from Telegraph 31 Mar 2009 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5072701/Jacqui-Smith-under-pressure-over-husbands-adult-film-expense-claims.html)
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, faces serious questions over her political future following the humiliating admission that she claimed taxpayer-funded allowances for the cost of watching pornographic films at her family home.
In a significant blow to her authority as one of the Cabinet's most senior ministers, Miss Smith was forced to apologise for submitting a £10 bill for two adult movies enjoyed by her husband, Richard Timney, while she was away in London.
Mr Timney, who works as her Parliamentary assistant, also made a humiliating public apology for the "embarrassment" he had caused his wife and pledged to pay back the money, although he failed to say sorry directly to the taxpayer.
The episode has left Miss Smith fighting to salvage her credibility and her future political career, but it also threatened to further undermine Gordon Brown's Government which has been blighted by a series of expenses controversies in recent weeks.
In further examples, a backbench Labour MP was disclosed to have claimed £300,000 in Parliamentary expenses by registering a seaside caravan as his main home, while a Labour MP couple have built up a £250,000 nest egg courtesy of the taxpayer-funded second home allowance.
The wave of sleaze allegations provoked comparisons with the "back to basics" scandals which dogged the dying days of Sir John Major's administration.
A new opinion poll for The Daily Telegraph shows how the public's faith in MPs has been significantly eroded by the expenses scandals.
A significant majority of those questioned said that they were convinced that hundreds of MPs were abusing the system, that the system itself was too generous and should be scrapped or reduced and that they trusted MPs less as a result.
It is Miss Smith's position however, which is now under most scrutiny following the disclosure that her Commons expenses had been used to pay for the cost of watching adult films.
Miss Smith's marriage was also said by friends to be in jeopardy as a result of the row, such is her anger with her husband for having submitted the claim.
Her public humiliation comes at a time when she is already under investigation by the Parliamentary watchdog for claiming the share in the house she rents from her sister as her "main residence."
The arrangement allows her to put the cost of running the family home in her constituency of Redditch, Worcestershire, on the public purse, on top of her £141,866-a-year salary.
Ironically, the Home Secretary's unusual set-up is the reason that her husband's paying for two pornographic films came to public attention on Sunday. By registering the family house as her second home, she is able to claim back most household expenses on that address.
As her Parliamentary assistant, her husband regularly compiles the claims put in by Miss Smith under the Commons' Additional Costs Allowance (ACA). He was said to have "accidentally" submitted the television bill which included adult films along with a receipt for their internet connection.
According to the Sunday Express, which obtained a leaked copy of Miss Smith's ACA claims, the couple was also reimbursed for two other films and items totalling thousands of pounds including televisions, washing machines, a kitchen sink and even an 88p plug.
Under the rules, Miss Smith is required to confirm that all expenses refer to costs accrued in the course of her work as an MP. She apologised for the claims, and promised to repay the taxpayer.
Expressing his own regret about the embarrassment he had caused to his wife, Mr Timney appeared on the steps of the family home and said: "I am really sorry for any embarrassment I have caused Jacqui. I can fully understand why people might be angry and offended by this. "Quite obviously a claim should never have been made for these films, and as you know that money is being paid back."
The episode is particularly embarrassing for Miss Smith as last November, she publicly criticised men who pay for sexual entertainment as she announced plans for crackdown on lapdancing clubs by making it harder for them to obtain licences.
The films were viewed at 11.18pm on April 1 and 11.19pm on April 6, while Miss Smith was staying in London. On the evenings in question, Television X, one of nine adult channels available under the terms of their Virgin Media cable television contract, was screening features called "Raw Meat 3" and "By Special Request".
Miss Smith is said to be "furious" at her husband's behaviour, with friends suggesting that the couple's marriage may now be in trouble as a result.
They have two young sons and the relationship was already thought to be under strain due to the amount of time she spends in London while Mr Timney looks after the children in Redditch.
Gordon Brown is understood to have been surprised by the revelations but supportive, ordering Downing Street to throw protective shield around the minister. A No 10 spokesman said: ``She is doing a great job as Home Secretary and will not let this issue detract from her determination to ensure we protect the public and make our neighbourhoods safer.''
But the Home Secretary's authority appeared severely undermined, with fellow MPs openly questioning whether she would be able to remain in her job.
Angus Robertson, the Scottish National Party's leader at Westminster, said: "These are serious allegations and only add to the impression that Labour is becoming engulfed in expenses sleaze.
"The ongoing allegations of expenses irregularities left the Home Secretary's credibility in tatters and present real questions over her future as a senior minister.''
David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, added that Miss Smith's poor performance as Home Secretary had already raised doubts about her survival.
He said: "My first response was under what category would this expense claim be?
"I don't call for people to go unless I think there is absolutely a smoking gun but I just do think on this circumstance the sympathy for her will be even less than it otherwise would have been because she is not that good at her job."
