Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 January 2014
338. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason for the delay in delivery of the integrated licensing application system for the retail sector; the amount by which it will reduce the annual cost of regulatory requirements for local convenience stores when introduced; the date on which the system will be rolled out to other sectors of the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4184/14]
View answerThe Forfás report, “The Review and Audit of Licences”, which assessed 159 licences across key sectors of the economy recommended the introduction of an integrated licensing system. The Government considers this project to be of significant importance and positioned it as one of the Disruptive Reforms in the Action Plan for Jobs 2013. Such an integrated licensing system, which will streamline the licensing application process, is a reformative step in reducing the administrative burdens for business. A key goal of the proposed system is to support the licence application process through the provision of a single portal or website through which businesses will be able to apply for, and renew, a multiplicity of licences. The new licensing system will be developed for the retail sector in the first instance and rolled out to other sectors of the economy thereafter.
The delivery of an integrated licensing application system for business offers real potential to ease the process of starting up a business in Ireland and will significantly reduce the work involved in annual renewals of licences. It will also contribute to maintaining Ireland’s position at the forefront of delivering advanced eGovernment services and using Information Technology to reduce costs for business and improve the delivery of services to business.
The Integrated Licensing Application System should also provide productivity and efficiency gains in the public sector by streamlining the administration of licensing processes and the potential for more integrated inspection and compliance systems in the future and better application of rick-based enforcement.
The latest draft Request for Tender for an outsourced provision of an Integrated Licensing Application System is being examined by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO), in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. It will also be legally necessary for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to designate this Department as a body to which the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) can provide services. This will enable the LGMA to act as the Contracting Authority for the licensing application system. As soon as final sign-off by the CSSO is received, and following the designation of the LGMA, a call for tenders will be issued through the EU Official Journal. It will take a minimum of three months to award a contract. These strict timelines will impact on the delivery date of the building, testing, and delivery of the Integrated Licensing Application System. It is expected that a service provider could be appointed by Quarter 2 of 2014 with delivery of the system in Quarter 3.
It is then proposed that the LGMA would complete a roadmap for the rollout of the Service to other key sectors of the economy by Q4 2014, with rollout to commence in 2015.
