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The article focuses on the stir created by the Clause 152 of the Coroners and Justice Bill in Great Britain. The clause was heavily debated in parliament, with Conservative and Liberal Democrats united in opposition. It is stated that junior justice minister Michael Wills is determined to re-introduce the legislation in parliament. The original legislation would have given the government powers to share individuals' data between departments currently banned by the Data Protection Act.

A personal narrative is presented that explores the author's experience of investigating into the 229 million pound attempted fraud at Sumitomo Mitsui bank, and how the gang was caught by the very technology they used.

The article offers information on the planning of British Library to archive Great Britain's free access web sites. It emphasizes on the role of internet in common people's life and need of preserving websites and online content. British Library research reveals that website's average life expectancy is between 44 and 75 days and after every six months atleast 10 percent of all sites replace its content. It informs that International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. will help in web archives.

In this article, the author discusses the benefits and disadvantages of Internet. The author examines good and bad sides of anonymity of information available on number of online sites including Wikileaks. It mentions that anonymity is good for retrieving useful information by the common public while the criminals execute online frauds and harm the public cost in billions of pounds. The author suggests that serious thought on the web security should be given to prevent the future risk.

The article reports that a project to co-ordinate and centralise location data in Great Britain will greatly improve the country's response to floods and the impacts of climate change. It is stated that the objective of the project is to deliver a significant change in the management of geographic and spatial data and make it available in one place for the use of government, business and citizens in a model that could be accessed in a similar way to Google Inc.'s Google Maps.

The article reports that the Great Britain Parliament is trialling a new way of publishing proposed legislation on its website. According to authorities, the move will make it easier for the public to understand the impact of new laws. It is stated that the parliamentary web team is looking for feedback from the public and asking for recommendations on how the service could be improved with a view to publishing all bills in this way.

The article offers information on budgetary constraints encountered by information technology (IT) departments in Great Britain. According to a report from the Society of Information Technology Managers (SOCITM), capital spending will decline by 20% in 2010, with IT spending falling by 8% and staff numbers declining by 10%. IT departments are stated to have invested in transformational initiatives including flexible working programmes and business process improvement for cutting cost.

The article discusses how cyberspace is increasingly becoming a geopolitical battleground. Google Inc. has threatened to withdraw its services from China after evidence of attempted hacks on Chinese human rights activists' Gmail accounts. Google is not sure whether attacks were state sponsored but it wants Internet censorship to be stopped. In 2007, attempts were made from Russian computer systems to hack information on critical national infrastructure of Estonia and Georgia.

The article reports that the U.S. government has embarked on a programme to improve the technology skills of professionals in the public sector. The initiative, called the Government IT Profession Strategy, also aims to improve public satisfaction with technology-enabled services and cut costs. Increased professionalism across the IT workforce will result in the delivery of IT projects with a greater rate of success as well as more effective and efficient delivery of IT services.

The article offers information on the UN Climate Change Conference on information technology (IT) and climate change to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark to be held in December 2009.

The article reports that the British government has decided to publish Ordnance Survey mapping information in a free and re-usable form online. The act of getting the information published is a major victory for government transparency campaigners. The map data can be cross-referenced with health, crime and meducation data to help evaluate the effectiveness of public services.

The article reports that all European Union members' information technology (IT) ministers have signed a declaration in Sweden, which commits them to force e-government issues nationally and internationally. The members will conduct studies to find and evaluate, organizational and technical restrictions, which obstruct the development of cross-border e-government services. Swedish minister Mats Odell said that the declaration will make it easier for European citizens to move across borders.

The article discusses the complications surrounding government surveillance plan to monitor electronic communications in Great Britain. The confusion over the progress of plans has arisen for two reasons--one that the government wants to introduce the plans only after the next election and the other is that the government is not sure what it actually wants to do. The Home Office has always insisted it is only interested in data about the details of the communications rather than their content.

