Individuals and private companies can correspond with my Department using electronic mail, e-mail, and this means of communication is increasingly being used for a wide range of activities, for example, dealing with suppliers, communication with other public bodies and international institutions. My Department also operates a website on which information is available on the activities of the Department, including the budget, speeches, etc. Details of my Department's home page and e-mail address are published, for example, in the Department's Quality Customer Standards and in the Guide to Functions and Records of the Department. Within the Department, information technology is already well integrated into the work environment and considerable use is made of the Internet for e-mail, for research and other purposes. The Department is also considering the use of the Internet and Intranets for information transfer and management for certain applications.
There are no schemes in place to grant-aid or assist education in the use of information technology in the day to day dealings of my Department.
An interdepartmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, is examining the implementation of the Information Society in Ireland and my Department is playing a lead role in the work of this group, particularly in relation to the use of information technology in the conduct of the day to day business of the Civil Service. The group is mapping out potential approaches to making greater use of technology both within the Civil Service itself and in its dealings with the public, outside agencies, etc. This group will be reporting to Government shortly and when Government has considered their proposals, my Department will take a leading role in their implementation. It is envisaged that an early application would be in the area of Government procurement.
