• Short
  
• Medium
  
• Full definition – What is EURIM?
  

EURIM Aims and Objectives

• Aims
  
• Objectives

Contact for press enquiries

• General Contact (including requests to be added to our press list): admin@eurim.org  
• Spokespeople:
  • Secretary General
  • Chair
    

Key Officers – Biographical notes

• Chair: Margaret Moran MP
  
• Vice Chair: Ian Taylor MBE MP
  
• President: The Lord Renwick
  
• Secretary General: Philip Virgo
  
• Deputy Secretary General: Dave Wright

Forward Timetable

Press Releases

EURIM Achievements

• EURIM is helping identify and remove barriers to the use of ICT to deliver better public services when, where and how the public wishes.
  
• EURIM is helping set the agenda on guidance, governance and accountability with regard to personal identity, data sharing and retention and other regulatory and law enforcement powers.
  
• EURIM is helping set the agenda on the need for non-geographic co-operation between governments and industry in the fight against computer-assisted crime.
  
• EURIM is helping set new standards for pre-legislative scrutiny, as with its work on the legislation to create Ofcom.
  
• EURIM helped set the agenda for the regulatory convergence of communications and content.
  
• EURIM works with and through others, wherever possible, to cut across political, departmental and interest group silos and achieve results.
  
• EURIM confers competitive advantage on its members by keeping them abreast of developments and providing opportunities for influence before policies acquire momentum.
  

EURIM Terms of Reference – Definitions, Aims & Objectives

Short Definition of EURIM
EURIM, the Information Society group

Definition
EURIM brings together politicians, officials and industry to help improve the quality of policy formation, consultation, scrutiny, implementation and monitoring in support of the creation of a globally competitive, socially inclusive and democratically accountable information society. It works across all boundaries to help set the agenda, stage constructive debate and report on progress.

Full Definition: What is EURIM?
EURIM is an independent, UK-based, all-party Parliament-Industry group, funded by its members. It is both a policy research group, helping set the political agenda and a route through which ICT users and suppliers can rapidly communicate concerns to policy makers. This might involve arguing the case for new initiatives, legislation or regulation or for reviewing, rationalising or ending existing activities. Alternatively it might be a case of alerting parliamentarians and officials to potential barriers to achieving policy objectives, and ways of addressing these. EURIM is proactively consulted by Government at the pre-legislative stage of Bills and European Directives, and has an excellent track record of success in achieving change at all stages of the policy formation and consultation process.

How does EURIM work?

EURIM activity is channelled through its working groups;

• Knowledge Economy - to ensure the UK/EU is a location of choice for industries that could be based anywhere in the world.
  
• Transformational Government - to rebuild trust that the ICT industry can work with government to deliver effective, socially inclusive services.
  
• Personal Identity and Data Sharing - to secure effective, credible and accountable UK/EU information strategies, including the rationalisation of initiatives, legislation and governance.
  
• E-Crime (security) - to secure cross-cutting strategies to reduce risk and enhance confidence in on-line transactions and promote the UK/EU as a location of choice for legitimate e-business.
  
• Communications Regulation - to ensure democratically accountable and effective regulation to address emerging problems without distorting the evolution of competitive products and services.
  
• Skills - to identify and promote the actions necessary to build globally competitive, life-long learning networks and workforce skills, based in the UK/EU.
  
• Priority Setting - to ensure the forward programme reflects the priorities of current and target Parliamentary, Corporate and Associate members, particularly those activities which they wish to progress through EURIM and are willing to help deliver.

Working groups and sub-groups are formed around issues, with a programme of activity focused on specific objectives. These are disbanded once their work is complete. There are no standing committees and wherever possible EURIM works in partnership with other groups with relevant resources, expertise and contacts. This allows EURIM to respond quickly to developments in the legislative and pre-legislative arena.

How does EURIM achieve this?

EURIM influences policy in several ways;- working groups and sub-groups prepare policy papers and  briefings that are discussed with, and distributed to, parliamentarians and government officials. Less formal high-level dialogue (including dinners, lunches and receptions) ensure that business perspectives are communicated to decision makers and that anxieties and concerns are aired early enough in the legislative process to enable real change to be achieved.

Who are the members?

EURIM’s membership includes large corporations and small businesses, trade associations, professional bodies and other not-for profit organisations. EURIM’s parliamentary membership comprises MPs, Peers and MEPs and includes Ministers, Select Committee Chairmen and members and their counterparts in the European Parliament.

