Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 95: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the improvements to his Department's services that he envisages from the e-Government related projects allocated funding under the 2006 Estimates. [37131/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been allocated funding of €3.75 million for e-Government related projects in 2006. My Department is undertaking three specific e-Government related programmes of work, namely, customer object development, public service identity and the standard authentication framework environment, SAFE. The ultimate aim of these programmes is to improve the service the Department provides to the customer and to support similar initiatives by other Departments.

My Department, through its service delivery modernisation programme, is moving from a number of scheme oriented computer systems to a more integrated approach based around our customers' needs. This is a multi-annual programme of work involving the introduction of new technology and the replacement of legacy computer systems. On the technology side it involves the redesign of back office systems, business processes, procedures and work practices. It also involves the introduction of new organisational structures. The programme, which comprises business, organisation and technical streams, is designed to be implemented in self-contained and separately procured phases. Each phase delivers key business benefits, extends the business object model chosen by the Department and strengthens and enhances the underlying technical architecture.

One key aspect of this programme is the further development of the customer object. This development not only supports internal systems but will also play a key role in supporting external systems that rely on use of the PPS number. The work involves examining customers' future needs in the context of integrated service delivery and of supporting improved access to my Department's services via the telephone or on-line channels. It will also support my Department in proactively initiating claims for our customers. The ensuing implementation will support flexible, personalised and case driven customer service.

The benefits of integrated service delivery extend beyond my Department. For example, the award winning automation of the child benefit payment following the birth of a child eliminates the need for multiple form filling and visits to several agencies' offices. My Department has a broad public service wide role in supporting use of the PPS number across Departments and agencies. At present, it provides basic public service identity, PSI, services through Reach. PSI services provide a validation service to agencies using the PPS number and ensure that a consistent and limited set of customer identity data is used for public services.

PSI services will be delivered in two phases. The first phase is already developed and is available via automated link to the Reach public services broker, PSB. It is envisaged that there will be a demand for a broader set of PSI services over the next number of years and implementation of the customer object will provide the technical basis for the delivery of these enhanced services.

A third related programme of work concerns the development of a public service card in accordance with the SAFE programme. My Department is committed to the introduction of a new public service card in 2007 to provide easier access to public services for customers. The customer object and PSI services will provide the basic support for issue and operation of the card.