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Tag: 2021

  • Jesse Norman – 2021 Statement on E-Commerce and VAT Changes

    Jesse Norman – 2021 Statement on E-Commerce and VAT Changes

    The statement made by Jesse Norman, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2021.

    The Government will be introducing changes to simplify the way VAT is administered for some goods sold between Northern Ireland and the EU, and some low-value imports into Northern Ireland from 1 July 2021 (otherwise known as e-commerce VAT changes). This mirrors an WSEU-wide reform, which the UK is implementing in Northern Ireland in line with the obligations set out under the Northern Ireland protocol, where EU VAT rules with respect to goods will continue to apply in Northern Ireland. However, Northern Ireland is, and will remain, part of the UK’s VAT system.

    The overall aim of the e-commerce VAT changes is to facilitate the declaration and payment of VAT for (a) sales of goods to consumers between Northern Ireland and the EU; and (b) low-value goods, where they are in consignments valued up to £135 (€150), supplied to consumers in Northern Ireland from non-EU countries, including from Great Britain. The changes will affect businesses and online marketplaces that are involved in these transactions. The consumer experience overall will not change.

    On 1 January 2021, the UK introduced a set of new VAT rules for the imports of low-value goods into Northern Ireland from outside the UK and the EU. The EU’s e-commerce reforms mirror many of those changes. Therefore, the Government consider that there will only be minimal changes for businesses selling imported goods to customers in Northern Ireland.

    From a UK perspective, the e-commerce changes mean that:

    A new single EU-wide distance selling threshold of £8,818 (€10,000) will be introduced for the sales of goods and services in the EU. The threshold will only apply to supplies of EU-located goods to and from Northern Ireland, which means that, EU suppliers who exceed the threshold will have to register for VAT in the United Kingdom if they wish to sell goods to consumers in Northern Ireland;

    Online marketplaces will be liable for collecting and accounting for VAT on goods supplied in Northern Ireland, under certain circumstances; and

    Low-value consignment relief, which relieves import VAT on consignments of goods of up to £15, will be removed fully in Northern Ireland and across the EU.

    Alongside these changes, two new IT systems will be introduced: one for accounting and collecting VAT on sales of goods between Northern Ireland and the EU—the one-stop shop; and the other for accounting and collecting VAT on imports of non-excise goods from non-EU countries, where they are in consignments that do not exceed £135 (€150) in value—the import one-stop shop. Both systems are designed to reduce burdens on business and facilitate the collection of VAT on sales of goods across Northern Ireland and the EU; and are optional for businesses and online marketplaces to use.

    The UK will be taking a phased approach to the introduction of these IT systems. HMRC have today published guidance on gov.uk setting out what this will mean for businesses. However, in many cases, if businesses and online marketplaces opt not to register to use these systems, there will be no change in how they declare and pay for VAT on their sales of goods to consumers in Northern Ireland and EU member states.

    The Government will legislate for these changes shortly.

  • Dominic Raab – 2021 Statement on Radovan Karadžic

    Dominic Raab – 2021 Statement on Radovan Karadžic

    The statement made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2021.

    Promoting and enforcing international justice is central to global Britain’s role as a force for good in the western Balkans and in the world. The conviction of Radovan Karadžić for genocide and grave crimes at Srebrenica, the siege of Sarajevo and other parts of the conflict was an essential part of addressing the horrors of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Ensuring accountability for such crimes is also pivotal for promoting reconciliation in the region.

    On 24 March 2016, the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in The Hague found Radovan Karadžić guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war committed during the conflict in and around Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) during the mid-1990s. The Court sentenced him to 40 years of imprisonment, which was increased on appeal to a life sentence.

    Following a request to the United Kingdom from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), the successor body to the ICTY, Radovan Karadžić will now be transferred to a prison in the UK to serve his sentence. Radovan Karadžić will be the fifth prisoner transferred to the UK by the ICTY/IRMCT.

    The crimes for which Radovan Karadžić was convicted relate to actions taken in municipalities throughout BiH with a view to permanently removing Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory; spreading terror among the civilian population of Sarajevo through a campaign of sniping and shelling; taking UN personnel hostage; and the genocide at Srebrenica.

