Socitm Link to News Quiz Sensation!

I'm a long time fan of the "The News Quiz" on Radio 4, so I was delighted when driving home listening to it, this evening, to hear a question whose root was in Socitm's Newport Conference. It concerned, of course, Harvey Mattinson's address in which he was reported as saying "claims from ministers that ID cards will help to prevent terrorism are absolute bunkum".


This morning I attended a meeting at BERR's headquarters at One Victoria Street to review work being done in the DAP (Digital Access Provision) Forum in the ALIP (Assisted Living Innovation Platform) programme. The meeting was chaired by Richard Allan – Cisco's Head of Government Affairs UKI, and formerly MP for Sheffield Hallam. (The Liberal Democrat Party Leader, Nick Clegg, succeeded him.) The other attendees were BERR's Richard Foggie and Ian Pannell, Ranjit Bassi from the BRE and Newham's Martin Scarfe.

We also discussed the ALIP2 bid, in which Newham and Westminster are slated to run a Dementia Pilot, and of which it is hoped that Socitm will become a member. I undertook to arrange presentation of the ALIP programme at a Socitm Futures meeting, and discussion of suggested roles.

We talked about the development of converged broadband infrastructure as the enabler for widespread deployment of Assisted Living Technology, which Richard Foggie described as "the new Cathedrals". "In the middle ages, in times of recession, the powers that be built cathedrals, which kept people employed for a couple of hundred years, and revitalised the economy." I trust that our "cathedral" won't take quite so long to finish!

A number of potential related developments were also talked about, including a technology showcase and new London Technology Park, in connection with which we agreed to do some stakeholder mapping to better inform our next meeting.


After lunch I met James Lee to discuss progress in the PSMP project. The usage figures, after less than four weeks, are already at the level forecast for month five of operational running. Several other boroughs are now keen to come onboard; the other four 2012 boroughs are initially being prioritised, following which London-wide roll-out is planned, working with TfL. We discussed different potential funding models and approaches to revenue sharing, as well as new applications and looked ahead to wider UK deployment. I will be proposing that Socitm Futures also looks at this development.


Vicky (taking the place of Ken Boxhall, who is on holiday) Rob McCarthy, Managing Director of Goss Interactive, and I agreed, after some debate, the Socitm Photo Competition winners. They'll be announced on Monday.