Government moves to improve IT usage

The government is to shape up its use of IT, Cabinet Office minister Ian McCartney announced on Monday. It is keen to improve its handling of major projects, following criticism from the National Audit Office, which accused the government of wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on scrapped projects.

McCartney recommends government ministers take a lead role in overseeing IT projects, calls for independent reviews of high risk projects and requires supplies to produce detailed plans for new ones.

In a statement, McCartney claimed this is just the beginning of a series of plans to improve government usage of IT. "These recommendations have the teeth to make a real difference," he said. "This government will not tolerate failure and will not repeat the mistakes of the past."

The government is working with the Computing Services & Software Association (CSSA) to create a fresh approach to its IT strategy. The findings are due in March.

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