Written answers
Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Departmental Strategies
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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232. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the digital initiatives underway within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56547/22]
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy on the digital initiatives underway within my Department (including the Office of Government Procurement) is set out in the tables below.
My Department leads on Connecting Government 2030, which is a Digital and ICT Strategy for Ireland’s Public Service. This sets out an approach to deliver digital government for all, benefiting both society and the broader economy. Connecting Government 2030 addresses the Digitalisation of Public Services dimension of the national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework. It also aligns with the targets set out in Civil Service Renewal 2030 and incorporates specific actions from the Programme for Government as well as addressing digital targets set by the EU.
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
| Digital Initiative | Summary of Purpose |
|---|---|
| Gov.ie | Provides a central portal where members of the public can access government services and information. It combines the websites of Government Departments and is a single source of trusted information that makes interactions with government more user-focused for customers. |
| Digital Postbox | Provides a safe and secure way for public bodies to communicate digitally with their customers and at the same time reduce costs and paper waste. For individuals, it provides a safe and efficient digital option to receive post from government bodies quickly, to get notifications, and to access their electronic post from anywhere at any time. |
| EU Digital Covid Certificate Service | Provides citizens with EU Digital COVID Certificates. Access to this service allowed test providers to generate EU Digital Certificates for all negative or ‘not detected’ rapid antigen or NAAT (RT-PCR) test results, in line with national and EU regulations. |
| Life Events Portal | A key priority under Connecting Government 2030 is to make it easier for people to access certain “life events”. A life event, such as registering a birth or a bereavement, can require contact with several public service organisations. The aim of the Life Events portal is to automate and be more proactive about aspects of these processes. |
| Build to Share Applications | Provides a range of applications and collaboration tools for use by public service bodies to support efficient delivery of corporate service such as ePQ, eSubmissions, ePMDS, eDocs and eCase. |
| Single Customer View | Provides a way for approved public-bodies to verify elements of the Public Service Identity dataset. |
| Death Events Publishing Service | Provides information on death events to public service bodies. This information contains details on all deaths notified to the General Register Office. |
| Enterprise IT Service Management Service Desk for users of OGCIO services | Provides a single enterprise-level IT Service Management Service Desk for service delivery to all customers of the Office of the Government Chief Information Office (OGCIO). |
| Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management Solution | Implements a common standardised approach to project management across the Public Service aligned to Action 10 of Our Public Service 2020. |
| National Low Latency Platform (NLLP) | The National Low Latency Platform, a National Recovery and Resilience Plan project, will ensure that the Public Service maximises the benefits and outcomes from 5G by developing the capacity for innovation through increased connectivity and the use of new technologies. |
| Public Service Data Catalogue | The Public Service Data Catalogue aims to promote openness and transparency around the data held by the Public Service by providing information on over 1,100 key datasets across almost 100 public bodies. |
| FutureTech Challenge | The FutureTech Challenge was a pilot competition and collaboration between the Irish public service and three industry partners. The initiative sought to drive innovation and transformative technology adoption to solve pressing public service challenges. The industry partners for the first challenge were Cisco, IBM, and AWS. The initiative is coordinated by DPER in partnership with IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. This was completed in October this year and case studies will be published on the OPS website in due course. It is anticipated that a further iteration of the FutureTech Challenge will be facilitated by my Department. |
| eRecruitment | Continuing to enhance the efficiencies offered by a digital recruitment system within the Department. |
| Hale & Hearty EU funded Action | To develop a prototype app and knowledge base to demonstrate how organisations can make government data relevant, interesting and useful to public servants, researchers and the general public. This project was successfully concluded in May 2022. |
| Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Framework Agreement | The provision of RPA software and training to the Irish Public Service is a priority for my Department. There is currently a RPA Framework Agreement in place to support Public Service Bodies in the development of RPA solutions in their areas of responsibility. A further iteration of the Framework is in development by my Department. The 2023 RPA Framework will build on the existing framework and incorporate advances in the field that have occurred since 2019. |
| Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence | As part of the commitments set out in the Public Service Innovation Strategy, my Department launched a Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence for public servants in 2021. This programme aligns with our goal to upskill staff in important areas that foster innovation, in addition to driving transformative innovation by leveraging new and emerging technologies. Currently, this programme is reviewed and offered annually. |
Office of Government Procurement (OGP)
| Digital Initiative | Summary of Purpose |
|---|---|
| Digitalisation of Suitability Assessment Questionnaire | To reduce the burden of paper documentation for contracting authorities and bidders and to utilise a digital passport to automate the repetitive completion of digital documents in the procurement process. |
| Introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for use with the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF) | The implementation of BIM is a cross sector engagement of all Public Works stakeholders. This initiative will require a cultural change to bring digitalisation into the construction sector which will inevitably result in a more efficient procurement and delivery process. The OGP’s role is to develop a coordinated administrative, design, delivery and in use approach through the CWMF. |
| eTenders Platform Programme | Programme to procure and implement the next contract for the provision of the national electronic tendering platform, eTenders.gov.ie |
| European Commission Technical Support Instrument Programme project to support the development of a strategy for the digital transformation of public procurement in Ireland | The European Commission together with the OECD will provide technical support in the area of public procurement, with the purpose of providing the Irish Government with guidance and recommendations on the development of a strategy and a roadmap for the digital transformation of public procurement. |
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