    The United Kingdom signed a sentence enforcement agreement with the ICTY on 11 March 2004, allowing for sentences to be enforced in the UK, and for Her Majesty’s Government to meet the associated costs. The IRMCT remains responsible for further decision making regarding his imprisonment, over and above the prisoner’s daily care.

  • Richard Thomson – 2021 Speech on the Ballymurphy Inquest Findings

    Richard Thomson – 2021 Speech on the Ballymurphy Inquest Findings

    The speech made by Richard Thomson, the SNP MP for Gordon, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2021.

    I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement.

    The pain that the loved ones of the victims of the Ballymurphy killings have gone through over the past half century is unimaginable. I pay tribute to their courage, their fortitude, their dignity and their unswerving determination to seek the truth—however difficult that was—about how their loved ones died. The First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, put it extremely well when she said:

    “Lots of lessons to be learned. Grief is grief. Justice must be blind. Too many empty chairs across NI and unanswered questions.”

    The path to truth, justice and reconciliation, as we know, is an imperfect one. While the past cannot be changed, its truth can be acknowledged and reconciliations made easier. In that vein, the Prime Minister should come to the House to offer that apology in person on behalf of the citizens in whose names these actions were taken, and apologise not only for the length of time it has taken to bring truth to the families but for the unjustified and unjustifiable deaths of their entirely innocent loved ones. Does the Secretary of State agree more generally that justice delayed is justice denied and that the best interests of truth, reconciliation and the wider public interest are not best served by seeking to put a time bar on the pursuit of justice?

  • Louise Haigh – 2021 Speech on the Ballymurphy Inquest Findings

    Louise Haigh – 2021 Speech on the Ballymurphy Inquest Findings

    The speech made by Louise Haigh, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2021.

    I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement.

    As the Secretary of State has outlined, in five separate shootings across three days in August 1971 in the Ballymurphy estate in west Belfast, 10 innocent civilians were shot dead, nine by the armed forces, with evidence unable conclusively to determine in the tenth case. Among them were a priest, a mother of eight and a former soldier who had fought and was injured in world war two. Fifty-seven children were left without a parent—their lives for ever changed. Yet the trauma of the murders was undoubtedly compounded by what followed: families prevented from finding comfort by lies told about their loved ones that have haunted them down the decades, and a fight for the truth hampered by entirely inadequate investigations and wholly unjustifiable obstacles. Who cannot be struck by the dignity and tenacity of those families who, in the face of those obstacles, have fought for the truth and finally, this week, have been vindicated?

    The conclusions of Justice Keegan are clear and irrefutable: those who lost their lives were posing no threat; their deaths were without justification. They were Francis Quinn, Father Hugh Mullan, Noel Phillips, Joan Connolly, Daniel Teggart, Joseph Murphy, Eddie Doherty, John Laverty, Joseph Corr and John McKerr. An eleventh man, Paddy McCarthy, a youth worker, died from a heart attack. That families have had to wait for so long to clear their name is a profound failure of justice and one we must learn from, because, as the Secretary of State said, many more families are still fighting for answers. They include Cathy McCann, who in 1990 was the sole survivor of a Provisional IRA bomb in Armagh in which a nun and three policemen were killed. Twenty-one years earlier, her father had been killed by the auxiliary police force, the B Specials.

    This ongoing failure to find the truth is an open wound that ties Northern Ireland perpetually to the past. Burying the truth and refusing to prosecute or investigate crimes has not worked in the 23 years since the signing of the Belfast Good Friday agreement, so how can anyone in this House look victims like Cathy in the eye and tell her she must move on? The Government gave victims such as Cathy McCann their word. Through the Stormont House agreement, they promised to establish a comprehensive system to look at all outstanding legacy cases through effective investigations and a process that would, where possible, deliver the truth and the prospect of justice. Yet last Wednesday night, victims found out on Twitter that the Government intend to tear up that plan and provide an effective amnesty to those who took lives. The statement today brings us no closer to understanding the Government’s policy to deal with the legacy of the past.

    The lessons of the past are clear: addressing the legacy through the unilateral imposition of an amnesty from Westminster, without the faintest hint of consultation with victims or the support of communities or any political party in Northern Ireland or the Irish Government, would be impossible to deliver. It would make reconciliation harder, and it would not achieve what the Government claim they want. Any process that remains open to legal challenge will invite test cases and bring more veterans back through the courts.