The article reports on the advancements in the British government's plan to open up state data online with reference to the launch of a beta version of the web site www.data.gov.uk. With more than 1,000 datasets for developers were set by the Cabinet Office to test the potential for re-using information. According Emer Coleman, head of a project at the Greater London Authority, the project will allow people to make more informed decisions along with transferring costs out of the public sector.

The article focuses on the British Business, Innovation and Skills Committee meeting regarding the rollout of high-speed broadband, held during November 5-11, 2009 in London, England. The attendees argued that the tax proposed in the Digital Britain's report to aid broadband rollout is unnecessary. David Williams, chief executive of Avanti, said that the importance of fibre networks had been over-emphasized in the report.

The article reports that Bristow & Sutor's changes in work patterns by equipping its bailiffs with personal digital assistants (PDAs). Bailiffs would be assigned a number of case files and would be provided with hard copies of maps for the day in the office previously. Bailiffs had to ring the payment through to a processing team at the firm's headquarters while extracting payment from people. But thorugh new PDAs, they can have their cases stored on the devices.

The article focuses on the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority's (Pada) new pension scheme in Great Britain. As project managers with tight budgets look to increase efficiency, a revolutionary approach has been adopted by Pada that could be duplicated across the public sector. According to business delivery director Simon Richards, Pada has decided to co-opt existing systems instead of constructing an IT system from scratch.

The article talks about the new report on farm payment system submitted by the National Audit Office (NAO) of Great Britain. The NAO has asked the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to scrap the faulty farm payments system. NAO has said that the RPA has provided a masterclass in government IT mismanagement. The NAO estimates that the agency made overpayments to the tune of nearly 55 million pounds.

The article reports on the proposed upgradation of electricity grid in Great Britain. A smart grid would allow decentralized energy generation. With a smart meter installed in every home, it would allow information on energy use to be sent across the grid to electricity suppliers. It will give a more accurate view of electricity use nationwide. The system can also become voice activated and electricity appliances can also be operated from outside the house.

The article presents information on various initiatives announced by Great Britain's Conservative Party that would have a significant impact on the nation's technology sector. former chancellor Ken Clarke has said that the Conservatives are formulating policies to plug gaps in the venture capital market, and to provide more apprenticeships and training opportunities. Clarke wants to develop the key areas of high technology manufacturing and the creative industries.

The article reports that new migrant rules highlight the need for f information technology (IT) workers of Great Britain to widen their skill sets. Guy Bailey, senior policy adviser on employment issues at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), says the measures recognise that there are skills shortages, but with so many out of work, the jobs could be filled by British workers first. Some experts predict that this will lead to a decline of as much as 10 percent in the influx of Tier 2 workers.

The article focuses on the increasing use of social media by the government of Great Britain and also discusses the discrepancies linked with this. Great Britain's Home Office has started putting state information online whereas appointment of Tim Berners-Lee to initiate opening-up of government data infers more progress. Chris Head of Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) says that councils should take conservative approach on use of social media because of threats to security.

The article focuses on the solution being acquired by health service IT leaders in Great Britain to shortcomings in the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) of Great Britain National Health Service (NHS). According to David Bowen, programme manager at the children's hospital Great Ormond Street, the hospital has looked to introduce non-health-specific IT systems that would centre care around patient participation.

The article presents comments on the Directgov project of Great Britain. Chief technology officer David Matthewman says that the premise of Directgov is to make a single portal that citizens use to learn about public services and carry out every transaction they need with the state, regardless of the complications behind the scenes. Directgov hits rose from 11 million in January 2009 to 18 million in March 2009 after the transfer of Jobcentre Plus services to the website.

In this article, the author discusses the Internet and the need to use the technology for the betterment of mankind. He states that the Internet offers scope for improved communication and has clearly revolutionised the world of commerce, news and creative media. He also informs that the Internet offers unparalleled opportunities for fraud. He argues that Internet is a tool for good as well as bad, but restricting the tool one way or the other will not solve the problem.

