Enda Kenny
Question:100 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the recent work of the Information Society Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19725/02]
Ceisteanna – Questions. - Information Society Commission.
Joe Higgins
Question:101 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the recent work of the Information Society Commission. [23558/02]
Pat Rabbitte
Question:102 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach the progress to date of the work of the Information Society Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3391/03]
Denis Naughten
Question:103 Mr. Naughten asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Information Society Commission; the recommendations being implemented by Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5294/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 to 103, inclusive, together.
The second Information Society Commission was appointed by the Taoiseach towards the end of 2001. It is chaired by Dr. Danny O'Hare, former President of DCU, and draws on high-level representation from the business community, the social partners and the public sector. The commission acts as an independent advisory body to the Government and so is in a position to play a key role in shaping the ongoing development of information society policy.
As an independent advisory body, the commission is responsible for developing and pursuing its own work programme. The secretariat to support the work of the commission is being provided by my Department.
The terms of reference of the commission are to highlight the challenges and opportunities presented by information society developments; to monitor Ireland's performance in its evolution as an information society, both nationally and internationally; to identify areas of co-operation with other jurisdictions, including establishment of links with the Northern Ireland information age initiative; and to establish working groups, as required, to provide expert advice on specific areas of public policy development.
The commission published its first report to Government on 19 December 2002, outlining its main findings and recommendations to date. In addition, the commission published simultaneously a separate report on relevant legal issues prepared by its legal affairs working group. I launched both reports on 19 December.
The recommendations are being taken forward in the context of the ongoing work of the Cabinet committee together with the implementation group of assistant secretaries and individual Departments.
Will the Minister of State agree that an important spin-off from the work of the Information Society Commission should be urgent investment in primary schools to equip them with information technology? Will the Minister indicate the progress envisaged in that regard following on from the publication of the report? Will she agree that the work of the Information Society Commission should be geared to the widest availability of information so that the decisions taken are informed and are for the benefit of society and that more areas of society are enabled to be facilitated with the benefits provided by information systems? Will she agree also that there is a major contradiction between that aspiration and the closing down of information envisaged in the restrictions in the Freedom of Information Act which the Government is currently proposing?
Information technology in schools is one of the key planks of the development of the information society, as are those people at the other end of the scale who have little access to computers and IT facilities. The Deputy will be aware of the blueprint for the future of ICT in primary and second level schools. A total of €78.72 million was allocated for the support of ICT in schools at the end of 2001 and over 2002, of which €5 million went specifically towards pupils with special needs. Further investment is being made in that area.
In addition to that a support network is needed in schools. It is not sufficient just to have the Internet connection or the hardware. There has to be a support network for the teachers. The sum of €20 million has been allocated over a two year period to fund a national advisory and support network for training for teachers and so on.
It is worth noting in this area that we are moving to a second level now that every school in the country has Internet access and good rates for access from Eircom, with Eircom also agreeing to extend and enhance that rate for another year. It is not just a matter of having computers in schools for the sake of it but integrating them into the curriculum. That is the next stage and we are anxious to move on it so that computers are used actively to teach Irish, history and so on. I see great opportunities in that area. Second chance education, further and higher education, e-learning and social inclusion are also important but the question related particularly to schools and I agree with the Deputy that this is very important. That is why the investment is in place and why we are moving on the curriculum.
The Deputy will also have noted that matters related to the information society have been included in the new draft social partnership agreement. This is the first time that has happened and it is welcome. We see it as ensuring the information society is available to all. This does not relate to freedom of information, it relates to the information society.
The principle is the same.
Will the Minister of State outline her responsibilities, as Minister for e-government, in ensuring that the recommendations of the December report are implemented? Second, what are her views on the fact that a recent World Economic Forum report ranked Ireland 51st in a global ranking of broadband availability? To put that in context, we are behind countries like Latvia, Hungary, Turkey, Guatemala, Botswana, Peru, Tunisia, Slovenia and Namibia.
It is not appropriate to quote from a document during Question Time.
I am referring to it. Is it not to the shame of the Government and the previous Administration that we now find ourselves in 51st place in a world ranking of broadband accessibility? We are supposed to consider ourselves a relatively hi-tech information society and to be proud that we are the largest exporter of software in the world, despite being a small country. However, our telecommunications infrastructure is making us very uncompetitive as a destination for foreign investment.
My role involves monitoring progress in implementing the new action plan on the information society, New Connections, and we have just issued our first progress report on that plan. There are seven strands within it: telecommunications infrastructure, the legal and regulatory environment, e-government, e-business, research and development, lifelong learning and e-inclusion. In handling those I deal with different Ministers but it is important to point out that individual Ministers retain responsibility for those individual areas, which is why the question the Deputy raised on broadband is one he can raise in a few minutes with the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, who has direct responsibility for this area.
