1 June 2005
A new report by the Hansard Society has urged the UK's Parliament website to be radically redesigned.
According to the BBC, the Hansard Society has claimed that Parliament is failing to communicate effectively with the public but this could be improved by revamping its site.
Improved accessibility and usability features such as better search facilities and more interactivity would contribute greatly to the reform needed, the report claims.
A major website overhaul represents one of the 39 recommendations outlined by the Hansard Society Commission to improve Parliament's communication with the public.
"It remains, in essence, an online archival resource, impenetrable to most people, difficult to navigate, with almost no opportunity for interaction and a wholly inadequate search engine," said Hansard, chaired by film-maker David Puttnam. "The overall impression is dry and un-engaging."
Gemma Rosenblatt, the clerk to the Commission, added: "The website is an opportunity for people to find out directly what is going on in Parliament and is a great way to engage a far wider audience than it currently does.
"At the moment there has been more emphasis and resources put into Parliament's intranet than to its public web presence. A parliamentary internet should be for the public, not the people who work there."
Piero Tintori, managing director of TerminalFour, suggested that Parliament should follow the e-government example set by regional agencies.
"While local authorities have been quick to realise the potential of a well-designed website to re-engage with a jaded electorate, it looks like the House of Parliament needs to take a leaf out of their book," he said. "It is about time Parliament caught up with this accessibility revolution."© DeHavilland Information Services plc
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