Cabinet Office Chief Information Officer

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What is the Service Transformation Agreement?

The agreement sets out an ambitious programme of action that will be the foundation for public services that are more personalised to the needs of citizens and businesses. It places this challenge at the centre of government plans for public service delivery.

Sir David Varney, the PM’s adviser on public sector transformation, said: ‘I am delighted that service transformation is such an integral part of the Comprehensive Spending Review and will run across and underpin the whole of the PSA framework. Service Transformation has an important part to play in the way government delivers all of its services, particularly those reflected in the 30 PSAs that are being announced today.’

Developments will include:

• piloting a new ‘Tell Us Once’ service that enables citizens to inform public services just once about changes of circumstances, about birth, bereavement and change of address;
• rationalising the plethora of government websites by closing down the majority and moving their citizen and business content to the Government’s two single access websites, Directgov and Businesslink.gov.uk thereby giving customers access to the information and services they need with greater speed and ease;
• requiring all publicly funded call-centres to undergo formal published accreditation to ensure faster and better services for citizens and businesses;
• reducing avoidable or duplicated contacts with call centres and local offices
• empowering individuals to influence their services, with greater opportunities and direct involvement to influence the way they are designed and delivered;
• improving management of information and identity across the Government’s delivery systems to reduce wasted time and inconvenience for citizens, businesses and frontline workers.

Already the DVLA and DWP are working to merge the application processes for driving licences and NI numbers; DWP, HMRC and some local councils are developing a single transaction approach for Jobcentre Plus, Housing Benefit and Tax Credit; and HMRC and Defra are working on an International Trade Single Window that will let traders or their agents submit all regulatory information in a single message that can then be shared by the relevant government departments.

Ed Miliband, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Andy Burnham, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will hold departments to account for delivery of these commitments.

The newly–created Local Government Delivery Council will co-ordinate local authorities and will be leading on the transformation of services delivered face to face.