Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

The motor tax on-line system is another efficient service, but more must be done to make people aware of it. There are often queues at my local motor tax office in Duleek in County Meath, as elsewhere in the State. We regularly hear clarion calls from certain quarters for additional local authority staff to process motor tax applications. Where additional staff are needed, they should be appointed. However, it is important that local authorities encourage more people to renew their motor tax on-line or by telephone.

The Fine Gael motion states that "on-line Government services should exist as a complement to, and not as a replacement of, traditional face-to-face and telephone-based services". I agree with that, but if there is a choice in the future between a large face-to-face operation or a streamlined on-line operation, priority should be given to the latter where it is shown to work effectively. Before we call for increases in staff and a diversion of local authority resources from the provision of other services to customers, we should examine whether it is possible to increase the usage of the on-line motor tax service. Other improvements should be made to the service. For example, it should not be necessary for motor tax discs to be posted out to motorists. Instead, it should be possible to download them from the Internet. If such a system is good enough for Ryanair and Aer Lingus, it should be good enough for the local authorities when it comes to collecting motor tax.

The Minister of State is well aware that court proceedings are in train in regard to the new secondary school, Coláiste na hInse, in Laytown in my constituency. I will not discuss those proceedings. However, I do not know whether Members are aware that the recruitment of teachers for that school has been done purely on an on-line basis by Meath VEC, which is a State agency, as also in the case of Ratoath College. This is a fantastic and welcome innovation. In the case of applicants for these posts, computer proficiency and the ability to interact fluently on-line are essential prerequisites for any teacher.

There have been other successes in the area of e-Government. As a solicitor, the Ceann Comhairle may be familiar with the Land Registry's on-line service. Further improvements may be required to that system but it is a fantastic facility for solicitors throughout the State. They can check the registered owner of a property on-line, for example, and, if they have the expertise, can perform a mapping search to ascertain the mortgages registered against it. It is a significant step forward and an important resource for solicitors.

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