Written Answers. - Departmental Projects.
John McGuinness
Ceist:
517
Mr. McGuinness
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
the number of ICT pro jects or initiatives being undertaken by her Department; the cost of each project; if they are being or have been delivered within budget and on time; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[26079/03]
My Department is a major user of information and communications technology and, on an ongoing basis, would have a range of projects and initiatives under way to update and improve aspects of the system and the technology underpinning it. These projects and initiatives range from very large projects involving major expenditure and, usually, external consultancy assistance to small projects which may be undertaken from time to time to improve aspects of the system, with or without external assistance.
The resources assigned to ICT projects are budgeted and costed under a number of headings, mainly relating to staff costs, costs of computer hardware and software, and costs of any external assistance employed. In terms of the larger ICT projects in train, budgets and costs are clearly identifiable as, in general, resources are allocated exclusively to these projects. For smaller projects where mainly internal resources are used, these resources may be employed on a number of different projects and it is not always possible to apportion costs to specific projects.
The 11 projects detailed in the following schedule include the major projects ongoing in the Department at this time. The full budgets and costs to date are supplied in respect of these. Where it is not possible to fully break down the costing information for some of the smaller projects, the amounts spent on external consultancy assistance are supplied.
There are well-established project management processes in place within my Department for managing and monitoring the progress of ICT projects. Where projects are large and span a number of years it may be necessary to revise project timescales and costs in response to changing circumstances, and it is not always possible to predict such changes in advance. One of the objectives of the project management process is to detect and provide indications, as far in advance as possible, of upcoming circumstances or contingencies which may necessitate changes to project timescales or resources. Application of the project management process enables such changes to be flagged, and their effects on projects managed, in a controlled manner.
Where there is a necessity to employ external assistance with ICT projects, procurement of such assistance is carried out in strict adherence to all relevant procurement legislation and resulting contracts are drawn up on a fixed price basis. This facilitates best value in terms of cost and also enables a degree of predictability on project budgets.
Schedule of ongoing ICT projects:
1. Service Delivery Model (SDM) Programme – a multi-annual project of change, both techno logical and organisational, to achieve, on a phased basis, radical improvements in service delivery. The first phase of this programme – in respect of the child benefit scheme – was successfully implemented towards the end of 2002. In light of this, preparations for the next phase of the programme are now being made. A total budget of €20 million was allocated to the programme in 2001, of which €12 million has been spent to date. Of this, some €5.1 million relates to consultancy costs. It is anticipated that a further €10 million will be required in 2004 and 2005 to advance the future stages of the programme.
2. REACH project – a project being managed under the Department's aegis by the REACH agency which will develop and implement the public service broker to facilitate integrated access to public services. It is intended that the first phase of the broker will be implemented during the first half of 2004. The overall budget allocated to the project was €14.35 million. To date €7.5 million has been spent, mainly on staffing and consultancy assistance.
3. General Registrars Office, GRO, modernisation programme – a joint programme of work between my Department and the Department of Health and Children. The first implementation of the new system went live successfully earlier this year. The budget allocated to the Department for this project was approximately €10.3 million and expenditure to end 2003 will be approximately €10 million, of which some €6.4 million will be in respect of consultancy.
4. Management Information Framework, MIF, programme – part of a Civil Service wide programme to develop enhanced management information systems to facilitate effective resource allocation, planning, programme evaluation and decision making. It is intended that some €1 million will be spent on this project over the period 2000 to 2004, of which some €750,000 has been spent to date. Of this, some €0.34 million relates to consultancy. The project is running on time and within budget.
5. Human Resource Management, HRM, system – upgrading of the Department's computerised HRM system in line with the Civil Service standard for HR systems. Consultancy assistance with the development of this system is expected to cost a total of €29,000 during 2003.
6. Inter-Agency Messaging Project – a mechanism enabling the Department to exchange electronic messages securely with appropriate agencies. The initial implementation of this system has been successfully delivered in September of this year to provide linkages between the GRO system, the SDM system for child benefit, and my Department's central records system. The estimated consultancy expenditure for this project during 2003 is €122,000.
7. ICT Administration Framework – a draw-down project arrangement with a firm of consultants to advise and assist in developing and implementing best practices in managing the IS organisation. It is anticipated that consultancy costs amounting to €85,000 will be incurred during 2003.
8. ICT infrastructure review – a project to review the Department's existing ICT infrastructure and develop a strategy for meeting its infrastructure requirements for the medium to long-term. It is anticipated that a total of €102,000 will be spent during 2003 on consultancy advice with this project.
9. Financials System – a project to upgrade the Department's accounting package. This project was completed during 2003 and a total of €154,000 will be spent during 2003 on consultancy assistance with it.
10. Integrated Short Term Schemes, ISTS, system – development and testing of software enhancements to this system, which supports the administration of the Department's short-term schemes – unemployment, disability and supplementary welfare programmes. This project was completed during 2003, within a budget for consultancy assistance of €10,000.
11. Employment Investigation, ERIN, system – development and testing of software enhancements to this system, which supports the Department's outdoor staff. This project was completed on time and in budget during 2003, with spending on consultancy assistance totalling €3,600.
