It is intensly irritating to have to keep supplying the same information to numerous government departments. A prime example is that the DWP and the Inland Revenue do not talk to each other. Why do people have to apply for benefits and provide proof or earnings when the tax office already have this information.

My biggest gripe is that people who have internet access have to visit the job centre to sign on. Why can they not have a job seeker account where they can record all the jobs they apply for? This would free up DWP staff to work with those who are just not making the effort. This system could be linked in with existing job search websites so as people make job applications they could also register it on their job seeker account. This would particularly benefit people who have a small occupational pension and are really only required to sign on to cover their NI payments. Given that travel to a Job Centre on public transport can cost in excess of £5 this would be a positive for the claiment as well as the government.

I personally would like to see all government services available via the Internet. The call centres are impersonal and often the advisor simply refers you to another number because they don’t know the answer.

Maybe the answer is to look at giving business better tax breaks for taking on trainees and sponsoring their vocational/professional qualifications.

At present taking IT certifications is an expensive business and I feel something should be done to try and lower that cost for individuals who wish to qualify. For example if someone wants to become an IT system tester they would be expected to have an ISEB Certification in Soiftware testing. This can cost in excess of £1000 as you are required to take an authorised training course beforehand. This certification would make a person more employable than an academic qualification. Unlike degrees, the student has to find this money up front and indeed would probably also take other certifications to complement the software testing qualification.

Current Lib Dem Policy is clear on this – I proposed an emergency motion on these issues in the spring, which says:

‘Conference supports … the principle of net neutrality, through which all content, sites and platforms are treated equally by user access networks participating in the Internet’

While the IT Policy Group hasn’t reported yet, so I can’t comment on exactly what it will say, I’m personally opposed to loss of net neutrality and signed a recent Early Day Motion to in the House of Comments to this effect:

INTERNET NEUTRALITY PRINCIPLE17.11.2010

That this House expresses its concern at the recent comments made by the Minister for Communications and Creative Industries that internet service providers should be allowed to abandon the principle of internet neutrality and prioritise users’ access to certain content providers; notes that Open Internet has delivered competition, innovation and unlimited access to new services; further notes that Open Internet has played a pivotal role in enhancing democratic participation and freedom of expression; believes that abandoning the principle of internet neutrality will stifle online innovation and lead to websites paying internet service providers to ensure their content gets priority; does not believe that mere transparency is likely to lead to protection of customers and citizens from harm, especially as ISPs seeks to lock their customers into long-term bundled service agreements with telephones, televisions, mobile telephones and internet; and calls on the Government to act against internet service providers who may seek to restrict customers’ internet access for market advantage through minimum service guarantees.

Best wishes,

Julian Huppert
Chair, Liberal Democrats IT Policy Working Group

As someone living outside the UK, but as a UK citizen I have to say I find the latest reports of your coalition abandoning yet another lib dem policy saddening.

You do realize that it is entirely possible several websites which exist today would not have been possible based on a two-tier system. For example Youtube. Probably even Wikipedia, which is entirely run on donations, and it is possible that we will only see content that ISP’s allow us to see.

I also take it that you consider the words of Vint Cerf and our own great Sir Tim Berners Lee to be mute. Being the fathers of the modern day Internet I guess does not qualify you versus big business these days.

The Internet is one of the world greatest levelers here in Uganda people have little money, but they do have access to information if they can afford it, and I have with my own eyes seen how this has changed and improved the lives of thousands.

By ending net neutrality you also end up probably with these people not being able to see 1st class content and only 3rd! Is this really a Liberal Democrat principle? I get that times are tough and money has to be found, last time I checked Telco’s were not doing to badly, and with the round of 4G licensing about to happen neither will the gov.

Please, please please shelf this. If the US can stand up to this why can’t we?

Yours Sincerely

Simon Vass
British Citizen living abroad.

with so many departments and needs what would be the best method to ensure healthy use and development of open source across many government departments?

I’ll also upload any interesting articles that people send me.