Outlining his vision of a ‘Digital Britain’ in a speech earlier this week, Brown revealed plans for MyGov – a personalised web portal for each UK citizen that would give them access to a raft of government services online.

According to the Prime Minister, the government could save £900m (A$1.47bn) a year simply by equipping UK residents who don’t have high-speed internet access with broadband.

Brown said: “We know that for every transaction with a public service that is done online rather than over the telephone we can save around £3.30 in administration and staffing costs. 

“And using the internet rather than filling in paper forms or writing letters can typically save £12 each time.”

However, the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) has warned that a paperless state could also turn out to be a “faceless one” if the government’s plans go ahead.

Andrew Brown, corporate affairs director at the BPIF, said: “Unless the technology is well thought through, people will be disinclined to use it and will resent government efforts to force them to.

“However, at least the government has admitted that its aim is to save money through this initiative, rather than giving us some greenwash about saving the planet. So hopefully we don’t have to remind them that paper comes from a renewable source.”

Read the original article at www.printweek.com.

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