Lembit Opik, the Liberal Democrat MP, said that Miss Smith had been left "compromised," adding: "This is immensely embarrassing for Jacqui on a personal and domestic level.
"I haven't got any particular issue about what they watch in their own time, I do have an issue about the fact that he has compromised her.''
Even if she survives the immediate furore, angry voters in Redditch, the most marginal seat in the Cabinet with a majority of less than 3,000, suggested that she would be unlikely to be returned at the next election.
The YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph shows that the public is fast losing patience with MPs over the succession of expenses scandals.
Nearly half of those questioned said that they thought that the £24,000 second home allowance was "wrong in principle and should be scrapped altogether," with another 32 per cent backing a reduction in the maximum payment.
Asked to say how many of the UK's 646 MPs were guilty of "gross abuse" of the system, 55 per cent said more than 200, including 13 per cent who said that they doubted more than 600.
Even Miss Smith's Cabinet colleagues admitted that the latest revelations meant that reform was now unavoidable.
Sir Alistair Graham, the former Standards Commissioner, said the latest scandal revived memories of the last Conservative administration, adding: "It was so damaging and lead to the downfall of the John Major government."
YouGov questioned 2,104 adults on March 24 to 26.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Friday, 13 March 2009
UK's first government-backed national Open Source project launched
From SourceWire 12 March 2009 http://www.sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=46264
Schools Minister Jim Knight has officially launched the first nationwide Open Source project, the National Digital Resource Bank (NDRB). The new platform will benefit all UK schools that have invested in technologies for putting lessons, coursework and homework online but do not have the digital content to fill them.
The NDRB is based upon Agrega, a content repository technology funded by the Spanish government and released under the EUPL, the 'European Union Public Licence'.
From day one, £30m worth of Creative Commons licensed publicly-funded content will be available through the NDRB, which will grow rapidly as further content is contributed.
The announcement comes after increasing cross-party political support for the greater use of Open Source software and open standards in public sector IT procurement.
The nature of the NDRB project means that taxpayers money will be used in the most efficient way as, once created, content is shared across UK schools.
The NDRB is an example of best practice in inter-governmental collaboration and shows how the European public sector can benefit from the Open Source development and cost-sharing model.
The new platform will be managed by the North West Learning Grid and technical support will be provided by Sirius, the UK's only OGC and Becta accredited Open Source supplier.
Jim Knight, Schools Minister said: “A partnership with the Spanish Telecommunications and Information Society has been signed ... to develop a National Digital Resource Bank, to create, search for, and share digital content. The UK is renowned for excellence in ICT infrastructure, development of Digital Resources, and willingness to work with other countries and has combined these three elements in this landmark project.”
Gary Clawson, CEO at the North West Learning Grid said: “The National Digital Resource Bank is the missing link in UK Digital Resource Strategy. We have a great infrastructure, we have lots of media rich resources and we have implemented Learning Platforms in every schools. But despite this, schools have been unable to share resources with other schools because of different technical solutions implemented across different Local Authorities.”
Mark Taylor, CEO, Sirius Corporation said: “The National Digital Resource Bank is a visionary national project, and the first to rely entirely on Open Source, Open Standards and Open Content. It shows how these technologies can be used in the Public Sector to reduce the risks associated with national IT projects whilst massively reducing their costs.”
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
*About National Digital Resource Bank*
The National Digital Resource Bank (NDRB) is a bank of resources that are available, under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license, that have been mapped and tagged and made suitable for use with learning platforms. The bank of resources is available free to any local authority wishing to become a member of the scheme and willing to contribute their own publicly funded resources. Resources range from, tutorials, activities and interactive games covering entire courses to individual photographs, audio clips and worksheets.
The cost of developing and maintaining NDRB is estimated to be less than £400,000 per annum which represents less than a quarter of a percent of current annual ICT investment in schools.
The technology behind the National Digital Resource Bank is 'Agrega', a multi-million Euro open source development funded by the Spanish government. The software is licensed under the General Public Licence version 2 (GPL2). For information about open source licences visit www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
*About North West Learning Grid*
North West Learning Grid is a consortium of eighteen Local Authorities and more than 2,000 schools, working in partnership to improve the process and management of learning using the latest information and communication technologies. Central to its activities is the provision of e-learning content, much of which is free to access to all schools and their learners. As a National Education Network provider, North West Learning Grid also maintains broadband connectivity between its 18 member authorities and the National Backbone provided by JANET(UK). For more information visit www.nwlg.org or call Gary Clawson on +44 7799 374 075.
*About Sirius Corporation plc*
Sirius Corporation plc is a leading European IT services group specialising in enterprise-class Open Source infrastructure solutions including databases, email systems, file & print, directory services, and cross-platform authentication. The company is the only Becta-accredited provider of open source software and services to schools in the UK. For more information visit www.siriusit.co.uk or call Tom Callway on +44 870 608 0063.
