The UK government is launching a GOV.UK Wallet and App to simplify access to services and documents alongside reforms to public sector technology to save £45 billion and drive efficiency and growth.
Mobile driver’s licences and HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards will be among the first digital documents in a GOV.UK wallet launched later this year and will ultimately allow people to prove their age from their phone in shops or online, the Science Secretary Peter Kyle has announced.
It comes alongside other new and improved ways for people to interact with government digitally, with an expansive blueprint for how the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which will now be home to a revamped Government Digital Service (GDS), will use digital tools and data to transform public services and help the taxpayer benefit from £45 billion in efficiency savings – essential to delivering our Plan for Change.
The GOV.UK Wallet will allow users to securely store government-issued documents on their phone and use them easily when needed. The technology will make use of security features that are built into modern smart phones, including facial recognition checks similar to those used when people pay using a digital bank card. It means that digital documents will be more secure, even if a device is lost.
Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP said:
“It is fantastic that former service personnel will become the first citizens to access the government’s new digital wallet. Having access to their HM Armed Forces Veteran Card via their smartphone, will help make it even easier for them to verify their veteran status, and access the support and benefits they’re entitled to.”