Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his position in regard to the development of the E-Government project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20841/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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This Department's e-Government project consists of the following core elements:

MAPS — Minerals Application and Programme Support

This system provides for the management of activities in Exploration and Mining in the State and for the marketing and promotion of inward investment.

The first on-line web presence supporting the application and payment for a prospecting license and associated GIS Services went live in December 2002 and is located at www.dcmnronline.ie. This on-line website was superseded in January 2004 with an enhanced website located at www.minex.ie.

The initial release of the fully integrated MAPS system including the 'end-to end' processing for Prospecting Licences went live on the 4th April 2005. This system is now fully operational since December 2005 including GIS functionality. A number of further enhancements are planned for 2006 to update the on-line application form and the ability to view application status and customer details.

IFIS — Integrated Fisheries Information System

This system has been developed to support the needs of users across the Sea Fisheries division. It provides full integration of the business processes of the various sections within Sea Fisheries.

Phase one of the Integrated Fisheries Information System IFIS went live on 3rd March 2005. This included the intranet back-office system for managing sea fisheries and fishing vessel licensing and registration and now includes GIS functionality for interpreting data in a location-based context.

The following e-services for Fisheries Customers are scheduled for delivery in Q2 2006 along with an updated portal called FISHINGNET.IE:

∙ Fishing Vessel Sea Fishing Licence Application

∙ Sea Fishing Licence — View Application Status

∙ Fishing Vessel Closure

∙ Pressure Stock Licence application

∙ Gatherers application

∙ View/Edit Customer details

∙ View Vessel Details

An interim interface between IFIS and Lirguard (the Naval Service Fishing Vessel Monitoring System), which will provide data transfer of Vessel Positioning data from Lirguard into IFIS, will now be achieved in Q2 2006. This will allow cross-referencing of known vessel positions with fishing logsheet records.

CoZAS — Coastal Zone Administration System

This Application and Licensing processing system enables the Foreshore, Aquaculture and Dumping at Sea section of the Department to issue licences to customers who wish to carry out various activities in the Coastal Zone. The system will also enable clients and customers of the Department to search Coastal Zone licences and applications over the web, and customers will be able to apply for a licence via the Internet.

Phase 1 of the project went 'Live' in the Coastal Zone Division in October 2005. Phase 2, which includes a Geographical Information system and Internet functionality, is scheduled for release in Q2, 2006. Integration of Fees/Receipts information between the COZAS system and the Department's financial system is part of another project [Information Exchange], now underway, which will facilitate better fees management.

The Corporate Vessel Register project

The Corporate Vessel Register will collect, manage and disseminate information intrinsic to seafaring vessels regardless of whether the vessels are engaged in mercantile, commercial fishing, passenger transport, research, defence and/or leisure activities. Phase 1 of this project was completed and went live in January 2006 to service the SafeSeasIreland project.

SafeSeasIreland Project

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). EMSA is tasked with coordinating the communication of seafaring activities between EU member states. SafeSeasIreland (SSI) will concern itself with exchanging messages, notifications and alerts between member states related to defined categories.

In the main, system users will be organisations, such as Port Authorities that have been granted responsibility for managing international maritime traffic on behalf of their national authorities.

The system will enable the community and Ireland, using the Internet, to monitor passing and visiting traffic thus leading to targeting of high risk ships which will result in more effective port and coastal state control and in particular lead to an enhancement of maritime safety, security and environmental protection.

The SafeSeasIreland (SSI) system will address these requirements, and is due to go live in June 2006.

Corporate Geographical Information Systems

The Department makes extensive use of Geographical Information Systems at an operational level. As a consequence; a well-developed technical infrastructure and many key datasets have been developed. The Department has built up a spatial database approaching 1 terabyte and has deployed GIS functionality via the Intranet to every PC user in the Department. This GIS System currently underpins the Maps Internet system and will be re-used in the Internet applications for all other on-line systems. It also provides an additional decision-making tool for the Department's IFIS and MAPS users.

IPAS — Integrated Petroleum Affairs System

This new project will provide a system, which will enhance how Petroleum Affairs Division's customers, applications, licences, geophysical data and various associated documents are managed.

The project is currently in the last stage of User-Acceptance Testing. It is scheduled to go live in June 2006.

Broadband.Gov.ie

In order to support the rollout of Broadband services in Ireland, this DCMNR website provides the public with a one-stop shop for Broadband information generally, on its availability, pricing, benefits etc. It is planned to enhance this site with GIS functionality at a later stage.

Overview

A more comprehensive look was taken at the business processes relating to the On-line e-Services (with regard to change & modernisation) before proceeding, hence the delay on some e-services. The Departments capability to deliver technology solutions is reflected in its new ICT Strategy (2005-2007), which places a greater emphasis on the business benefits and change management aspects of ICT investments.