This press release was distributed via SourceWire, a service from Daryl Willcox Publishing, on behalf of Sirius. For more information visit http://www.dwpub.com/pressreleasewires
Schools Minister Jim Knight has officially launched the first nationwide Open Source project, the National Digital Resource Bank (NDRB). The new platform will benefit all UK schools that have invested in technologies for putting lessons, coursework and homework online but do not have the digital content to fill them.
The NDRB is based upon Agrega, a content repository technology funded by the Spanish government and released under the EUPL, the 'European Union Public Licence'.
From day one, £30m worth of Creative Commons licensed publicly-funded content will be available through the NDRB, which will grow rapidly as further content is contributed.
The announcement comes after increasing cross-party political support for the greater use of Open Source software and open standards in public sector IT procurement.
The nature of the NDRB project means that taxpayers money will be used in the most efficient way as, once created, content is shared across UK schools.
The NDRB is an example of best practice in inter-governmental collaboration and shows how the European public sector can benefit from the Open Source development and cost-sharing model.
The new platform will be managed by the North West Learning Grid and technical support will be provided by Sirius, the UK's only OGC and Becta accredited Open Source supplier.
Jim Knight, Schools Minister said: “A partnership with the Spanish Telecommunications and Information Society has been signed ... to develop a National Digital Resource Bank, to create, search for, and share digital content. The UK is renowned for excellence in ICT infrastructure, development of Digital Resources, and willingness to work with other countries and has combined these three elements in this landmark project.”
Gary Clawson, CEO at the North West Learning Grid said: “The National Digital Resource Bank is the missing link in UK Digital Resource Strategy. We have a great infrastructure, we have lots of media rich resources and we have implemented Learning Platforms in every schools. But despite this, schools have been unable to share resources with other schools because of different technical solutions implemented across different Local Authorities.”
Mark Taylor, CEO, Sirius Corporation said: “The National Digital Resource Bank is a visionary national project, and the first to rely entirely on Open Source, Open Standards and Open Content. It shows how these technologies can be used in the Public Sector to reduce the risks associated with national IT projects whilst massively reducing their costs.”
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
*About National Digital Resource Bank*
The National Digital Resource Bank (NDRB) is a bank of resources that are available, under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license, that have been mapped and tagged and made suitable for use with learning platforms. The bank of resources is available free to any local authority wishing to become a member of the scheme and willing to contribute their own publicly funded resources. Resources range from, tutorials, activities and interactive games covering entire courses to individual photographs, audio clips and worksheets.
The cost of developing and maintaining NDRB is estimated to be less than £400,000 per annum which represents less than a quarter of a percent of current annual ICT investment in schools.
The technology behind the National Digital Resource Bank is 'Agrega', a multi-million Euro open source development funded by the Spanish government. The software is licensed under the General Public Licence version 2 (GPL2). For information about open source licences visit www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
*About North West Learning Grid*
North West Learning Grid is a consortium of eighteen Local Authorities and more than 2,000 schools, working in partnership to improve the process and management of learning using the latest information and communication technologies. Central to its activities is the provision of e-learning content, much of which is free to access to all schools and their learners. As a National Education Network provider, North West Learning Grid also maintains broadband connectivity between its 18 member authorities and the National Backbone provided by JANET(UK). For more information visit www.nwlg.org or call Gary Clawson on +44 7799 374 075.
*About Sirius Corporation plc*
Sirius Corporation plc is a leading European IT services group specialising in enterprise-class Open Source infrastructure solutions including databases, email systems, file & print, directory services, and cross-platform authentication. The company is the only Becta-accredited provider of open source software and services to schools in the UK. For more information visit www.siriusit.co.uk or call Tom Callway on +44 870 608 0063.
This press release was distributed via SourceWire, a service from Daryl Willcox Publishing, on behalf of Sirius. For more information visit http://www.dwpub.com/pressreleasewires
UK government backs open source
From BBC 25 Feb 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7910110.stm
The UK government has said it will accelerate the use of open source software in public services.
Tom Watson MP, minister for digital engagement, said open source software would be on a level playing field with proprietary software such as Windows.
Open source software will be adopted "when it delivers best value for money", the government said.
It added that public services should where possible avoid being "locked into proprietary software".
Licences for the use of open source software are generally free of charge and embrace open standards, and the code that powers the programs can be modified without fear of trampling on intellectual property or copyright.
According to some in the open source industry, the shift from proprietary standards could save the government £600m a year.
Simon Phipps, chief open source officer for Sun Microsystems, said the UK government's stance was part of a "global wave" of take up for open source in governments.
"We waste a fortune on proprietary computer software because of paying for licences and promises up front and not demanding value," he said.