I arrange for co-ordination of this work not just because I am physically based in the Department of the Taoiseach, with a unit of that Department working on the information society, but the Cabinet sub-committee on the information society is chaired by the Taoiseach. Where there are interdepartmental logjams – information society issues cut across several Departments – the excellent policy group and the sub-committee can free those up.
The Deputy referred to a survey on broadband and I am sure he would like to quote from the EU surveys which show we are top of the rankings on e-government. We have been number one or two in that regard for a long time.
Dream on.
The EU surveys show our present position. The broadband telecommunications infrastructure is crucially important to me. One of the main aims set out in the New Connections document is that we put in place high quality, high speed, affordable telecommunications services that are available to all citizens and businesses. I commend the work the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has done and continues to do in this area. He will answer questions on the issue himself.
I agree totally with Deputy Joe Higgins that it is extraordinary the Minister of State with responsibility for information is also the Government Chief Whip who this week in the Seanad and next week in the Dáil will force through the most narrowly focused public information regime in Europe and return us to a 1984-style society. It is a disgrace.
The Minister of State referred to her role as a supervisor. We have all read New Connections. What is the problem with the Reach programme? It was supposed to help with the establishment of the public service broker for the Department of Social and Family Affairs but there are reports that the Reach contracts have not gone to tender and that there has been delay after delay. The Taoiseach, the person with responsibility for the programme, did not know the answer when I asked him about this two weeks ago. There is a huge logjam in the Minister of State's Department that is holding up the wonderful developments she outlined. What is happening to the tenders for the Reach programme?
The Minister of State mentioned cheap rate access for school computers but the Government continues to divide society. Provision for electronic inclusion is a shambles and a huge proportion of socially disadvantaged and lower income families have not a ghost of a chance of being connected to a broadband network because of the policies of the Minister of State and the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dermot Ahern. The Minister of State is creating a divided society on the basis of electronic exclusion and it is a shocking indictment of her role as e-Minister.
The Reach agency, which is answerable to the Minister and Department of Social and Family Affairs, is making progress with the public services broker. The procurement process is ongoing and tenders are now in and are being considered.
When will that happen? It has been held up for six months.
It would be inappropriate to comment other than to say that the tenders are in and are being considered.
E-inclusion and lifelong learning are central planks of New Connections. The first progress report on New Connections, published last month, highlights the initiatives which have been and continue to be taken. There has been an increase in Internet services for the community and voluntary sector. Muintir na Tíre has developed a project to connect all its constituent groups with a high degree of success. The CAIT initiative established 121 projects across the State to ensure those living in more isolated areas have access.
Capacity building is a key feature of the work. It is pointless giving people broadband access if they do not know how to use it or if there are no services available. The whole aim of e-government is to ensure that people can apply for car tax, passports and driving licences on-line. At the moment people can find a great deal through BASIS for business information and Reach for general services.
We have launched programmes of equal skills that focus on inclusion. By concentrating on access for those with disabilities to the information society we are opening up a whole new world. Accessibility guidelines have been launched as well as new websites, public access terminals, software applications and telecoms. Huge progress has been made in this area. If I may digress, one of the most impressive things I saw recently in relation to access for people with disability was in St. Joseph's residential home for adults who are deaf-blind. There, The Irish Times was being printed out in Braille from Ireland. com so that people could read today's newspaper today. Heretofore, they were reading English news arriving from England a month late. That is real accessibility for people with disability, opening up a whole new world. That is the essence of New Connections.
Is the Minister of State alarmed by the apparent drop in Ireland's position in the international league in this regard? Eight or ten years ago, Ireland seemed to be at the cutting edge, playing a central role and competing against all others. Now, our position seems to be slipping, with the exception of e-government to which the Minister of State has just referred and which appears to be conducted in an environment of smoke and mirrors, with the emphasis on the smoke aspect. Will the Minister of State indicate whether Ireland's competitiveness is likely to be affected by the fact that we are in the middle 50s in the international league while, at the same time, we are one of the top ten wealthiest countries in the world?
No, I do not accept that. There are a number of elements which attract investment into this country, one of which is our infrastructure. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources made a recent announcement in relation to 19 towns and issued policy directions to the Commission for Communications Regulation, including arrangements for flat rate Internet access. Those developments are making a real difference to people, including those coming into the country and those who are here already.
The Minister of State referred to broadband roll-out. In relation to the north-east, is it not a fact that only towns included in the national spatial strategy, namely Dundalk, Cavan and Monaghan, will actually get broadband in the next round and that towns such as Drogheda are excluded?
The question in relation to individual towns might be more appropriately addressed to the Minister directly concerned.
