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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 4

Written Answers. - Information Technology.

John McGuinness

Question:

356 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the steps, if any, being taken by his Department to encourage individuals and private companies to deal with his Department by the use of information technology; the schemes, if any, in place to grant-aid or assist education in the use of information technology in the day-to-day dealings of his Department; the advancement, if any, in his Department's plans in relation to conducting business by e-commerce; and the initiatives, if any, being taken in this regard. [27656/98]

A central principle of my Department's strategy is to avail of the opportunities for improvement in service delivery offered by developments in technology and telecommunications. In particular it is intended to facilitate our customers by developing, in addition to our local office network, new modes of access to our services through greater use of the telephone and the Internet.

It is recognised that many people will need assistance to access our services electronically. In this regard there is an important role for voluntary and local groups and for existing networks of access points such as public libraries and other public offices. My Department operates a number of grant schemes for community and voluntary groups and funding is also available within those schemes to meet the costs of necessary equipment and training to use information technology in communications and service delivery.
The Social Welfare Act, 1998, provided the enabling legislation for the use of a single personal public service number, a public services card and the sharing of information between public bodies for specified purposes. This will allow greater efficiency across the public service and will facilitate the reorganisation and integration of services around the customer. It is intended that the public services card will be developed as a platform for the citizen to transact business electronically with the public service.
In delivering payments to customers my Department's policy is to offer improved customer service and to achieve increased efficiencies in the methods of delivery. One of the options in this regard is to extend the use of electronic funds transfer as a direct payment method. The Ennis Information Age Town project, with which my Department is currently involved, will provide further information regarding the practical benefits for citizens to be achieved through the development of e-commerce.
My Department's Internet site, while still at the development stage, is also already attracting significant interest across a wide range of users. While information dissemination has been the primary focus of the site to date, we are also looking at new and different ways of handling the business through this mode both in respect of transactions with customers and also in business dealings with suppliers. It is the intention to develop the site to become an interactive access channel for our customers.
On a broader front, my Department intends to continue to play its full part in developing and implementing the concepts and practices of electronic Government.
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