Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2004
583 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if all public services provided by his Department that are capable of electronic delivery are available electronically through a single point of contact, as was promised in the joint programme; and if not, if he will make a statement or explanation in respect of each service not yet so provided. [17568/04]
View answerApplication forms for all grant schemes administered by my Department are currently available on-line via my Departments website www.pobail.ie. The provision of better quality of service and greater access to the Department for the customer is one of the key tenets of my Department’s recently completed ICT strategy plan. The plans includes provision for on-line application facilities for Gaeltacht and community grants.
The electronic delivery of services through a single point of contact is being progressed through the framework of the public services broker. The Reach agency is charged with responsibility for its design and development.
I understand that it is intended to launch the first stage of the public services broker at the end of this month. This will be a public facing website, to be known as reachservices.ie, designed to act as a single point of access to a range of services offered by the Irish public service. Initially reachservices.ie will provide access through links to forms or other on-line services provided on other websites including application forms on my Department’s website.
Among the other facilities that Reach is developing is the capability for developing and hosting on-line interactive forms, which will be made available to Departments and agencies that are developing on-line services for their customers and I understand that this service will be available in the autumn.
My Department is currently in the process of developing a comprehensive IT system for the administration of Gaeltacht grants, which will be completed by August this year. It is intended that when this system has bedded down within the Department, the extension of the system to include the provision of an on-line interactive service with Reach will be pursued.
