Confidence In Government Ability To Achieve Uk Online Internet Goals Plummets

Parliamentarians Increasingly Concerned About The Net's Disadvantaged Claims World Internet Forum Survey

A new survey conducted for the World Internet Forum (www.worldinternetforum.com) has found that MPs faith in the Government's ability to meet its internet goals has declined significantly in the last six months. This news follows the launch last week by the Prime Minister of the 1631 billion UK online drive to get all government services online by 2005.

The World Internet Forum is the international summit taking place in London this November 13-15 to help government and business face the realities of the internet. The survey by MORI found only 61 per cent of 101 MPs questioned agreed that the UK Government's goal of having 100 per cent of its services available online by 2005 was achievable. This represents a drop of 13 percentage points since MPs were asked the same question in January.

The divide between the views of the Labour MPs and those of Conservative MPs is marked. At the beginning of the year the figure was 79 per cent for Labour and 63 per cent for Conservatives. These figures have fallen by 25 per cent for Conservatives and by 10 per cent for Labour, in the summer 2000 survey.

The survey also found that 89 per cent of Labour MPs and 72 per cent of Conservative MPs are concerned that citizens who do not have access to the Internet will be at a disadvantage.

One of the main aims of the UK online is to make the UK the best environment in the world for e-commerce. However, when asked their opinion on whether the UK is leading the world in new technology and its adoption of e-commerce, only 41 per cent of Conservative MPs and 60 per cent of Labour MPs felt that that the UK was.

CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT ABILITY TO ACHIEVE INTERNET

The first prong of the campaign will involve getting people online - with the creation of 6,000 UK online centres where anyone can get training in how to use the internet. The second element will focus on getting business online, with 16325m earmarked to help complete the task. The third prong of the campaign centres on getting government online, with 1631bn investment to ensure all government services are online by 2005.

Robert Blaney, chief executive officer of the World Internet Forum, said of UK online: "The World Internet Forum supports wholeheartedly the aims of all governments to provide the best environment for e-commerce to flourish. However, viewing UK online, we can find no explanations as to how these figures are going to be achieved, or indeed how these figures were decided upon at all by the UK Government.

"One of the keys aspects of the World Internet Forum is to develop solutions and targets that can realistically be met by government, business and citizens. Getting online collectively as a nation is crucial and all parties must talk and work in tandem to make sure it happens. This is why the World Internet Forum in November is so important," added Blaney.

Notes to Editors The World Internet Forum is an annual meeting of governments and leading corporations from around the world. They will come together to share best practice and explore future options in the deployment of modern digital technologies to deliver beneficial public and private services to citizens at a global level. The World Internet Forum is taking place from 13-15 November 2000 at the London Hilton Metropole

Technical details

A representative sample of 114 Members of Parliament were interviewed face-to-face by MORI between 8 May and 17 July 2000. The sample comprises 61 Labour, 31 Conservative and 16 Other Opposition. Data are weighted to reflect the profile of the House of Commons.