ChamberSign announces funding agreement with Rural Payments Agency to support online subsidy claims

Claiming farming subsidies electronically over the government gateway portal (www.gateway.gov.uk) has now been made easier through the recently launched Chamber SimplySign digital certificate service from ChamberSign, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Chambers of Commerce.

In just a few clicks of a mouse, registered farmers can obtain their Chamber SimplySign certificate for free online from the ChamberSign website at www.simplysign.co.uk. As part of a government initiative to encourage and support the farming community to e-enable their business processes, the Rural Payments Agency are funding the certificates which normally cost £25.00 a year; allowing farmers to take full advantage of the Chamber SimplySign service free of charge.

Having already been pre-authenticated by the RPA, registered farmers can have their certificate available for use in just minutes. In order to benefit from this offer, farmers need to complete a simple registration procedure online at the SimplySign website with their CPH number to hand. The digital certificate is then delivered online and stored in their Internet browser, ready and available to use anytime. Faced with detailed paperwork to complete, certificate holders can instead chose to complete their farming subsidy claims online through a fully guided interactive e-form.

The underlying technology for the new SimplySign service, supported by leading e-trust services specialist Trustis, has been developed with a specific focus on user requirements for an easy to use application with a high level of functionality.

In addition to e-IACS submissions, Chamber SimplySign certificates can also be used on the government gateway to submit electronic VAT returns and can be used to digitally sign and encrypt emails and other electronic documents ensuring total confidentiality of data sent over public networks.

Funding for Chamber SimplySign certificates is only available until the end of May 2004. E-IACS users are advised to apply as soon as possible to ensure that they benefit from the offer.

To download your free certificate or to learn more about Chamber SimplySign, please visit www.simplysign.co.uk or email info@simplysign.co.uk

For more information, please contact:

Karina Knudsen
British Chambers of Commerce
024 7647 2536
077 9389 3572
k.knudsen@britishchambers.org.uk
www.chamberonline.co.uk

Chris Swinbank
Trustis Limited
018 6532 7480
0771027 8222
cs@trustis.com
www.trustis.com

Notes to Editors:

1. British Chambers of Commerce
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) represents, through a quality assured UK network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce, more than 135,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy. Accredited Chambers seek to represent the interests and support the competitiveness and growth of all businesses in their communities and regions.

2. ChamberSign
ChamberSign Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Chambers of Commerce, specialises in delivering electronic solutions and services to businesses and organisations, making the Internet a secure and reliable platform for e-commerce. ChamberSign Certificate Authority (CA) services are supported by Trustis.

3. Trustis
Trustis is a UK-based company that specialises in trusted e-commerce solutions. Trustis designs, builds and provides services for organisations that need PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and digital certificate solutions.

Its product neutrality and vendor independence enable Trustis to give the best unbiased advice and guidance, and to recommend and deploy the most appropriate technology for each client’s needs.

Trustis experts include security engineers, business specialists, cryptographers and lawyers, to ensure that every aspect of a client's e-commerce needs can be met. Clients include major banks, the NHS, local authorities, international corporations and SME’s.