    I will finish with a comment on the Prime Minister’s actions—or lack of them—over the past two days. In the aftermath of the Bloody Sunday inquiry, David Cameron came to this House and apologised in a statement. He did not brief apologies from disputed calls with politicians. He took full responsibility. Where is the Prime Minister today, and why has he not publicly apologised to the Ballymurphy families and to this House? Will he take responsibility as Prime Minister and show the victims the respect they so obviously deserve? Victims like those who lost loved ones at Ballymurphy have been let down for far too long. Ministers should bear in mind the words of one victim I spoke with yesterday, as they worked through the next steps of legacy:

    “I just want to know what happened. I want to know my dad’s life meant something. I just want the truth.”

  • Brandon Lewis – 2021 Statement on the Ballymurphy Inquest Findings

    Brandon Lewis – 2021 Statement on the Ballymurphy Inquest Findings

    The statement made by Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2021.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the findings of the Ballymurphy inquest. I want to put on the record the Government’s acknowledgment of the terrible hurt that has been caused to the families of Francis Quinn, Father Hugh Mullan, Noel Phillips, Joan Connolly, Daniel Teggart, Joseph Murphy, Edward Doherty, John Laverty, Joseph Corr and John McKerr.

    I also want to pay tribute to the great patience with which the families have conducted themselves during their determined campaign, which has lasted almost 50 years. The Prime Minister is writing personally to the families, having yesterday expressed his deep regret to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and apologised unreservedly on behalf of the state.

    The findings of the coroner are clear: those who died were entirely innocent of wrongdoing. The events at Ballymurphy should never have happened. The families of those who were killed should never have had to experience the grief and trauma of that loss. They should not have had to wait nearly five decades for the judgment this week, nor should they have been compelled to relive that terrible time in August 1971 again and again in their long and distressing quest for truth.

    Over the course of the troubles, more than 3,500 people were killed, and tens of thousands injured, with families torn apart forever. The majority of those killed were innocent civilians, such as those on the streets of Ballymurphy.

    The vast majority of those who served in Northern Ireland did so with great dignity and professionalism, but it is clear that in some cases the security forces and the Army made terrible errors too. The duty of the state is to hold itself to the highest standards at all times. When we fail to meet these high standards, we must recognise the hurt and agony caused.

    There is no doubt that what happened in Ballymurphy in those awful few days also fuelled further violence and escalation, particularly in the early years of the troubles. The Government profoundly regret and are truly sorry for these events, for how investigations after these terrible events were handled, and for the additional pain that the families have had to endure in their fight to clear the names of their loved ones since they began their campaign almost five decades ago.

    In order to make lasting change, actions are required as well. The Belfast Good Friday agreement was the defining action that allowed Northern Ireland to begin to move away from violence, but the events of the past continue to cast a long shadow, as we have seen. Those who were killed or injured during the troubles came from all communities, and they included many members of the security forces and armed forces. Immense and difficult compromises have since been made on all sides, including the early release of prisoners, which was so difficult for many people to accept.

    To a very large extent, Northern Ireland has moved away from violence, so we stand by those compromises and the progress made towards a more peaceful society. Yet the desire of the families of victims to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones is strong, legitimate and right. The campaign for justice in Ballymurphy has reminded us all of that—if we needed to be reminded at all.

    Twenty-three years after the signing of the Belfast Good Friday agreement, thousands of murders remain unresolved and many families still yearn for answers. With each passing year, the integrity of evidence and the prospects of prosecution diminish, and the Government are not shrinking away from those challenges. We are determined to address them in a way that reflects the time that has passed, the complexity of Northern Ireland’s troubled history and the reality of the compromises that have already been made. But above all, we are determined to address them in a way that enables victims and survivors to get to the truth that they deserve. We must never ignore or dismiss the past; learning what we can, we must find a way to move beyond it. The coroner’s findings this week are part of that often very painful process.

    The Government want to deliver a way forward in addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland; one that will allow all individuals or families who want information to seek and receive answers about what happened during the troubles, with far less delay and distress. We want a path forward that will also pave the way for wider societal reconciliation for all communities, allowing all the people of Northern Ireland to focus on building a shared, stable, peaceful and prosperous future. I commend this statement to the House.

