovernment. This is a good thing, and the report contains a number of good proposals, which we hope will now also lead to action. After all, Mats Odell seems to be interested in and committed to the issues in question. However, there are several points that warrant more critical views,' says Mikael von Otter, business policy expert at IT&Telecom companies within Almega, and mentions a few:
- Electronic administration means that working methods, culture and boundaries of responsibility are affected. The report does not address important issues for breaking old patterns and working methods, i.e. the actual work of change that must take place.
- Several authorities cooperate on certain issues. A key issue for this to work is funding. It is proposed to use Vinnova money. What are the implications of this?
- There are major areas where municipal participation is important. SKL has participated, but will the municipalities participate in a coordinated way in the development; both technically and organizationally? The report says very little about this.
- Now the practical work will begin, based on the published strategies. Among those prioritized in the report, however, is not the judiciary. The Ministry of Justice has indeed been tasked with ensuring that e-services are introduced there, but it is strange that this particularly conservative and neglected area is not among those prioritized in the report.
- An important question is how to ensure that information is archived for future use in, for example, research. The National Archives' mission focuses on "signed documents", but there should also be a large number of other issues that are essential.
- Overall, however, the report is an important step forward, and it contains several key ingredients for getting a modern public administration in place. But the proof is in the pudding - will it be a successful outcome? Will this reboot really get us out of the starting blocks, after all the previous failures, wonders - and hopes - Mikael von Otter.