E-envoy predicts the end of his own job...

The UK government's e-Envoy, Andrew Pinder, has said he does not believe his post will continue in its existing form beyond 2005, as the main tasks of e-government switch from external evangelism to internal process re-engineering.

In an interview with E-Government Bulletin, he said: "I can't see [the post of e-Envoy] lasting in its existing form for more than the next year or two, but some of the functions that we carry out will either go back to individual departments or will need carrying on in government.

"The emphasis of the job is changing from campaigning to get everyone onto the internet to a much more targeted role, focusing on digital divide issues [and] on helping to modernise the public sector. And how you carry out that role probably doesn't look like an e-Envoy any more."

Pinder said that in his original interview for the e-Envoy post he had ended by saying he wanted to be the last e-Envoy the government needed, because by the time his contract expired in 2004, much of the work of his office would be complete, or ready to re-enter the government mainstream.

"When I arrived, everyone was focusing on the 2005 target to get all services online. I think there's much more focus now on what can we do to help government departments do the process re-engineering which people in other sectors have done... to help people use common systems, reuse software and make increasing use of standards."

On the government's recent policy shift away from simply moving all services online by 2005 to a combined focus on moving services online and boosting take-up, he said: "Everyone seems to think we're backing off this target, when I actually think we're strengthening [it].

"What matters more than anything else is that people use the services that are there. And if that means that we put the biggest effort into making the services attractive, and out of the end of all this fall a few minor services... like applying electronically for burial at sea, or for permission to spray insecticide on motorway verges, I would rather the effort went into making sure tax returns are easy to do online."

An acceptable level of minor services which do not make it online by 2005 would be "two or three per cent", he said.

E-Government Bulletin's first 100-page annual review of the past, present and future for successful e-government services, 'E-Government Outlook 2003-04', is due to be published on 20 May, priced at £245 for public sector and £295 for private sector bodies. For more information about its contents, and a pre-order discount offer of £50, email books@headstar.com.