The article focuses on the 750 million e-Borders program of the government of Great Britain. Charter airlines, ferry operators and Eurostar believe that this program will add cost and inconvenience to journeys, and could put them in breach of the European law. The concept of the project allows Great Britain to push its border controls further out to the point of passenger embarkation. INSET: New technology at forefront of border security strategy.

The article reports on the debates in Great Britain House of Commons over National Identity Scheme after the Conservatives proposed a motion for the government to abandon the scheme. According to the latest cost estimates, ending the scheme will save 1.3 billion pound at most. Some experts point out that the debate on identification (ID) cards is academic and recent polls suggest that the Conservatives are favourites to win the election next year and they have promised to terminate the scheme.

The article presents information about issues related to the £12.7bn NHS National Programme for information technology (IT). The first Gateway review of the programme in October, 2002 found support for the idea of electronic patient records across Great Britain National Health Service (NHS), but there were concerns about the method of implementation. The Gateway 2.5 review reflected the concerns about the cultural changes required to adapt to the programme.

The article reports that Transport for London (TfL) will complete an information technology restructure by September 2009. Phil Pavitt, outgoing chief information officer, said that congestion charge and oyster travel card systems could be operated internally now. When Pavitt took over at TfL, he inherited a number of disparate legacy systems, with the underground and bus IT systems entirely separated.

The article reports that a plan to launch an intelligent transport systems (ITS) across Europe has been suspended due to the debate over the best way to co-ordinate adoption. The Department for Transport (DfT) in Great Britain is a leader in ITS. It has worked with 60 local authorities to help them introduce urban traffic management and control systems that use GPS technology and cameras to evaluate flows of traffic.

The article reports that a revised version of an information technology (IT) application to monitor offenders as they move through the criminal justice system has been launched in three prisons in Great Britain. The project will be started in four more prisons by the end of June 2009, which is two years behind its schedule. The project called Prison Nomis, was conceived in 2004 to provide a single database of offenders for the prison and probation services to replace a number of legacy systems.

The article highlights how information technology (IT) can help some serious inefficiencies in the criminal justice system in Great Britain. It discusses the trial of Dano Sonnex and Nigel Farmer, who were convicted recently for the murder of two French students at a time when Sonnex should have been in custody. Other incidents related to the case also highlighted a lack of information. The criminal justice system is stated to have evolved in a pattern in which there are very little IT systems.

The article discusses the findings of a survey on the impact of recession on IT-related business activities, conducted by recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash. According to the survey, the recession has changed the way that businesses think about IT with only 6% of CIOs saying they had not changed any of their activities. The survey found that being communicative with staff and the board, and being transparent in strategy were all considered to be vital tools for a CIO running an IT department.

The article reports that an initiative of the government of Great Britain that requires information technology (IT) suppliers bidding for public sector contracts could exclude small firms. Skills secretary John Denham said that all IT firms will be expected to train employees to a certain level before winning government contracts as part of a drive to bridge the IT skills gap in Great Britain.

The article reports that even after two years of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) disposal rules coming into force, Great Britain trails the rest of Western Europe. A research by supplier Dell Computer Corp. found that 13 percent of British consumers do not recycle electrical goods at all, more than four times the figure in Germany. Jean Cox-Kearns, European recycling and take-back manager at Dell says that Great Britain has always been behind on this issue.

The article reports that Richard Thomas, the outgoing Information Commissioner of the Information Commissioner's Office of Great Britain calls for an overhaul of European data protection rules. Richard Thomas called for the European Union (EU) data protection directive to be updated for the 21st century. Thomas has commissioned the think-tank Rand to review European data protection law. Its findings reveal that he current law has a number of shortcomings that need to be addressed urgently.

The article discusses the partnership of information technology (IT) service firm Electronic Data Ssystems Corp. (EDS) with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of Great Britain. For the past three decades DWP has partnered with EDS to deliver the technology to support and improve its operations. The supplier is responsible for running all the DWP's systems except communications. Mark Manser, the new vice president at EDS for DWP is positive about the contract situation with the agency.