How much does it cost to join?

Current annual subscription rates are as follows: There is no joining fee.

• Corporate membership:- £3,850 plus VAT.
  
• Associate membership:- £1,650 plus VAT. (applicable to not-for-profit organisations and firms with less than £10 million annual turnover).
  
• Individual Membership:- £450 plus VAT
  
• Parliamentary Membership is free.
  
• Observer Status is free but applies only to senior government officials and their representatives.

What does the subscription cover?

• Membership of all working groups and sub-groups. Corporate and Associate members may nominate different representatives to join each working group or sub-group.
  
• Access to all group activities, meetings and events.
  
• Access to all EURIM documentation:- minutes, briefings, overviews, guides, status reports, position statements, consultation responses, etc.

What are the benefits of membership?

• Genuine opportunities to influence policy.
  
• The opportunity to recognise the potential impact of future legislation in time to secure change.
  
• Face to face networking with decision makers in government.
  
• Excellent networking opportunities with both the business and political communities.
  
• Excellent links with EURIM’s partner organisations through joint events and initiatives.
  
• Access to valuable information sources.
  

EURIM Aims

• Set the political agenda on issues of concern to the users (50% + of society) and suppliers (10% + of the workforce) of ICT products and services.
• Provide members with clear, accurate and timely information on ICT-related policy proposals, the state of debate, the degree of support or opposition to such proposals, and to concerns over their implementation.
• Ensure user and supplier member views and concerns are rapidly and effectively communicated to Ministers, Commissioners, Officials and Parliamentarians in London and Brussels.
• Ensure that rapid and effective action follows, where appropriate.

EURIM Objectives

EURIM's objective is to influence the legislative process, not just via high-level contact, but by working with those responsible for drafting policy, particularly where this cuts across organisational boundaries. EURIM produces policy studies, meets with Government and officials and circulates consultation material as part of the pre-legislative process. EURIM reports through joint workshops and meetings and presents evidence to Select Committees. EURIM provides written responses to consultation exercises and publishes status reports, briefings, position papers and guides.

EURIM Key Officers – Biographical Notes

EURIM Chair: Margaret Moran MP
Margaret Moran is the Labour MP for Luton South.

Margaret Moran was first elected as the MP for Luton South in May 1997, and re-elected in June 2001. She worked her way up through local government and won a well-deserved reputation for hard work and toughness.

Her interests span a wide range of concerns from Northern Ireland, to Housing, Domestic Violence, new technologies, and social exclusion and football.

Margaret was born on the 24th April 1955 in East London to Irish parents. She was educated at St Ursula's High School, Greenwich, St Mary's College, Twickenham and Birmingham University, where she gained honours Degree in Geography and Sociology.

She was a Labour councillor for 13 years and was the first woman leader of Lewisham Borough Council. She pioneered the use of new technologies in service delivery and local democracy and helped with the relocation of Millwall Football Club. In 1997 she served as PPS to Transport Minister, Rt Hon Gavin Strang and later became PPS to Dr Mo Mowlam.

Until the disolution or Parliament, she was chair of the all party parliamentary group on Domestic Violence and the Parliamentary Labour Housing Group and the Parliamentary Labour Party Parliamentary Affairs Committee and was Secretary of the Parliamentary Labour Party Northern Ireland Committee. Margaret also founded Labour's E-futures group and in May 2000 was awarded the Government Computing Information Age Innovator of the Year.

She was member of the Northern Ireland Select Committee and later a member of the Public Administration Select Committee. She is also a member of the All Party Small Business Group; Information Technology group, Kashmir Group and Children's Group. She is also a member of the Hansard Society Commission on the Scrutiny of Parliament.

In Parliament, she was responsible for the ground breaking Womenspeak project using interactive ICT to link Parliamentarians and survivors of Domestic Violence. As a result, she has driven policy and legislative changes to provide greater fairness for Domestic Violence survivors in immigration cases, greater protection for Domestic Violence survivors in court and ensure they get priority for rehousing.

In local government she has served as Deputy Chair of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and Chair of its Housing Committee. In Lewisham she introduced the leading edge "Democracy Project", using new technologies and led Lewisham's successful city challenge urban regeneration schemes.

Margaret lives in Luton and is a Governor of Denbigh Infant School and Cardinal Newman High School. She is a member of Voluntary Action Luton, a Director (non-remunerated) of NOAH, formerly Luton Day Centre for the homeless and on the Court of the University of Luton. She is President of Luton Irish Forum

Her private interests include ceilidhs, visiting historical sites, walking and eating curry.