  • Dominic Raab – 2021 Comments on Global LGBT Conference

    Dominic Raab – 2021 Comments on Global LGBT Conference

    The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 16 May 2021.

    The right to live life without fear and persecution are the bedrock of inclusive and open societies and the UK, as a force for good, will protect and promote these values at home and around the world.

    As co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition, we are already working with 41 countries to defend the rights of LGBT people. We are urging every country to make sure LGBT people can live free from the discrimination and violence that persists today.

    The Prime Minister has today announced that Conference Chair Lord Herbert of South Downs will also take on the role of the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy on LGBT Rights. He will promote the conference internationally and lead efforts to champion LGBT equality at home and abroad. He will also be working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to coordinate a year of domestic action on LGBT issues, in the run up to the global conference.

  • Kate Green – 2021 Comments on Summer Schools

    Kate Green – 2021 Comments on Summer Schools

    The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 16 May 2021.

    These half-baked summer school plans are yet more evidence of the Conservatives’ failure to deliver on their promises on children’s recovery.

    The Government’s plans are falling far short of what we should demand to help every child recover lost learning and social development. The Government must be ambitious for children’s recovery or risk a Covid generation being held back.

    Labour wants children to be at the heart of our national recovery. Our Bright Future taskforce will set out bold recovery policies, starting with catch-up breakfast clubs, which are ambitious for every child’s learning and wellbeing.

  • Boris Johnson – 2021 Statement on Covid-19

    Boris Johnson – 2021 Statement on Covid-19

    The statement made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 14 May 2021.

    Good afternoon. Throughout this pandemic we’ve tried to keep people abreast of the last information as soon as we get it.

    And since I spoke to you last Monday, we’ve seen further clusters of the B.1.617.2, the variant first observed in India, we’ve seen it especially in Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen and some other parts of the country.

    At this stage there are some important unknowns.

    We believe this variant is more transmissible than the previous one – in other words it passes more easily from person to person – but we don’t know by how much.

    I am told that if it’s only marginally more transmissible, we can continue more or less as planned.

    But if the virus is significantly more transmissible, we are likely to face some hard choices.

    We are going to be learning a lot more in the coming days and weeks about that.

    The good news is that so far we have no evidence to suggest our vaccines will be less effective in protecting people against severe illness and hospitalisation.

    So that means we are in a different position from the last time we face a new variant before Christmas because of the scale of our vaccine roll-out, which PHE estimates has already saved almost 12,000 lives and prevented over 33,000 people from being hospitalised.

    So I believe we should trust in our vaccines to protect the public whilst monitoring the situation very closely.

    Because the race between our vaccination programme and the virus may be about to become a great deal tighter.

    And it’s more important than ever therefore that people get the additional protection of a second dose.

    So following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation,

    we will accelerate remaining second doses to the over 50s and those clinically vulnerable right across the country so they are just eight weeks after the first dose, and if you are in this group the NHS will be in touch with you.

    We will also prioritise first doses for anyone eligible who has not yet come forwards, including the over 40s – and I urge anyone in those groups to come forwards as soon as you can.

    At this stage, there is no evidence of increased cases translating into unmanageable pressures on the NHS even in Bolton – and infections, deaths and hospitalisations nationally remain at their lowest levels since last Summer.

    So – and this is a balanced decision – I do not believe on present evidence that we need to delay our roadmap, and we will proceed with our plan to move to step 3 in England from Monday.

    But I have to level with you that this could be a serious disruption to our progress and could make it more difficult to move to step 4 in June, and I must again stress we will do whatever it takes to keep the public safe.

    Our surveillance and data gathering is now so advanced, that if there was a danger of the NHS coming under unsustainable pressure, we would see the signs in the data very early on and could react in good time, and that gives us the confidence to continue moving forwards for now.

    But I urge everyone to exercise the greatest caution because the choices we each make in the coming days will have a material effect on the road ahead.

    To those living in Bolton and Blackburn,

    I am very sorry that you are once again suffering from this virus.

    I know how hard it has been for you, having been in a form of national or local lockdown for longer than almost everywhere else.

