The launch of UK Online Citizen Portal marks a milestone in the development of e-government. The site, which is being developed by BT Stepchange and BT Syntegra, will play a crucial role in the aim of getting all government services on line by 2005. The portal will be a one stop shop with a powerful search engine giving access eventually to 1000 official websites In time the portal will transform the relationship between Government and citizens by turning public services inside out. 

The Government’s pre-emptive strike, in warning of pressures ahead for the NHS this winter, have been broadly welcomed by health professionals.The NHS Winter plan details extra capacity the NHS has achieved thanks to more money from this year’s Budget, which will provide six thousand extra nurses and 445 more critical care beds.