WIREDGOV

Minister for Implementation Oliver Dowden sets out plans for how new technologies like AI can revolutionise public services.

In a speech at the start of London Tech Week, the Minister launched a new guide to help government embrace AI and an online marketplace to support tech start-ups sell to the public sector.  These measures accompany a new Technology Innovation Strategy, setting out the government’s approach to enabling widespread adoption of new technologies across the public sector.

The new AI Guide will be used across government to help departments implement new opportunities for AI, such as how to make cancer diagnosis more reliable and reduce fraud, in an ethical & safe way.  The guide also brings together, for the first time, research on how artificial intelligence is already being used by the public sector to save money and improve services.

Examples include:

• The DVSA making roads safer and cracking down on rogue garages, by using AI to look through records of the 40m MOT tests carried out across the UK every year to identify where standards are not being measured properly.
• The MoJ targeting safety risks in prisons, by using AI to analyse thousands of pages of inspection reports and identify common issues.
• DIFD using AI to analyse satellite images, so that they can estimate populations and better target aid.

Tech start-ups will also see a boost to their ability to win government contracts through the launch of Spark, a new online marketplace that provides a route into the public sector for companies offering innovative technologies.

Details of the AI Guide can be found here.

• This sets out guidance for public sector organisations on how to assess if using AI will help meet user needs; how to make best use of AI; and how to implement AI ethically, fairly and safely
• The AI guide was produced alongside the AI Review which was announced at Budget 2018 and led by the Government Digital Service and Office for AI.

Read the Innovation Strategy here.

• This includes plans for building a better pipeline of tech talent in government by doubling the number of technology apprenticeships, improving data sharing to help solve problems such as fraud & serious violence, and addressing problems caused by out-dated computer systems.

More details on Spark here.

Government review confirms local authorities will continue to commission public health services.

The review, conducted by the DHSC, recommends that the NHS work much more closely with local authorities on public health so that commissioning is more joined-up and prevention is embedded into a wider range of health services.

Speaking at the 2019 Jephcott Lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine on Thursday 6 June, Health & Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that the departmental review found that local authorities take an active & efficient approach to commissioning services. He also praised local councils for their work in commissioning public health services and confirmed they will continue to lead on this important work.

’Homes & green businesses generating renewable and low-carbon electricity to be guaranteed money for power supplied to the grid.

New solar homes and businesses creating & exporting electricity to the grid will be guaranteed a payment from suppliers under new laws to be introduced by the government last week.  The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) will ensure small-scale electricity generators installing solar, wind or other forms of renewable generation with a capacity up to 5MW will be paid for each unit of electricity they sell to the grid - tracked by their smart meter.

Residential solar panels are now over 50% cheaper than in 2011.  SEG will build on the previous government subsidy scheme, which drove the installations of 850,000 small-scale renewable projects, but without passing on the cost to consumers.

Encouraging suppliers to competitively bid for electricity will give households the best market price for their energy, while providing the local grid with more clean, green energy, as the UK bids to become a net zero emissions economy.

SEG will place a legal obligation on energy suppliers with over 150,000 customers – covering more than 90% of the retail market - to introduce export tariffs by 1 January 2020.  Some energy suppliers, including Octopus and Bulb, are already offering new smart tariffs, with some exceeding those offered under the previous subsidy scheme.  At peak, solar has provided more than a quarter of the UK’s energy demands.

The government is keen to support households & businesses in being able to store energy in batteries in their homes, which consumers will monitor on their smart meters, respond to price signals and choose the most economical times to charge their electric cars and sell their electricity back to the grid.  In turn, this will help cut consumer bills, reduce the strain on energy networks, and give consumers more control of their energy use.

The PM has announced that the UK will eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050.  The statutory instrument to implement this has been laid in Parliament. This will amend the Climate Change Act 2008.

The UK already leads the world in tackling climate change and Government commissioned this advice in October 2018 having recognised the need to go even further to limit its effects.  In its report, the Committee on Climate Change forecast significant benefits to public health & savings to the NHS from better air quality and less noise pollution, as well as improved biodiversity.

Charity Commission publishes critical report on Oxfam GB, finding that aspects of the charity’s past record on safeguarding amount to mismanagement, and takes regulatory action.

Charities are being warned that no charity is more important than the people it serves or the mission it pursues, and that all are judged on their actions, not their words.

It comes as the regulator publishes a critical report on Oxfam GB, and finds that the charity repeatedly fell below standards expected, had a culture of tolerating poor behaviour, and concludes that it failed to meet promises made on safeguarding, ultimately letting everyone down.

Four items relevant to the current political scene.

First: Nothing to fear, but fear itself – Briefings for Brexit have published a report first published by Labour Leave in May 2019.  It outlines the case for ‘No Deal’ and describes all of the major preparations already undertaken.  In the Assessment of the “No Comprehensive Deal” option, it demolishes (one by one) all of ‘Project Fears’ claims that the UK economy will collapse while we starve to death, or die for the want of some medicine.

B4B:  It Makes No Sense To Throw Away Your Strongest Card

Second: Briefings for Brexit have published an item - Should the prorogation of parliament be a possible course of action for a government?

While some (mostly ‘Remainer’) politicians ‘huff & puff’ over this supposed constitutional ‘outrage, a leading constitutional historian looks here at the facts behind the hysteria, including a constitutional ‘rule’ that could frustrate a vote of ‘No Confidence’ leading to a General Election before 31 October 2019.

Editorial Note:  Remember it was Speaker John Bercow that started ‘bending’ the rules first in favour of ‘Remainers’!

B4B:  Prorogation:  The Historical Case for Constitutional Innovation 

Third:  We note that the EC is so confident that we will ‘surrender’ that it;  … has taken swift action to implement the EU contingency Regulations. The Commission and Member States have worked together to collect information in the appropriate format so that authorisation requests by EU vessels to access UK waters can be handled as soon as the contingency Regulation on fishing authorisations becomes applicable.

‘No-deal' Brexit: EC takes stock of preparations ahead of the June European Council (Article 50)

Editorial Commentary; Foretaste of the EC’s concept of a ‘Fair Trade Deal’?

Fourth:  For those members of the Labour party and Liberal Democrats currently ‘demanding’ a right to vote in the election of the next leader of the Conservative Party, could they please inform the public where the publics’ voting papers for their leader elections went too!  Perhaps the reason why Conservative Party members were excluded was Labour & the LibDems claim that there leader would never become PM so there was no need for an ‘all comers’ vote.