In a bid to improve overall public sector efficiency, the Treasury has announced an £800m package earmarked for technologies such as AI and drones, which is set to be revealed in the upcoming Spring Budget.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, stressed the urgency of tackling inefficiencies within public systems, especially the NHS, and highlighted the need to redirect resources towards essential services.
He said: “There is too much waste in the system and we want public servants to get back to doing what matters most: teaching our children, keeping us safe and treating us when we’re sick.
“That’s why our plan is about reaping the rewards of productivity, from faster access to MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for patients to hundreds of thousands of police hours freed up to attend burglaries or incidents of domestic abuse.”
Integrating AI across key sectors is a major part of the reform initiative.
Within healthcare, AI will be deployed to help reduce scan waiting times, which is expected to expedite diagnoses for more than 130,000 patients annually, including those awaiting cancer results.
The police force will employ drone technology to improve response times to incidents such as traffic collisions, freeing up up to 38 million officer hours per year.
Darren Jones, Labour’s shadow chief secretary, criticised the package, describing Hunt’s announcement as “spin without substance,” and emphasised the need for tangible outcomes after “14 years of Conservative economic failure”.
Beyond healthcare and law enforcement, the Treasury’s investment will extend to various sectors, including the justice system and social care.
Digitisation initiatives within the justice system will be implemented to streamline administrative processes, potentially saving up to 55,000 hours annually.
Children’s social care will also see a funding boost of £165m, where tech will be used to alleviate councils’ overspending on the service and to reduce reliance on costly emergency placements.
The government likewise expressed plans to combat fraud through expanded AI utilisation across government agencies.
