GOV.UK Verify was heralded as a flagship for digital government, but three years after it went live, it’s not delivered value for money and public users have been hampered by problems, a committee of MPs has reported.
The Public Accounts Committee chairman, Labour MP Meg Hillier, said the system is failing its users and struggling to meet key targets. Only 19 government services have adopted Verify, fewer than half the number expected; and only 3.9 million people have signed up as Verify users, less than one-sixth of the forecast 25 million users by 2020. Some of the most vulnerable people using the system– such as those applying for Universal Credit – are among the worst affected. Six months after announcing that public funding would stop in March 2020, the Government Digital Service (GDS) and the Cabinet Office have not resolved major uncertainties about how Verify will operate beyond that date, according to the report.
They have not yet had discussions about what will happen to Verify’s intellectual property, including whether it will be sold or given to providers. MPs described Verify as an onerous system that is not fit for purpose. Briefly, Verify is a way to access services on gov.uk, such as apply for Universal Credit with the DWP, or submitting your tax return to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); without the need to prove your identity in person. The identity providers – Barclays, Digidentity, Experian, Post Office and SecureIdentity – have to meet UK Government and international standards for security and data protection.
Meg Hillier said: “Key government departments do not want to use the system and members of the public are facing problems signing up. Once again, the Government has not delivered on a project that was over-ambitious from the start. This is a verdict the Public Accounts Committee are making all too often on large government projects.
“The Government has now decided to stop public funding to Verify in 2020. Before then, it has a duty to get this programme working properly for existing users, such as people claiming Universal Credit, and set out a plan of action for when public funding ends.”
The MPs said that the programme lacked strong leadership and oversight, despite being subjected to over 20 internal and external reviews. For the report visit the PAC website.
Comment
David Orme, SVP at fingerprint authentication product company IDEX Biometrics, said: “We often see new services struggling to take off due to the application process being too far removed from consumers’ everyday habits. But, they are right to focus on implementing Digital Identity strategies. The Government must first take small steps, by leveraging a proof of ID that consumers carry at all times. Their fingerprint. One approach would be to leverage technologies already in the field to connect the fingerprint biometric to national ID cards to prove identity, just like paying with a contactless payment card, when applying for social support schemes. This could be done at their local shop, or social support centres, as the reality is not everyone has access to a laptop or connected device to process applications online.”
