UK e-Envoy to quit next spring

The high-level role would combine tasks performed by the e-Envoy as well as those managed by the head of the Office of Government Commerce, the public sector IT purchasing unit currently overseen by Peter Gershon.

Like Pinder, Gershon's contract will expire next spring, and the creation of a central CIO role would help the government minimise the problems often associated with large scale IT projects.

Local authorities are currently battling a Tony Blair-imposed 2005 deadline to transfer services to the internet, in order to make it easier for the public to buy licences or pay fines.

Pinder's Office is due to be closed next year, following the work done to get public services online, which will be largely complete by then. If the government goes ahead with the creation of a CIO role and subsequently appoints Pinder, he would report directly to the Treasury and Cabinet Office.

A major review of the government's communications policy is underway and any decision regarding the CIO role would probably wait until the end of the year, once the findings of the review are published in full. The interim report can be located at egovmonitor.com.

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