Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

May I also use this opportunity to urge the Leader to accept the Bill proposed by Senator Fidelma Healy Eames? I ask that we do not wait until after the budget because this is an important Bill that must be discussed. I urge the Leader to find time in the near future because the budget is only a month away.

I previously raised the issue of the amount of paper we use here and my annoyance continues. The Danish Agency for Digitisation has ensured that many government agencies there do not use paper and in Britain it is planned that all medical reports will be digitised by next year. Things that can be digitised easily include applications, reports, letters and much else. The Department of Finance is strongly urging the abolition of cheques and the Government is taking the first steps on this. If we are to move towards digitisation can every citizen have a formal State e-mail address? This would speed things up and help a great deal. It might not be a popular measure with An Post but that business will be helped by post codes, which are forthcoming. We can take these steps. We should discuss them to see what we can do. We should set an example showing the rest of the world that Ireland is a modern nation.