EURIM Vice Chair: Ian Taylor MBE MP
Ian Taylor is the Conservative MP for Esher & Walton.

Ian Taylor was born in 1945. He was educated at Whitley Abbey School in Coventry, Keele University (BA Hons. in Economics, Politics & Modern History) and the London School of Economics (Research Scholar). Ian is married to Carole and they have two sons, Arthur and Ralph.

In 1969 Ian joined Hill Samuel & Co (Merchant Bankers) moving on to Stirling & Co (stockbrokers) in 1971 where he created and managed the European Department.  From 1975-78 he was a corporate finance advisor in Paris. On his return to London, he merged his business with Mathercourt Securities Limited (FIMBRA), providing corporate finance and management advice to developing companies in the UK and USA.   After 1987, until becoming a Minister in 1994, Ian was an advisor to Commercial Union plc., and Barclays de Zoete Wedd Investment Management. He is an Associate of the UK Society of Investment Professionals and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

Since the 1997 General Election, Ian has been involved in providing development capital and management assistance to UK technology companies.  He is Executive Director of Interregnum plc. (www.interregnum.com) a merchant bank serving technology companies.  His portfolio of business interests includes directorships of Next Fifteen Group plc. (www.nextfifteen.com), Petards Group plc. (www.screenplc.com) (Deputy Chairman), Radioscape Limited (www.radioscape.com) (Chairman) and Speed-Trap Limited (www.speed-trap.com)

Pamphlets written by Ian include,  'Fair Shares for all the Workers' (Adam Smith Inst, November 1988); 'A Community of Employee Shareholders', (Bow Group, March 1992); 'Releasing the Community Spirit' (Tory Reform Group, September 1990); 'The Positive Europe' (Conservative Group for Europe, May 1993);  'Escaping the Protectionist Trap' (Social Market Foundation/DTI, February 1995);   'Networking' (CPC, May 1996); &  'The Conservative Tradition in Europe'  - contributor - (Mainstream, October 1998), 'Restoring the Balance' (Tory Reform Group, October 2000). 'Full Steam Ahead: The Great National debate about Britain and Europe' (Britain in Europe, July 2001), 'Europe: Our Case' (Tory Europe Network, 2002) and 'Shaping the new Europe - The British Opportunity.' (EUW: Alison Tennant Lecture, 2002), 'Twin Towers: Europe and America' (Tory Europe Network, 2003), Corporate Social Responsibility - Should Business be Socially Aware? (Tory Reform Group, 2003)

Ian's hobbies and interests include the opera, shooting and cigars.

Political Biography
Ian was Member of Parliament for Esher 1987-1997; and for Esher and Walton from May 1997. He was Minister for Science and Technology at the Department of Trade and Industry (1994-97).

Previous Parliamentary appointments have included: Parliamentary Private Secretary to The Rt. Hon. William Waldegrave MP at the Foreign Office (1988-1990), the Department of Health (1990-1992) and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1992-1994), former member of the Finance Bill Committees (1987-1994), member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee (1987-1990), member of the Science and Technology Select Committee (1998-2001) and Shadow Front Bench Spokesman on Northern Ireland (1997).

In the House of Commons, he is a Board Member of the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology, Director of EURIM (European Information Society Group), Vice Chairman of PITCOM (Parliamentary Information and Technology Committee), an officer of the Parliamentary Space Committee and an adviser to the Broadband Stakeholders Group. He was also Hon Secretary of the Parliamentary Group for Engineering Development 1997-2001.

Other appointments have included, National Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students (1968-1969), Chairman of the European Union of Christian Democrat and Conservative Students (1969-1970), Chairman Conservative Group for Europe (1984-1987), and Vice-President (1998-), Chairman of the Conservative Foreign & Commonwealth Committee (1988-1993), and Patron of the Tory Reform Group (1999-).  Chairman of the European Movement (2001 - 2004). www.euromove.org.uk

Ian is currently Chairman Tory Europe Network (www.toryeuropenetwork.org.uk) , on the Council of Britain in Europe (www.britainineurope.org.uk) and the German-British Forum.

EURIM President: The Lord Renwick
Lord Renwick was a member of the House of Lords from 1973 until November 1999. His special interests include the processes of innovation and change, informatics and telematics, the application of technology, and space and special educational needs.