    But now it is more vital than ever that you play your part in stopping the spread.

    We will not be preventing businesses from reopening on Monday, but we will be asking you to do your bit.

    Take the vaccine when you can.

    Get your free, twice-weekly rapid tests.

    If you do test positive, you must self-isolate – and we’ll provide financial support, to help to those on low incomes to help them do so.

    And as we move away from living our lives by government rules and as we learn to live with this virus, then, as I said on Monday, we need to make our own decisions about how best to protect ourselves and our loved ones – informed by the risks.

    And for those living in Bolton and other affected areas, there is now a greater risk from this new variant so I urge you to be extra cautious.

    Our best chance of suppressing this variant is to clamp down on it where it is and we will be throwing everything we can at this task.

    Colonel Russ Miller – Commander of the North West Region – will be deployed to support local leaders in managing the response on the ground.

    There will be surge testing, with mobile testing units, and the army will be on the streets handing out tests.

    And there will targeted new activity in Bolton and Blackburn to accelerate vaccine take-up among eligible cohorts – including longer opening hours at vaccination sites.

    And to everyone across the whole country, wherever you live, please get tested twice a week for free, get a jab if you are eligible, remember hands, face, space and fresh air observe social distancing from those you do not know, and if you are seeing loved ones think really carefully about the risk to them especially if they have not had that second dose – or it hasn’t yet had the time to take full effect.

    I want us to trust people to be responsible and to do the right thing.

    That’s the way to live with this virus, while protecting our NHS and restoring our freedoms.

    And it’s very clear now we are going to have to live with this new variant of the virus as well for some time.

    So let’s work together – and let’s exercise caution and common sense.

  • David Duguid – 2021 Comments on Scottish Seafood Exports

    David Duguid – 2021 Comments on Scottish Seafood Exports

    The comments made by David Duguid, the UK Government Minister for Scotland, on 14 May 2021.

    This taskforce has been unusual as it has brought together industry experts from the catching, processing, exporting and aquaculture sectors as well as three ministers from the UK Government and the Scottish Government.

    Rapid progress has been made in a variety of areas through this taskforce. In particular, we have considerably cut the amount of time staff spend filling in details on Export Health Certificates, helping speed time-critical exports of our world-class seafood.

    Although the taskforce has a fixed lifespan, we are looking at how we can continue this important dialogue.

    We want to maintain close contacts, though we appreciate people in the industry are busy. I am confident we can reach accord on ongoing discussions as we seek to maximise the opportunities for our key seafood sector.

  • Julia Lopez – 2021 Speech on Digital Government

    Julia Lopez – 2021 Speech on Digital Government

    The speech made by Julia Lopez, the Cabinet Officer Minister, on 13 May 2021.

    Good morning everyone, and many thanks to Govnet for inviting me here today and giving me the opportunity to share the plans and priorities for the Digital, Data and Technology Function for the coming year, led by the Central Digital and Data Office. The theme of the next two days is enhancing government to citizen engagement through the digital evolution, and there is so much to talk about as always.

    Earlier this year, the Cabinet Office announced the new DDaT leadership team. The appointments of Paul Willmott and Joanna Davinson to the newly established Central Digital and Data Office, strengthen the leadership and vision needed for the next phase of digital delivery and transformation in government.

    The CDDO has been established to lead the DDaT function across departments. Our mission is to improve user access and experience of government services and harness the power of data. As such, through this collective leadership we will use and upskill the expertise of our cross-government DDaT community and put the strategy, standards and assurance mechanisms in place to deliver the digital transformation we’ve been waiting for at scale.

    Government, and the stakeholders that it exists to serve, are rapidly becoming ‘digital’ in every way. The shift to digital is a long term trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19 and will continue with improving technology like the rollout of 5G. Now, more than ever, digital must be front and centre of government’s priorities to meet user needs.

    There is strong backing and support from my Ministerial colleagues and leaders across government to accelerate the digital transformation of public services – the introduction of the CDDO is evidence of this.

    With the creation of CDDO, and a reinvigorated GDS, this is a critical moment we must seize. We must take the opportunity this new focus provides and deliver the transformational agenda to meet our citizens’ expectations. Already we are seeing glimpses of the future today. With GOV.UK Accounts we will enable people to better understand government through a more personalised, low-friction experience, one that joins up whole journeys for services in a single space. I’m excited to see how this work will see a positive shift in the relationship citizens have with government.