The article announces that Christopher Graham has been appointed as the head of the Great Britain Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

The article reports that the British government has outlined its preferred model for a national rollout of smart energy meters, which it wants to installed in every home by 2020. The government has launched a new consultation on smart meters highlighting the preferred rollout option as the central communications model. The model has been welcomed by energy suppliers as they don't have to invest in expensive communications infrastructure needed to handle large amounts of data from devices.

The article focuses on the plans of the British government to accept some of the key proposals made by the Power of Information Review, which aims to open up public sector information to businesses and individuals and improve the government's engagement with citizens online. Minister for digital engagement Tom Watson, informed about the plans at a conference recently. The most significant step was the decision to ease the restrictions on the use of Crown Copyright material.

The article presents information on the Rose Review of primary school education in Great Britain. According to the report, although information technology (IT) is to take a new role at the heart of the curriculum alongside literacy and numeracy, it will be used as a tool in a number of difference subjects just as the other two more traditional core skills are. It is stated the approach will promote the learning of literacy, numeracy and IT throughout the curriculum.

The article reports that contractor Fujitsu Services has announced that about 50 percent of user terminals for the delayed armed forces communications network of Great Britain have now been installed. It is said that more than 140,000 terminals across 2,000 sites worldwide will be eventually provided by the £7.1bn Defence Information Infrastructure (DII). By the end of 2010, the final batch of 40,000 terminals will be rolled out.

The article offers information on a lawsuit filed by Alain Job against Halifax alleging breach of the bank's chip-and-personal identification number (PIN) security commitment. Job claims that a fraudster withdrew £2,100 from his account at cash machines. He says that his card was not stolen and he has not changed his PIN. However, the bank claimed that its chip-and-PIN system is secure and refused to refund the money.

The article analyzes how the recently presented Great Britain budget will help its economy to recover by cutting public spending or making more money for businesses. Martin Read, head of the information technology (IT) section of the Operational Efficiency Review (OER), said that the British government spend on IT could be anywhere between £12.5bn and £18.5bn. OER says that devolution of delivery can provide greater responsiveness in the provision of services.

The article reports that the British government has agreed to sign up to the Public Sector Flex desktop information technology (IT) shared services scheme of Fujitsu Ltd. It states that four departments including the Cabinet Office, the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service and the Office of National Statistics have signed up the deal. It mentions that the Flex offers the option of sharing desktop hardware, software and services between departments for public sector organisations.

The article offers information on the initiatives taken to tackle e-crime in Great Britain. In summer 2009, the National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC) will go live, to record all instances of electronic and non-electronic fraud so the authorities can build a picture of how serious a problem they are facing. As reported, the Police Central E-crime Unit (PCeU) at London, England's Metropolitan Police, is now effectively up and running.

The article offers information on the British Army's information technology (IT) infrastructure, called the Unicom system. The responsibility of Unicom system is that of handling unit stores and equipment management, and making sure army personnel have enough bullets, ration packs and clothing when and where they need them. Recently, an upgrade of Unicom, worth £2m, was completed on time and on budget, and is projected to save the army more than £3m by 2011.

The article presents information on the Government Connect programme of the Scotland Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The Government Connect programme aims to extend the Whitehall in London, England secure communications architecture to local authorities. DWP said that 210 out of 410 councils were compliant with the code of connection for Government Connect in time for the March 31, 2009 deadline.

The article focuses on the security issues of the Scotland Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Freedom of information requests reveal the DWP was guilty of the same security breaches it warned others about. DWP's Customer Information System (CIS) database makes 92 million tax and benefit records available to 80,000 DWP employees, 60,000 workers from other government departments, and staff from 445 local authorities.

The article presents information on the Information Systems Improvement Strategy (ISIS) scheme introduced by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). The scheme aims to develop interoperable information technology (IT) systems in all 43 police constabularies in England and Wales to help with the sharing of information between forces. According to the scheme, proposals to mandate police forces to buy compatible IT systems will only be used as a last resort.