When a parliamentary peer he was at times a member of the Select Committee on Science and Technology, the Select Committee on the European Communities and Sub Committee B (Energy, Transport and Technology). He was the Honorary Secretary of PITCOM (the Parliamentary IT Committee) and of the Parliamentary Space Committee and a member of the Parliamentary Scientific Committee and the All-Party Disablement Group among others. He was also a Council member of the National Council for Educational Technology, now BECTA.

Born in 1935, he was educated at Eton and spent his National Service with the Grenadier Guards. He then went on to start a career in the city with Morgan Grenfell in 1957 and then moved to W Greenwell & Co in 1959 where he stayed until 1980, becoming a partner in 1964. He was a Director of General Technology Systems Ltd from 1975 - 1993. He has acted as an advisor to various companies in the UK and the USA.

He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Zoological Society of London. He is a member of the Foundation for Science and Technology. He was also Vice President of the Combustion Engineering Association, Chairman of the Dyslexia Educational Trust and Chairman (now a Vice President) of the British Dyslexia Association.

EURIM Secretary General: Philip Virgo
Philip has been associated with EURIM since it was relaunched in January 1994 . He was the first executive officer to be appointed and has carried the designation Secretary General since 1996.

He was an LCC scholar at Dulwich College, an exhibitioner at Peterhouse, Cambridge (where he read history) and was subsequently the first graduate trainee programmer for STC's Microwave and Line Division in Basildon. He then moved to ICL where he re-wrote and decimalised the Group Sales Ledgers before they sponsored him on the MSc programme at the London Business School. On return to ICL he ran the tri-partite (ICL-DTI-DoE) planning exercise to produce Computing Development plans for the about-to-be-formed Regional Water Authorities. After a year as Business Planning and Modelling Consultant in the Management Sciences Unit of ICL he then served as Comptroller and Business Development Manager for Public Corporation Sector. 

In 1977 he changed career and moved to the Wellcome Foundation as Corporate Planner responsible for R&D, Export Division and the European Subsidiaries (including exercises on the potential of emerging technologies for improving health care, including of aging populations). At Wellcome he became involved in national IT Policy issues, helped draft the technology policies of both main parties for the 1979 election and in 1981 was the founding "Industry Vice-Chairman" of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM).

In 1982 he returned full-time to ICT and joined the National Computing Centre (NCC) to handle National Issues and set up a Technology Assessment Service. Shortly afterwards he was given responsibility for the NCC Microsystem Centre: the flagship "awareness programme" of the day. From 1983-1989 he ran the City C3 Club, bringing together high tech investors and fund-seekers. He helped found the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) in 1984, ran the NCC studies into reasons for the IT Skills Crisis of the mid-1980s and actions likely to be effective and also provided inputs to ministers on how best to advise small firms and encourage investment in innovation. After leaving NCC in 1986 he was retained as an advisor until 1992 and was on the South East regional committee as a member for several years afterwards.

Philip was Finance Executive of PITCOM from 1982-2006 and remains on the Council and Programme Committee. He was an external advisor to the High Tech Unit of Barclays Bank (1983-89), Campaign Director for the Women in IT Campaign (1989-92), IT Skills Advisor to the West London TEC (1991-2, a Specialist Advisor to the Information Committee of the House of Commons (1993-4), has been Strategic Advisor to the Institute for the Management Information Systems (IMIS, previously IDPM) since 1993 and has served on various advisory boards and committees. He has written extensively on the social and economic impact of new technologies and how to handle them, whether from a political or business perspective.

EURIM Deputy Secretary General – Dr Dave Wright
Dr. David Wright is Deputy Secretary General of EURIM.  He is also Research Assistant to Dr Nick Palmer, Labour MP for Broxtowe as well as continuing his academic career as a geologist - currently conducting microbiogeochemical and sedimentological research in several areas that are contributing to our understanding of carbon sequestration in relation to climate change. 

He is a Fellow of the Geological Society, Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leicester and works with professional colleagues from many parts of the world.  He is the author of many research papers, a frequent contributor to learned conferences and has travelled extensively, with particular interests in Australia, South Africa and the USA .  He is also an independent geological consultant to the hydrocarbon industry, having undertaken projects for many major corporations including Anadarko, ARCO, BPAmoco, Chevron, Conoco, Corelab, Enterprise, Exxon Mobil, NAM, PDO, Shell, Statoil and Texaco.

