Email an official
6 January 2003

Whitehall is about to start work on a secure email system available 
to 60m users  

The Office of the e-Envoy (OeE) is planning to offer secure email 
services to the public, it told Government Computing News on 6 January 
2003. Officials are aiming to extend the Government Gateway, the UK's 
central hub for e-government, to cope with the new system in work 
expected to cost u20m.  

In a tender notice sent out to suppliers at the end of December 2002, 
the OeE said that opotentiallyoe all parts of the public sector would 
be linked to the system.  

According to the OeE, the system would have to cope with much 
demand with up to 60m users expected and "unpredictable" take 
up levels.  

It will also have to be flexible allowing for "free text communications", 
varying sizes of attachments, a range of official forms, and different 
types of secure communication across government.  

One area likely to make use of the email system is the Inland Revenue. 
According to a spokesperson from the e-envoy's office, one possibility 
is that the Revenue could send new tax codes through the Gateway email 
system.  

"New tax code information could be sent to a secure mailbox, providing 
a secure method for access. Instead of going directly to the Inland 
Revenue you would go through the middle," the spokesperson said.  

Suppliers have been asked to respond to the tender notice by the end 
of January 2003.  


Source: Kable's Government Computing  Publication date: 06/01/2003 12:55:18 PM

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http://www.kablenet.com/kd.nsf/Frontpage/
E2A393131DC6A17580256CA600468158?OpenDocument


Cheers, Steve..

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