    Underpinning this work will be digital identity assurance. We have recently begun a digital identity pilot project, deliberately small in scale at the start, that will create the proof of concept. This is being led and coordinated by GDS, co-designed with departments and public services, and be largely government-built and government-owned. This will be a successor to Verify and, in time, replace other digital identity systems used across government. Further reducing the complexity of needing multiple accounts to interact with government.

    Citizens rightly expect a modern service fit for the 21st century. This vision will provide that and has the potential to radically transform the relationship between government and people, delivery of public services and development of joined-up policy; enabling the UK to remain at the forefront of digital government.

    But none of this can be achieved without a strong strategic centre, making better use of data, and building capability across the Digital, Data and Technology Function.

    The Prime Minister made a manifesto pledge during the 2019 election campaign to improve the government’s use of data. Since then, our experiences of crisis response – such as trying to identify the 2.6 million people most in need of financial support in the early days of tackling the coronavirus – have shown just how significant data sharing is to the economy, society and the public sector; and how it will help to power growth as we set about our recovery.

    Take, for example, government data from PAYE and the benefits system which has boosted the Treasury’s furlough scheme and DWP’s expansion of universal credit. Or the data from NHS Digital which was used to draw up the ‘shielding’ list of vulnerable people and was the basis for how we supported over half a million vulnerable people with almost 5 million food boxes, priority supermarket delivery slots and other support services by local authorities; and the vaccination programme owes its success in part to being able to organise cohorts by age and risk from patient lists already held by GPs.

    As the country emerges from lockdown we will take forward what we have learned, to make sure that we use data more intelligently and sensitively in how we craft and deliver public services, balancing having innovative, joined up services with privacy and ethical considerations. The pandemic has given fresh impetus to digital projects across the public sector, with 90 services stood up across government since March in response to COVID-19. So it is timely that today I can talk to you about the ambitions for the CDDO in 2020/21: the immediate priorities across data, infrastructure and capability, and the longer term ambitions for the CDDO and digital transformation in government.

    True digital transformation can only be achieved with robust, reliable and accessible data. It is a crucial enabler which will make the UK the world-leading digital government we aspire to be. At the heart of this aim is better, more personalised and responsive services for citizens, improving the government’s approach to policy and decision-making, and bringing efficiencies for government, saving taxpayer money.

    By building a truly joined-up and interoperable data ecosystem for government, we will improve the way government collects, uses and shares data. This will benefit citizens and government by providing them with tailored and responsive public services,

    We need to tackle the issues that are stopping us from using data on tap. Data is too often stuck in silos within departments and agencies – there are also other legislative, technical and security blockers which stop us from sharing data. Crucially, there isn’t enough of the right talent and tools in place which means that even when data is made available, we aren’t able to take full advantage of new technologies that could not only help us fix current issues, but predict and more effectively manage future challenges.

    Through the CDDO, we intend to tackle this long-standing issue head on. We will do this by establishing a common data model for government with core data standards, reference data and policies. This will enable easier and ethical sharing of data.

    We are also committed to transforming the way data is collected, managed and used across government. We intend to create a joined up and interoperable data infrastructure.

    We have already made progress in this area as set out in the National Data Strategy published last year. At last year’s Digital Government event, GDS launched plans for a GOV.UK Account, to enable a joined-up, proactive, efficient and personalised public services on GOV.UK. And later this morning, Ash Smith from the GDS Digital Identity team will be speaking about ‘one login for government’ – another step in harnessing the power of data to bring real-life benefits to users using government services. But we know there is still more to do, and CDDO has been established to tackle this.

    CDDO is responsible for delivering the third mission of the National Data Strategy, transforming the government’s use of data to drive efficiency and improve public services. In order to achieve this mission, there are some fundamental areas we need to focus on.

    Firstly, we need to tackle the cultural and legal barriers to good quality data in government. We need to develop a clear understanding of what data is held and where, promote better data collection and efficient data sharing. So engaging with departments is critical – understanding their challenges and where the CDDO might provide immediate, tactical support to remove blockers.

