Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 October 2010
436 Deputy Johnny Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent by his Department and also by any bodies under his Department’s jurisdiction in each of the past three years on the provision of Internet applications (details supplied); the processes in place to ensure such funds have been spent on good quality Internet applications, in terms of accessibility, security and data protection. [39128/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department currently maintains four websites; three external and one internal as follows:
www.welfare.ie
www.groireland.ie
www.nationalpensionsframework.ie
SOLAS
The development and ongoing maintenance of these websites is subject to the Department's project governance provisions ensuring value for money and high quality, including adherence to security, data protection and accessibility standards. The Department also has a customer consultation framework in place whereby we seek participation from customers to assist in developing and validating policies and service delivery mechanisms. This is achieved through surveys, customer panels, as well as meetings with customer representative groups and those engaged in welfare information services.
The Department's main website, www.welfare.ie, contains information on the range of schemes and services provided, as well as policy publications and on-line services. This site was re-designed and re-developed in 2008 and is highly accessible, winning the Accessible e-Government Award at the 2009 Irish e-Government Awards. The content on www.welfare.ie is maintained and updated by Department staff. The website provides a platform for the delivery of a range of on-line service which are integrated with the Department’s systems and processes.
Responsibility for the General Register Office, and for its website www.groireland.ie , was transferred from the Department of Health and Children to this Department from January 1st, 2008. The Department also maintains the www.nationalpensionsframework.ie website. This site was originally launched as www.pensionsgreenpaper.ie in 2007 to coincide with the launch of the Pensions Green Paper and has been recently expanded and renamed to include information on the Government's plans for the future of pensions in Ireland, the National Pensions Framework and its implementation.
A key component of the Department's Document, Record and Information Management (DRIM) programme was the design, development and implementation of an internal corporate portal and document management system called SOLAS, which was launched in 2008. SOLAS provides a single point of access to information, tools, systems and services required by staff to carry out their jobs.
Agencies under the remit of the Department maintain another seven websites. These agencies are subject to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. The Boards of these bodies are responsible for ensuring compliance with security, data protection and accessibility standards in addition to fulfilling all regulatory and statutory obligations.
The Citizens Information Board maintains the following five websites:
www.citizensinformation.ie
www.assistireland.ie
www.losingyourjob.ie (launched March 2009)
www.citizensinformationboard.ie
www.keepingyourhome.ie (launched January 2010)
The Pensions Board's maintains the website www.pensionsboard.ie. The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman website www.pensionsombudsman.ie is supported and maintained by the Department's staff.
The costs of all these websites over the last three years are provided in the table below.
|
Organisation |
Website |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
|
€ |
€ |
€ |
||
|
Department of Social Protection |
www.welfare.ie |
320,639 |
61,914 |
53,870 |
|
Department of Social Protection |
www.groireland.ie |
230 |
1,892 |
2,000 |
|
Department of Social Protection |
www.nationalpensionsframework.ie |
4,840 |
242 |
816 |
|
Department of Social Protection |
SOLAS (internal website) |
1,147,000 |
— |
— |
|
Citizens Information Board |
www.citizensinformation.ie |
351,457 |
258,575 |
219,722 |
|
Citizens Information Board |
www.assistireland.ie |
100,636 |
85,030 |
45,000 |
|
Citizens Information Board |
www.losingyourjob.ie |
— |
7,454 |
2,179 |
|
Citizens Information Board |
www.citizensinformationboard.ie |
18,644 |
10,882 |
683 |
|
Citizens Information Board |
www.keepingyourhome.ie |
— |
— |
612 |
|
Pensions Board |
www.pensionsboard.ie |
22,700 |
40,019 |
10,090 |
|
Pensions Ombudsman |
www.pensionsombudsman.ie |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
