Senior civil servants sceptical about e-government schedule

In March of this year, Tony Blair announced that all basic dealings with the government would be carried out electronically by 2008.

But a survey conducted by Internet Intelligence Bulletin, commissioned by Bull Information Systems, found that 28 per cent of First Division Association (FDA) - the trade union and professional body for Britain's senior public servants members - were not even aware of the target, with nearly half believing that it was unrealistic and unachievable.

Although 38 per cent of the trade union believe the target could be reached, some leading experts think that 2005 would be a more appropriate target.

Peter Deane, industry manager - government at Microsoft, explained that citizens are demanding better services and that the 2008 target is "not aggressive enough" preferring to seethe target date brought forward by several years.

Jonathan Matthews, business consultant at Bull Information Systems, said: "These figures mean there is a gap between the government's policy for electronic government and awareness among civil servants, and indeed, among members of the public about how quickly it has to be done".

When asked whether he thought the plan could be put into place quicker, Matthews said: "Yes, we could do it much more quickly with available technology. The technology is more or less off the shelf but there is a great deal that has to be done with regards to marketing the idea before it really can be implemented properly."

The FDA also believes that problems may arise over shared information because of the Data Protection law.