Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Digital press release of 13 February 2017, Green light for Government Gateway Transformation, which future transactions will be processed through the (a) new verification service and (b) Government Digital Service platform Verify.

As the UK Digital Strategy and Government Transformation Strategy both set out, government is committed to building and extending the use of shared components and platforms. GOV.UK Verify is government’s single, shared identity platform for citizens.

The authentication service being developed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to replace Government Gateway will be for business representatives. HMRC is committed to GOV.UK Verify as the government’s identity platform for citizens.

HMRC is the biggest user of GOV.UK Verify, enabling access to its citizen-facing services such as Self Assessment, Personal Tax Accounts and other associated services, such as Check Your Income Tax.

The Government Digital Service is working closely with HMRC and across government to develop a shared migration plan to GOV.UK Verify for citizen-facing services currently using Government Gateway.