Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason his Department lacks the capacity to plan and deliver the information and communication technology service that his Department needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46458/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I have confidence in the technical ability and competence of my officials in the information and communications technology area to deliver quality service to my Department. However, I agree with the findings of the recently published Organisation Review Programme Report (ORP) that long-term unfilled vacancies together with increased workload consequent, inter alia, on the acquisition of new maritime functions have limited the capacity of the Information Services Division to deliver the full range of services.

My Department's current ICT Strategy envisaged a significant increase in staffing in our Information Services Division. However, difficulties arose in filling the vacancies in question. Accordingly, the Division has taken steps to increase its capacity to deliver the necessary services, primarily through outsourcing work.

Looking to the future, the simple solution to these challenges cannot always be the allocation of extra staffing. While the Department wants a radical increase in the deployment of ICT, prevailing external factors place constraints on our ability to fully resource the development of the IT function. Difficult choices will have to be made in reviewing ICT priorities in light of the new constraints on budgets. My Department will also seek support from our agencies and other Departments with relevant ICT expertise to further our priorities.

In this context, my officials will focus in 2009 on the development of those new systems that can have the most direct and immediate impact on the efficiency of the Department on the basis of agreed priorities.