Mr Phipps said schools, government departments and public services would have a "crucial freedom" because of the choice of whether to pay for support and training when using open source software.
The government's action plan could see a wave of open source software being deployed in areas such as office applications (word processing and spreadsheets), document management and database infrastructure, the backbone of many large-scale IT systems.
'More teeth'
Steve Shine, European vice president of Ingres, an open source support vendor, said the government's action plan had "more teeth" than policies being adopted in other countries because the plan was tied into policies regarding how IT managers procure new software.
He said the move had partly been driven by a series of high-profile IT failures in recent years that had relied on proprietary software.
He said: "Open source can help avoid many of the hidden costs of proprietary software such as making organisations re-pay for licences if they want to shift use of a particular piece of software from one place to another.
"This is irrelevant in the open source world."
Announcing an open source and open standards action plan, the government said it would:
ensure that the government adopts open standards and uses these to communicate with the citizens and businesses that have adopted open source solutions
ensure that open source solutions are considered properly and, where they deliver best value for money are selected for government business solutions
strengthen the skills, experience and capabilities within government and in its suppliers to use open source to greatest advantage
embed an open source culture of sharing, re-use and collaborative development across government and its suppliers
ensure that systems integrators and proprietary software suppliers demonstrate the same flexibility and ability to re-use their solutions and products as is inherent in open source.
Government departments will be required to adopt open source software when "there is no significant overall cost difference between open and non-open source products" because of its "inherent flexibility".
Expected backlash
Mr Phipps and Mr Shine said they expected a backlash from proprietary software firms.
"I am absolutely certain there have been communications extremely high-up in proprietary vendors with management high up in government," said Mr Shine.
Mr Phipps added: "Measured over the short term traditional vendors will cut prices back, end load contacts and do everything to appear cheaper.
"But the real value with open source comes from giving users a new flexibility."
He said the widespread adoption of open source software in public services could also have a knock on effect to the ordinary consumer.
"It's already happening to significant extent in the UK. Lots of homes are using Firefox and OpenOffice.org.
"It is becoming acceptable and expected."
The UK government has said it will accelerate the use of open source software in public services.
Tom Watson MP, minister for digital engagement, said open source software would be on a level playing field with proprietary software such as Windows.
Open source software will be adopted "when it delivers best value for money", the government said.
It added that public services should where possible avoid being "locked into proprietary software".
Licences for the use of open source software are generally free of charge and embrace open standards, and the code that powers the programs can be modified without fear of trampling on intellectual property or copyright.
According to some in the open source industry, the shift from proprietary standards could save the government £600m a year.
Simon Phipps, chief open source officer for Sun Microsystems, said the UK government's stance was part of a "global wave" of take up for open source in governments.
"We waste a fortune on proprietary computer software because of paying for licences and promises up front and not demanding value," he said.
Mr Phipps said schools, government departments and public services would have a "crucial freedom" because of the choice of whether to pay for support and training when using open source software.
The government's action plan could see a wave of open source software being deployed in areas such as office applications (word processing and spreadsheets), document management and database infrastructure, the backbone of many large-scale IT systems.
'More teeth'
Steve Shine, European vice president of Ingres, an open source support vendor, said the government's action plan had "more teeth" than policies being adopted in other countries because the plan was tied into policies regarding how IT managers procure new software.
He said the move had partly been driven by a series of high-profile IT failures in recent years that had relied on proprietary software.
He said: "Open source can help avoid many of the hidden costs of proprietary software such as making organisations re-pay for licences if they want to shift use of a particular piece of software from one place to another.
"This is irrelevant in the open source world."
Announcing an open source and open standards action plan, the government said it would:
ensure that the government adopts open standards and uses these to communicate with the citizens and businesses that have adopted open source solutions
ensure that open source solutions are considered properly and, where they deliver best value for money are selected for government business solutions
strengthen the skills, experience and capabilities within government and in its suppliers to use open source to greatest advantage
embed an open source culture of sharing, re-use and collaborative development across government and its suppliers
ensure that systems integrators and proprietary software suppliers demonstrate the same flexibility and ability to re-use their solutions and products as is inherent in open source.
Government departments will be required to adopt open source software when "there is no significant overall cost difference between open and non-open source products" because of its "inherent flexibility".
Expected backlash
Mr Phipps and Mr Shine said they expected a backlash from proprietary software firms.
"I am absolutely certain there have been communications extremely high-up in proprietary vendors with management high up in government," said Mr Shine.
Mr Phipps added: "Measured over the short term traditional vendors will cut prices back, end load contacts and do everything to appear cheaper.
"But the real value with open source comes from giving users a new flexibility."
He said the widespread adoption of open source software in public services could also have a knock on effect to the ordinary consumer.
"It's already happening to significant extent in the UK. Lots of homes are using Firefox and OpenOffice.org.
"It is becoming acceptable and expected."
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