Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

The Government strategy to make public services more accessible through the use of modern technology is certainly laudable. However, as the motion points out, there have been notable failures in reaching the targets already set. Therefore, it would be desirable to have more accountability in implementing plans and to make the information more readily available.

Undoubtedly, there have been successes in facilitating access to parts of the public service. One that seems to be mentioned in particular is the motor tax office which facilitates people renewing their car tax on-line. This has allowed a great many people to save a lot of time through not having to spend hours in one of the offices. All of us have personal experience of how well this system works and it is to be commended.

The same system should be introduced in other areas such as passport applications and civil registration. While obvious safeguards must be in place to prevent identity theft and other fraud where a person might wrongfully apply for a passport or a birth certificate in someone else's name, there are means of ensuring security and one ought to be able to do as much of the process as possible through a computer. There are other less sensitive areas such as planning, as referred to in the motion, where there appears little reason initial applications could not be conducted on-line. This would contribute to a saving of time and energy expended in waiting rooms and a dramatic reduction in queues as was the case at motor taxation offices. There is huge opportunity in this regard.

There are other areas that involve citizens less formally with the State. The websites for some public amenities are excellent. An example is the recent placing on-line of the 1911 census for Dublin which has enabled many people to access family records. It is planned that records for the entire country will be made available in the near future. The National Archives also plans to do likewise in respect of the 1901 census.

It is important that public service websites contain accurate and up-to-date information. In general, that is the case but there have been instances when, for example, on-line travel timetables have been wrong. This lessens people's confidence in a facility especially when coming from a culture where previously they trusted other sources of information.

Some Department websites could do with improvement. While some are excellent others appear badly designed and it is often difficult to access the information one requires. This will not encourage people to use these websites. Perhaps, the best sites could be used as a template for others. Public accessibility is only relevant if the public has access to computers in the first instance and if the Internet service available to them is adequate. The situation in this regard is improving but not perhaps as uniformly as it might.

There is a danger that in increasing the amount of public and other information primarily focused on by the Internet, a minority will be further excluded. This is of particular concern where PC ownership and Internet use is rare among certain socio-economic groups. This can be for economic reasons — although PC and Internet usage is probably no more expensive than household television or cable access — or more likely for education and other reasons.

People who leave school early and who have little interest in the written word are highly unlikely to display much interest in the Internet. It is important all schools offer computer courses and that all children are taught the value of the Internet otherwise it will become another barrier between us and those who believe they are not really a part of this society. Increased interaction with the State on-line will have implications for social exclusion in terms of those who have not been educated in the use of PCs and other instruments. Adult education courses in local resource centres offer a huge opening in this regard. The back to education scheme and the provision of education centres which offer courses on Internet access is playing an enormous role in areas where socio-economic deprivation prevails.

Most families do not have at least one member who is computer literate. Some 55% of households surveyed in 2006 had at least one personal computer. This increased to 65% in 2007, almost 900,000 of whom had access to the Internet but, significantly, only 54% of whom were using broadband as compared with the EU average of 77%. Broadband penetration here was 16.8% in September 2007 as compared to the average of almost 20% for other European countries surveyed. The one bright spot is that the growth rate improved significantly in 2007. It remains the case that in many parts of the country, particularly in rural areas, broadband is not available. This represents a serious handicap in many sectors from business to public service and private users.

My own county remains among the least serviced in terms of broadband accessibility. This is proving to be a serious handicap particularly in attracting investment to the area. It is no coincidence that Kerry currently has among the highest level of unemployment in the State. Currently, 15% of people in the town of Tralee are unemployed as are more than 14% of people in the north Kerry area. There is no broadband accessibility in many rural isolated areas in county Kerry. A lack of broadband accessibility is proving a hindrance in trying to set up small enterprises in these areas.

Deputy Deenihan, Senator O'Sullivan and I recently met with the IDA in Tralee. At that meeting we argued that owing to high unemployment levels in the county and its dependence on the construction sector we needed to attract IDA jobs into the region. While the IDA conceded this should be a priority it cited a lack of proper infrastructure, of which broadband was a part, as its reason for being unable to do so. I am trying to emphasise here tonight that accessibility to broadband in rural isolated areas is vital to maintaining people in these areas and to the creation of job opportunities.

The same restrictions will apply to people wishing to access public information and engage with public services on-line in areas where broadband is not available. The level of growth for broadband penetration needs to be further increased to ensure all citizens receive the same level of service.

I support the recommendations contained in the motion. I believe it is of equal importance that more is done to ensure the maximum number of people have access to broadband Internet and that its use is encouraged through the education system and within the community as a whole.

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