UK Government Should Appoint 'Chief Blockchain Officer' Says Lawmaker

A lawmaker in the U.K. has called for the government to advance the use of blockchain in the public sector.

In order to pursue applications that rebuild social trust and boost transparency in government, Eddie Hughes, a member of Parliament from the U.K. Conservative Party, argued in a report released Wednesday that the government should "appoint a public-facing chief blockchain officer," according to a report from City A.M.

The proposed chief blockchain officer should be focusing on shaping strategy for the tech's use in public services, with a long-term goal to reduce the government's annual expenditure by one percent, the report said.

The lawmaker further claimed that a blockchain strategy led by the U.K. government would be an effective way to make the country more competitive worldwide.

Hughes' suggestion comes at a time when an increasing number of startups are looking to advance blockchain applications in the U.K. under a regulated environment.

According to a report released by the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on July 4, over 40 percent of the 29 startups accepted to the financial regulator's fourth sandbox cohort are focusing on distributed ledger technology.

Yet Hughes is not the only parliament member that is pushing for blockchain use in the public sector.

The House of Lords, the upper chamber of the U.K. Parliament, released a report in November that stressed the opportunities around blockchain for government services, as previously reported by CoinDesk.