Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann, noting the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the Government's e-Government strategy, which while recognising some notable successes, found that:

out of a total of 161 projects, only 74 were fully operational six months after their deadline for completion;

the cost, at €420 million, was 20% over budget; and

projects on average took 25% longer to complete than planned;

noting the possibilities offered by an efficient system of e-Government services, especially in terms of efficiencies, cost savings, ease of consumer access, transparency, and improving computer literacy;

acknowledging the role that e-Government can play in reforming public sector practices in order to shape systems and processes around user needs;

noting the results of a recent survey which indicated that 78% of people want improved access to Government through IT;

acknowledging that on-line Government services should exist as a complement to, and not as a replacement of, traditional face-to-face and phone-based services; and

noting the fact that no formal e-Government strategy has been in place since early 2006;

calls on the Government to:

mandate the information society policy unit of the Department of the Taoiseach to consult on e-Government with the Comptroller and Auditor General, international experts with experience of implementing successful and innovative e-Government services in other countries, as well as representatives of the successful e-Government projects to date, especially motor tax on-line and Revenue on-line;

require that based on this consultation the ISPU produce within six months an action plan on the achievement of a comprehensive system of e-Government within two years;

require that this plan include detailed proposals for the establishment within two years of:

a properly-functioning central access point to all Government services on-line;

a unified secure on-line digital identity system for users which can be used to access all Government services;

a unified secure on-line payments system for on-line transactions;

on-line systems of application for passports, driving licences, haulage licences, student grants and housing grants, e-tenders, planning permission and planning objections, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and additions to the electoral register;

a system of on-line payments of court fines and commercial rates;

public transport real time information on-line; and

an integrated health services portal, including access for medical professionals to patient records;

require that this action plan also consider the viability of a number of innovative possibilities for e-Government, including:

m-Government, or the use of text messaging and mobile phone-based web services for access to Government services;

the use of digital TV for interactive Government services;

the cost savings provided by the use of on-line tools and software instead of expensive consultants; and

collaborations with private sector on-line initiatives, such as the use of on-line banking passwords for e-Government services;

require that this action plan also include:

a template for a report that all individual e-Government projects must publish, including the name of the person with ultimate responsibility for implementing the project, a clear and measurable objective, a detailed budget and a system of measurable deadlines;

a system of annual reporting on the overall e-Government project, including assessment of benefits, user satisfaction levels, international comparisons and hearings before the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; and

consideration of issues surrounding cross-departmental projects, funding issues and the role e-Government can play in reshaping public sector systems and processes around user needs;

establish a rigorous code of practice governing the treatment of sensitive personal data by public sector organisations, including:

a restriction on carrying databases of personal data on mobile devices such as laptops, Blackberrys and memory keys;

a restriction on sending databases of personal data in the post; and

six-monthly review of all encryption and security software procedures.

I propose to share my time with Deputies McHugh, Varadkar and Clune.

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