Dave was an undergraduate at Nottingham University where he obtained B.Sc (Hons) in Geology and was then a postgraduate student at the Earth Sciences Department of Oxford University, being awarded his D.Phil in 1993.  Prior to entering university as a mature student, he worked in industry and the UK Civil Service, during which time he gained a qualification in supervisory studies, and was active in both the Transport and General Workers Union and the Civil and Public Services Association (now the PCS). 

With his knowledge of parliamentary, scientific and industrial activities, Dave is able to bring a wide range of experiences and methodologies to his EURIM work on ICT policy.

EURIM Achievements

EURIM helped set the agenda for the original Commission Telecoms review and formation of Ofcom in the UK. 
Back in 1994 a EURIM / TMA (now CMA) group demonstrated how UK liberalisation had led to improved innovation and service provision, which led to radical changes in thinking in the Commission. EURIM's Communications group then drew attention to the many overlapping regulators for infrastructure and content, the need for basic regulatory principles, and the urgent need for regulatory rationalisation. These recommendations were adopted in the Better Regulation Task Force's subsequent reports. Further work alerted decision makers to the need for a unitary regulatory structure (Ofcom). EURIM parliamentary and observer members were involved in drafting the White Paper:- A new future for Communications (December 2000) and EURIM's findings over the previous years were the basis for many of its key recommendations. Relevant EURIM Briefings: 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 19, 23, 25, 26

EURIM alerted Government to the need for active co-operation with industry in the fight against e-Crime, including the effective regulation of investigatory powers. 
EURIM opened debate on the need to review the balance of roles and responsibilities between government, law enforcement agencies, regulators, industry and individuals in prevention, investigation and redress. EURIM is working with the Home Office, DTI and others on realistic frameworks for partnership, information sharing and collaboration. EURIM inputs on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers and on the Lawful Interception of Business Communications also alerted ministers and officials to the risk of undermining commercial security and personal privacy without delivering tangible improvements in tackling crime or terrorism. The relevant DTI regulations were re-written and EURIM is currently helping structure consultation on the duties and responsibilities of all concerned with investigations under statutory powers, not just RIPA. Relevant EURIM Briefing: 34 plus six EURIM-IPPR "Partnership Policing" papers.

EURIM is helping to remove the barriers to the effective use of ICT to deliver better public services. 
EURIM's modernising government group welcomed the Government's original objectives, set out in Successful IT, modernising government in action to achieve e-government by 2005 but drew attention to a number of barriers, both cultural and technical, to achieving this goal. The group's first briefing on this issue (No. 29 – A Shock to the System) was extremely well received and all its recommendations have since been adopted by government. A subsequent overview that identified the urgent need for cultural change and effective leadership within the civil service was also well received and, assisted by dialogue with OGC and OEE, its recommendation have also been implemented. Additional briefings have been instrumental in alerting policy makers to specific problem areas within the modernising government agenda. All of these are now being addressing the Transformational Government Agenda. Relevant EURIM Briefings: 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37

EURIM is helping to change the legislative scrutiny process. 
The legislation to create Ofcom was the vehicle for a pioneering approach to the consultation process. The Bill was published in draft form, a Joint Pre-legislative Scrutiny Committee was set up, and comment invited both electronically and formally. Information and developments were made available through websites, so the process was transparent and accessible. As a result of previous work providing balanced and informed input to government, EURIM was invited to produce recommendations on how to improve the pre-legislative scrutiny process. Inputs were made both on consultation policy and on the drafting process, where the practical effects of some legislation, and its interpretation in court, was very different to that envisaged by Ministers. By being a part of the evolving process of pre-legislative scrutiny, EURIM continues to influence the way in which policy is implemented.

EURIM cuts across departmental and organisational silos. 
By providing direct contact in informal and informed environments, EURIM has been instrumental in bringing together officials and civil servants who would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet, competitors who would not otherwise be seen in the same room, and organisations from different ends of the business spectrum. EURIM provides a confidential forum for information exchange between them, and allows consensus to be reached which in normal circumstances would not be even a remote possibility.

EURIM has conferred competitive advantage on members by keeping them abreast of developments. 
Through effective networking and information sharing EURIM has helped to educate its members - alerting them to potential risks, identifying alternative solutions, and debunking myths. By so doing millions of pounds have been saved. One participant saved over £½m by threatening to quote a suppliers' contractual practices to the observer from the Office of Fair Trade. Another saved over a million in call centre overheads but the recall and revision of draft regulations. Several saved six and seven figures on their Y2K projects as a result of similar information sharing and many others have avoided costly mistakes.