The dream of one day being able to license vehicles on-line rather than waiting in line at TCD will come one step closer next summer, when interactive Government portals are expected to be up and running.

E-commerce advisor Nigel Hickson said that the first stage of the long promised e-Government would be in place by January ? and by June the first interactive parts of the system are expected to go live.

?Things are really starting to take shape,? said Mr. Hickson. ?By the end of January you will be able to get to all Government departments on www.gov.bm.?

He explained that this phase would mean that a wide gamut of information would be available on the website, from information about work permits to details on how to license a yacht.

?The second phase is the portal and we are hoping to have, say, all TCD forms on that portal, so that they can be downloaded.

?The next phase, which we hope to move to quickly after that is having a calendar for TCD when you can choose a date and request a time on line. Eventually we hope people will be able to license and renew licence policies on line.?

Mr. Hickson said that the e-tax portal had proved very successful. This is a way for businesses to pay their payroll tax on line.

And he said in time the department hoped that other taxes such as land tax and social security could be paid directly through a computer terminal.

?We will have the information side set up by January and by summer of next year we hope to have half a dozen applications on line,? he added. ?It is quite a big project and had to be quite careful that we got the right vendor. Government has put aside between $3 and $4 million and we cannot go and spend that without thought.?

He said his department had been working with the vendor, a joint venture between SBI and Plumbtree since the end of July.

And he said that today there would be a meeting between the vendor, his department and 50 department heads to explain to them the potential of the e-Government portal. ?It will show the departments what a web site can do for them and how easy it is to put information onto the portal. The only people that know what information should be on the portal are those that work in the departments, so it is vital that they understand the potential,? he said.

He added that the computer software was so user friendly that someone with a basic knowledge of word processing would be able to input data and set up a web page.

Mr. Hickson said that the Registrar of Companies was busy working on computerising its process, and soon companies would be able to incorporate on line as well as company searches done through the Internet.

?Any information that is open to the public and in the public domain can be put on a website,? he said, adding that public registrations of telecommunications companies filed with his department would soon be more easily accessible on-line.

?At the moment anyone who wants to see them has to come into the office and ask to see them. This way it is easier for the public to get the information.?

Mr. Hickson said that CURE forms and collecting statistics (it is now a legal requirement for companies to give over information about their business to Government when asked) will eventually also be on line.

?It will save time and money for business and it will save time and money for Government,? he said. ?I think e-Government is a win-win situation if you do it right.?