My Department's website plays an important role in enhancing service to its customers by improving access to information and increasing the quality of communication. It contains such information as contact details, organisation details, press releases, speeches, publications and details of specific initiatives. The site continues to be developed through the addition of more information and it is intended that databases of circulars, reports, etc will be addressed to it in the context of developments planned under the ScoilNet component of the Schools IT 2000 project which I launched late last year. Enhancements incorporating the provision of e-commerce services through this resource will also be considered.
Individual staff members can be contacted through Internet e-mail and staff are encouraged to inform the public of this service.
At least £500,000 has been provided under the school administration project in each year since 1992 to assist second level schools in acquiring information technology equipment and software for administration purposes. Schools are invited to participate in the project by way of letters of offer of equipment or software or, more recently, a grant-aid issued by the IT unit of my Department. As a result of this project, over 95 per cent of second level schools now submit their annual pupil return and exam entry applications in electronic form. In addition, over 65 per cent of schools now also make electronic returns of time-tabling information which is required annually. It is intended to extend this project into other areas of administration in the future, as resources permit.
My Department's IT unit has also started to plan for the development an enhanced technical infrastructure to facilitate e-commerce and to cater for the provision of direct access to certain information contained in the Department's databases in the future.
