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I’ve met some very buzzy people over the last few days which has prompted further thoughts on the widget factory idea.

Widgets are produced to deliver real-time, relevant information, or services to a 3rd party website. Obviously, widgets need a system behind them to draw the information or service from. The challenge is that many Government websites were not designed to deliver services in this way. And, it is unrealistic that they could all be re-engineered in the short term to do so.

So, my question is: are there interim solutions, creative uses of ICT, that could effectively bridge the gap between where we are now and where we need to be in the future if the widget idea were taken forward?

And, is it appropriate that government supports non-government organisations to broaden the delivery of their services too through the widget approach?