    Secondly, we must look at standards and assurance. We have already made great strides in this area, thanks to the Data Standards Authority, which was set up in April 2020 to improve how the public sector manages data.

    For over a year now, the DSA has been working with experts across the public sector and devolved administrations, the private sector and academia, to identify, improve and help implement data standards that meet user needs and improve interoperability. The standards we have established now make it easier and more effective to share and use data across government.

    An example of setting data standards is the API Catalogue, which collates a list of government APIs to help unblock issues such as reuse and data exchange. To continue the progress in this area, the DSA will continue to focus on setting and driving the adoption of standards for data, so it can lead to greater consistency, integrity and interoperability.

    It will be important to link these data standards to spend controls and form a consensus on government data infrastructure and continuing to prioritise the wide and effective use of data across government through a reliable API ecosystem.

    Thirdly, we will increase our accountability and responsibility for this work through new governance structures, and leveraging spend controls.

    To achieve our ambitions, we of course need the right people in post and for them to be trained and upskilled to face the challenges ahead. This is our fourth area of focus, which I will talk about later about when I go through our plans for capability, leadership and culture.

    And finally, and arguably most critically, we need to take the public on the journey with us, and place ethics and public trust at the core of our delivery.

    We recently refreshed the UK’s Data Ethics Framework, and are now embedding the Framework in various government processes and scoping opportunities for developing and promoting data ethics skills.

    We are also committed to the open data agenda, and through our transparency will retain the trust and confidence of the public.

    In order to make the most of data we need to fix the elephant in the room – legacy IT. Because as long as we continue to rely on outdated systems and technology, we will be unable to fully harness the opportunities of emerging technologies and modern digital solutions.

    This is a problem felt across the public sector. And a core reason the Central Digital and Data Office has been established is to work across government to define the future for HMG’s technology estate and to clarify priorities and roadmaps for dealing with red-rated legacy IT.

    Although a decade of transformation has brought major improvements, approaches to technology across government have not yet been sufficiently modernised, or joined up enough, to support our ambition. Despite departments separately taking steps to transform, single departmental accountability, sub-optimal procurement and varied approaches have allowed siloed and restrictive architectures to develop.

    Too many systems are disconnected, offer poor user experience and are insufficiently responsive to deliver at pace. Teams struggle to collaborate because systems are not interoperable and built on open standards.

    This is not a new issue, and we know much more needs to be done to address it. Over the past year for example cross government working has raised the profile and understanding of legacy leading to the investment of more than £600 million at the last spending review to address critical risks – but this is only one step.

    Addressing legacy remains a key focus. Our next phase of work will build on what we have done so far, further identifying legacy assets and agreeing prioritisation and funding while working with departments to develop roadmaps for addressing risks. Removing legacy IT also achieves value for money by removing excessive costs to support out of date technology.

    Progress has also been made moving to cloud, but generally in a siloed way, with the result that many systems stand on different, disconnected cloud architectures with disparate ways of working, while some departments remain locked in to inefficient legacy data centres.

    In order to work collaboratively there needs to be clarity on what should be done consistently, and what should be allowed to vary, and then managing compliance with the approach. So we will shortly be starting discovery work to understand the most effective way of aligning and assuring technology strategies and roadmaps with careful consideration given to existing cross-government assurance structures and of course all of our past experience.

    We want to ensure that interoperable IT supports improvements to collaborative working across the Civil Service. So we will develop a framework and a blueprint for our office systems that provides a baseline and allows us to monitor progress towards better interoperability. In the future, no new IT systems will be created without consideration of interoperability with other relevant government systems.

    Our vision is for highly capable and interoperable systems, with plug and play technology that allows products and components to be swapped in and out as technologies, legislation and ways of working change and advance. This is vital to meet new challenges and serve different users flexibly, at pace, and in line with changing needs and expectations. For government, it will support more agile ways of working, along with more efficient and better organisational outcomes. For citizens, it will lead to improved services and ensure that the experience when interacting with the government is much more akin to what they are used to from the private sector.

    To achieve this vision we need to continue with the work to integrate agile ways of working across government. Citizens should be involved in the services we’re building for them from the first stages of concept design through to the service going live. Many teams across government are already working along agile lines because it allows them to build and test quickly, iterating their work based on regular feedback from users. It puts users first and means services are much more responsive to the needs of the public, and able to respond quickly to policy changes.

