Digitisation and Public Services

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:37 pm on 22 May 2018.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 1:37, 22 May 2018

I agree, and it's an issue I know the Member has raised with me privately: how do we look at digitisation as a way of improving public service performance? He's given an example there, which he's given to me before, and it's hugely important the recruitment process is speeded up. The question is, then, how do we do it. Well, there are a number of recent or current reviews that cover aspects of digitisation—the parliamentary review on health looked at it, for example, in the field of health; the Reid review, in terms of innovation; and the Bowen review in terms of the workforce. Now, within health, 'Informed Health and Care' sets out the vision for the delivery of digital services to support health and social care services and policies. The parliamentary review made a specific recommendation on digital services, which will be taken up within the transformation plan, which is part of a paper that will be considered by Cabinet. And of course, we have in Julie James a Cabinet Secretary who is taking forward the digitisation agenda. What I want to avoid is for digitisation to be taken forward in different compartments rather than taken forward as an opportunity across Government.