20 Who shares wins? Transforming the public services with intelligent information
ic data could rest with a designated department(s) which routinely deals with such information. However, while efficiency gains – for government and for people supplying their details to government – would be large, such a system would create a need for a universal identifier of basic demographic data. A universal identifier could create a security concern, where different sets of records are accurately matched to this identifier across the population. Such an identifier would make it easier to match different types of records to relating to a particular individual. However, it would not become any easier to actually gain access to the separate databases where more sensitive information would continue to be stored. Therefore this security concern may be small (we should remember security is often a human rather than a technical problem, arising through corruption or deception). If the security concern is indeed minimal, the potential efficiencies available may encourage government to pursue one integrated approach to basic demographic data. However, it is certain that we do not need to centralise the storage of more detailed, process-specific information in order to enjoy the benefits of better and more efficient delivery. To do so would create real security and civil liberty concerns. We need an alternative approach for the great majority of sensitive personal information. The cluster approach Communication between existing departments will be crucial to
future efforts to join up services across administrative boundaries. This could be achieved either by a single solution, enabling any part of government to communicate with any other part, or by a series of different solutions enabling communication between specific parts of government. How much more data sharing do we wish to see? To answer this logically, we should ask: what kinds of data sharing can lead to service improvements, and what kind of data sharing can save public services money? Giving public servants access to improved information can lead to greater transactional efficiency and better decision-making – these are both significant service improvements. Second, information is expensive to acquire, store and update. Rationalising the collection, storage and maintenance of infor-
Who shares wins? Transforming the public services with intelligent information 21
mation will free resources from administration and direct them towards delivery. Therefore, service improvements are likely to be available where disparate agencies share responsibility for the successful conclusion of a given case, and cost efficiencies can probably be achieved where different agencies are collecting and processing the same information on a regular basis. We can illustrate this potential for improved delivery and improved efficiency by considering how data sharing between departments could affect the experience of a benefit claimant: Consider someone who has become unemployed, left their hometown and moved to a city to seek work. They will need jobseekers allowance, housing benefits and may be eligible for tax credits on any income they do secure. This person moves around their new city frequently at first. Repeating their life story and completing new forms at each new office of all the above agencies will be frustrating and time consuming. It may also be distressing to constantly review difficult experiences such as becoming unemployed. Delays in these processes will cost the claimant money. This is a serious problem – food and shelter are basic commodities and when they are beyond reach because of administrative delays this is a serious service deficiency. The more often data must be re-entered into the system, the more often forms must be filled in and procedure completed, the greater the risk that service delivery will be compromised. It would be better if this person’s case information were available to public servants as required. Once someone has registered their details for the purpose of receiving benefits, these details should always be available for receiving benefits, as long as that person continues to need such service. If all of these transactional services (HMRC, DWP, local authorities) shared information, the individual would experience a far swifter, more convenient and more reliable process in moving to a new location. This would be a significant benefit to the individual, reducing the burden of interacting with government and freeing more time for finding work and accommodation. Therefore, sharing data between a cluster of departments who all serve a particular individual may significantly improve the service. In addition, this improved efficiency could also translate into large cost savings for government departments