Francis Maude says digital team is looking at payments as next function of 'about 30' for development as part of 'government as a platform'
A platform for online payments could be the next step in the Government Digital Service programme to build 'government as a platform', the department's minister Francis Maude has said.
Speaking at the techUK Public Services 2030 conference, Maude said that work has been begun on a common payments platform, as the next step after the creation of gov.uk as a common web publishing platform for central government.
"We're creating an environment where cross-government environments are used by every department and agency," he said. "These new common platforms cut across government, providing a common core infrastructure of digital services, technology and business processes."
Maude said there are likely to be about 30 other platforms for functions such as booking appointments, status tracking, registering activities and issuing licences.
"Government as a platform is all about common building blocks that can be combined in various ways to build services at speed with the minimum of effort and expense," he said. "These new digital and technology platforms are the foundations of our new civic infrastructure."
Four technologies
He also said that the four technology areas highlighted at the conference are those that will be prominent in changing the provision of public services: the internet of things, mobile, data analytics and cloud.
"We're good at these four and they show the potential for great innovation and growth in this country," he said. "We will use whatever of these technologies makes sense for us to drive down costs and drive up efficiencies."
He emphasised mobile in particular, saying in future it will provide most people's primary access to the internet.
Maude was making one of his final public statements in the role, which he has held since 2010, before standing down at the next general election.
Pictured: Francis Maude by Paul Clarke © | paulclarke.com
