Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I ask the Minister of State to comment on the fact the Comptroller and Auditor General's report found that progress had slowed. Does he accept that if nobody is in charge, it will not be possible to sort out the problems? I urge him to acknowledge that it must be clear that there is leadership from the top and stop blaming the technology. The report does not find fault with the technology but with the fact that strategic management was not in place and must be provided by the Government. With regard to benefits to the citizen, does the Minister of State accept, for example, it was promised that driving licence and passport applications could be dealt with on-line? The report highlights that business has done better out of this than individuals. For example, only a few services are available to the public through the public service broker scheme. The failures must be dealt with in any future plan.

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