On the second part of my question, the Minister of State referred to the CAIT initiative. On the social inclusion aspect, particularly in terms of helping older people who need to become familiar with the technology, will she confirm or deny that the current budget includes no provision for the CAIT initiative for elderly people in the area of communications?
The Deputy's question is more appropriate to the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
The Minister of State referred to it specifically. There is no money for it in the budget. The Minister's comments were all hot air, rubbish and irrelevant.
As the Minister of State pointed out, there are a number of Ministers involved. CAIT is the responsibility of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
The information society fund, from which all of those developments are funded, is €42 million this year. That will go towards funding a substantial number of projects throughout the country, some continuing from last year and some new initiatives, to tackle those areas most in need. With regard to the Deputy's reference to elderly people, the Department of the Taoiseach is about to initiate a survey among the general public to establish who is making access and what people really want in terms of access in the information age. We are looking particularly at five groups that have been identified by other surveys and by the Information Society Commission as those who could benefit from more access. These include women whose main duties are in the home, tradesmen and skilled workers, people employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, the unemployed and the retired.
While we may refer to schools and young people, those about whom we are mainly concerned are the late adopters, constituting 55% of people. In the case of women whose main duties are in the home, 78% do not have access. These are the facts and this is what we must deal with. Some 68% of those tradesmen to whom I referred do not have access. Some 85% in agriculture, forestry and fishing do not have access. Yet huge initiatives are taking place at Government level to ensure that people can get information, grants etc. on-line and therefore it is important these people feel comfortable with the systems.
Some 73% of the unemployed do not have access. We find that, through the initiative in the libraries, these are the very people who are making most use of it. Some 90% of retired people do not have access – for those people who have access it opens up a whole new world. The Sunset group I met in Ennis have their own website where they communicate with each other and produce newsletters etc. This is the type of initiative which we are encouraging throughout the country through the information society.
Does the Minister of State agree that a computer mouse is the closest thing to a rodent that should normally appear in a classroom? Does she agree that in the information society age there is a huge incongruity that the computer mouse is joined by real live rodents in a number of schools, as headmasters have graphically told us? Does she agree that if the implementation of investment in information society means anything, it means classrooms that are up to par, with rodents, apart from the computer mouse, left outside the classroom door?
Does the Minister of State accept that while reasonable e-government services may be developed, the issue is really about connectivity so that people can access those services? What progress is being made on wireless broadband technology, as most people in the industry accept that the only way to connect people in rural areas is through wireless technology? Is it the case—
Deputy, your question is more appropriate to the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and, in fairness to Deputy Broughan, we would not like to anticipate his Priority Question on the issue.
It is a rare occasion that we get an opportunity to question the e-Minister.
On her responsibility, not on the responsibility of other Ministers.
On her responsibility for the provision of e-government which needs to be acted on.
Yes, but the provision of broadband technology is not her responsibility.
This is the problem.
I appreciate that. It is also a problem for the Chair but it is clear that the question is more appropriate to the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, as was the question of your colleague on CAIT more appropriate to the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
This relates directly to the provision of e-government.
Yes, but it is not the responsibility of the Minister of State. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources will answer Priority Questions shortly and there is a Priority Question on the matter. I do not want Members to ask the Minister of State a question in anticipation of a question which will be answered shortly.
I look forward to the response to that question.
At what stage is the e-procurement process of Government? The normal mode of behaviour of many companies is to have auctions on-line and some companies operate on a daily auction basis in the procurement area. To what extent does that operate in the Office of Public Works, for example, or in the Government service?
In answer to Deputy Higgins's question, when the hardware was provided for schools, many schools provided top-class facilities and top-class rooms to enable the computer mice to run efficiently and well.
In answer to Deputy Coveney's question, I am responsible for the provision of services in e-government. This is why assistant secretaries and indeed Secretaries General of each of the Departments whom I have met are constantly being driven to ensure that they see what services can be provided on-line. These services are provided not just for the sake of providing them, but the public will want to and will be able to access them. One of the most successful, and indeed prize-winning, ones to date has been that of the Revenue Commissioners, who have provided an excellent service for people. I am not sure whether this is because it is on-line or because one gets three weeks extra in which to pay, but it shows what can be done by Government services.
Enterprise Ireland established a key e-procurement action within its own national linkage programme and held a series of conferences with all its members to highlight this.
The Government is not doing it.
Much is happening at local government level and on a pilot basis. Kerry County Council has an e-procurement project that has saved it millions, not just in procurement but also in advertising.
We do not auction on-line so we effectively have no e-procurement.
We do not yet have it at national Government level but once the success of the pilot projects has been identified it will be rolled out. It must be remembered that the new connections programme has only been up and running for a year, yet huge progress has been made. It is not something that will happen overnight, but progress has been made in every area targeted, with substantial progress in most areas.