    The CDDO will promote agile ways of working across government, specifically in digital projects and programmes. To do this we want to build capability and equip all civil servants with the digital skills required to lead and run modern organisations. We want to continue the work we’ve been doing with HMT for a number of years to improve the business case process and introduce a common set of KPIs to measure how agile services and teams are performing.

    Using agile puts users first and means services are able to respond quickly to policy changes and the needs of the public.

    Having the right digital skills underpins everything we want to do. So continuing to invest in building more capability within the Digital, Data and Technology Profession is vital. Over 18,000 civil servants work in this profession and we want people to see working in government as a destination of choice for their career. As part of this we’ll be increasing opportunities across the UK through the creation of jobs outside London and investment in apprenticeships and training as we build back better.

    Equally important is looking at career development opportunities and making sure the right incentives are in place to encourage people to pursue engineering and other specialities. Alongside regularly reviewing things like the DDaT pay framework to make sure we remain competitive.

    Finally there is an ambition to make more of our early talent programmes like the DDaT Fast Stream, with potential for university feeder courses and building tech hubs across the country to help seed local technology ecosystems being explored.

    But looking beyond the DDaT Profession, we need digital skills and understanding across all levels of government – we need to bring everyone along on this journey. So improving the digital and data literacy of all civil servants and members of government, particularly senior leaders, is crucial to realising the ambition of having world leading digital services and the next phase of digital transformation. It is central to the effective running of any modern organisation.

    We also need to be able to continually monitor and understand how digital services are being used by citizens, and the benefits they are giving. This is not just so we can constantly iterate and evolve them, but key to ensuring the UK has a world leading digital offer.

    The UK is rightly recognised as a global digital leader, we consistently rank in the top ten worldwide in international digital government rankings. The UK is currently ranked 2nd in the OECD’s Digital Government Index, 7th in the UN’s E-Government Development Index and 1st in the Open Data Barometer.

    But we don’t want to stop there. Our aim now is to build on these achievements and ensure the UK becomes the world’s leading digital government, our citizens deserve nothing less.

    To help achieve this the CDDO are exploring what a cross-government performance framework should look like and how this can be used to track and report progress.

    This framework will include a set of outcome focused metrics to be used consistently across government with a central approach to monitoring and reporting progress.

    We need to move away from building and monitoring in isolation, or in silos, now we must build together.

    So those are our priorities for the first year, but we must also prepare for the pace of transformation to be sustained and continue into the future. It will come as no surprise to hear that the CDDO have been giving a lot of thought around what our longer term goals should be.

    Many services have been improved over the past decade, but all too often it has not been the end-to-end transformation that is now required. CDDO, working with departments and GDS, will explore how services and departments work together to cover major life events and where the join up should be. This ties into wider government ambitions to reduce multiple logins through GOV.UK Accounts.

    Current government funding models are largely designed to support project work within departments. With projects, you generally know exactly what you will build upfront, but Digital, Data and Technology products are often created in an iterative way, so this is a bit of a different approach and requires a different funding approach too. We need to try to bring together ways of funding Digital, Data and Technology that allow for innovation and flexibility across departments, as well as provide enough certainty that government money is being spent in the right ways. The CDDO will be working with HMT to explore options and ways to do this, including agile business case approaches, promotion of cross-department solutions, and outcome based accountability.

    With our new found procurement freedoms from exiting the EU the CDDO, working with the Crown Commercial Service, will strengthen commercial technology skills and create a sourcing playbook to support departments who need to bring in services or specific skills. We’re also keen to hear from departments to understand the appetite for joint procurement.

    We don’t want to just simplify procurement though, we need to develop genuine partnerships with strategic suppliers and ensure the focus is on outcomes and value delivered.

    Thank you for listening and giving me this opportunity to introduce the mission and priorities of the CDDO.

    There is a lot still to do – and with the creation of the CDDO, and all of our commitment and determination, I know we are up for the challenge. There is so much we can achieve by working together, sharing our knowledge, experience and expertise, to shape and deliver digital transformation. And for all of us there could be no greater prize than to improve people’s experience of government, and through that change people’s lives – for good.