Future of HSE Website:

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 937 /11
Ref EX5
Date: 7 November 2011

To: All Branches,

Dear Colleagues,
 
Future of HSE Website:

Coalition Government’s Cuts, including their website rationalisation programme and decision to plough ahead with the development of a single government domain to host all main public information has thrown the future of the important HSE website into doubt.

A Cabinet Office report released last month shows that 444 central government websites are currently open, compared with 820 last year. The streamlining process aims to reduce spending and, at the same time, pave the way for a single government Website.

This Website which is a recommendation made last year in a government-commissioned report by lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox – would host all key public information, building on the services delivered through the Directgov website, as well as
offering additional features and reducing the need for individual government sites.

Rumours that the HSE website could be under threat began to circulate following publication of the minutes of A HSE meeting in April when it was suggested that the HSE’s website may become part of the ‘DirectGov’ website, along with all other Government departments and agencies. The CWU and other Unions as well as the TUC have expressed concerns at this possibility.

Enquiries have prompted a HSE statement that: “There are no current plans to close down HSE’s website and it remains an important resource for both employers and employees.”

The wealth of information on the HSE website was one of the main reasons why the HSE decided to close its HSE Infoline telephone service, which closed in September as part of the Cuts and efficiency measures. Since then, the HSE has been encouraging
businesses and members of the public seeking information and official guidance on health and safety to use the HSE website, which it describes as “a huge knowledge bank where people can access and download information free of charge and use interactive
Web tools.

The HSE website currently receives 26 million visits a year. It has recently been enhanced with interactive tools for low-risk businesses and an expanded ‘frequently-asked questions’ section.

Only 134 of the 444 central government websites currently live have been given approval to stay open. However, although the Cabinet Office have confirmed that Department of Work and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith had requested that the HSE website be retained “for the time being” and has stated that the list of government departments and agencies websites that may be retained pending decisions around the single web domain will continue to be reviewed from the perspective of cost-efficiencies
in effective communication with the intended audiences.

User data from the Cabinet Office show that the HSE site performs very well against other government websites – a factor that
should be taken into account when any decision is made on its future. A snapshot of the statistics show that:
2.9 per cent of users – got most, or all of what they needed;
81.7 per cent – said they were satisfied, or very satisfied;
91.2 per cent – described the site as good, or very good for ease of use;
79.8 per cent – described the site as good, or very good for ease of finding information;
83.8 per cent – described the site as having a good, or very good search facility; and
92.7 per cent – would definitely or probably recommend the site to others.
In the most recent statement and reply to enquiries the Cabinet Office has stated that the there are no plans to migrate HSE content on to the single government domain which is being developed and goes live in early 2012. The project will then be
assessed and the way forward developed following the results.



Yours Sincerely



Dave Joyce
CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer