Election '05: Richard Allan on his political time

It is not surprising there are so many high-profile government IT disasters given that the numbers of MPs who actually embrace and understand technology are few and far between. Sadly for Westminster and the wider tech industry, one of those few who does 'get' IT is stepping down at this general election.

After arriving as a Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam in 1997 Richard Allan will not be standing for re-election on 5 May. Silicon.com caught up with Allan in the café under the vast atrium at Portcullis House where he took a break from last minute votes and planning how to fit all the boxes from his MP's office into his car to reflect on his time at Westminster.

Allan's first observation is that MPs' own use, and therefore understanding, of computers has improved.

"When I arrived as an MP in 1997, MPs did not even have computers as standard. They are now issued with computer equipment as standard and it means they have no excuses. Citizens should be able to contact their MP via the medium of their choice," he said.

Labour's track record on e-government and big IT projects is a "mixed bag" that is starting to improve, according to Allan but he says that while the right noises have been made about pushing open source technologies in the public sector little has yet been done beyond a few small scale initiatives.

With the public sector collectively commanding some 50 per cent of overall IT spend in the UK, Allan claims the government can make a real difference in promoting choice and open standards.

"Open source is, I think, a really important area for technology in politics. We face choice in the market. There are some cost issues but it is not just cost. If you want an open document standard then that's the power the government has. We all benefit from open standards and the ability of programmers to innovate. We must have access to open standards," he said.

Allan speaks from a position of some knowledge and authority on the subject, having started his career working in health service IT - and with the £6bn IT programme in the NHS in full swing it is an area he admits he would like to get back into in the future.

But for the time being he will be working as a visiting unpaid academic at the Oxford Internet Institute trying to help build bridges between the policy-makers in government and the academic community.

"Failures are caused on the people side not the technology side. This particularly applies in NHS IT where you are dealing with very difficult client groups such as doctors," he said.

One of Allan's recent obsessions has been putting up opposition to the government's controversial ID card plans, which were shelved after running out of legislative time in the run up to the general election.

Allan's view is that the national identity database - and the kind of queries it would be expected to carry out - are currently far too complex.

"The Bill proposes many-to-many data structures, which are incredibly complex. But I think we did make a difference on ID cards. It was clear there was discomfort on all sides. I think the minister lost heart during the bill," he said.

Few people are likely to be aware of Allan's interest and background in archaeology. In fact the one piece of legislation he proposed that made it onto the statute books was a private members bill to stop people dealing and trading in looted historical artefacts.

One area that he does believe needs urgent legislation is the government's use of personal data.

"We have the data protection act but there isn't a very clear law on rights and responsibilities and I think we will need it. The NHS electronic patient records system, for example - who has right of access? There is lots of uncertainty. The current framework is too convenient for government and I would like government to constrain itself," he said.

Allan has been on many parliamentary committees during his time as an MP, most notably co-chairing the All Party Internet Group. One of the areas APIG has focused on is computer crime, proposing ideas such as IT professionals to work as special constables for police computer crime units.

"This is one area where there is a lag between the pace of government and the pace of the internet. Law enforcement finds it very difficult to keep up. There are big issues around forensic support staff to make sure you can secure evidence. The law enforcement agencies have to gear up on this and government needs to give more priority on that," he said.

It is clear that Allan is going to miss the hustle and bustle of Westminster and he admits that the thing he will miss the most is the gossip and "being on the outside".

He will, however, be continuing his long-running blog Political Times, although he has now renamed it Post-political times.

And we couldn't let him go without asking what his prediction for the general election result will be next Thursday.

"It is unpredictable because there are so many factors that can affect it. But I think Labour's majority will come down a lot," he said.