Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
291. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the expenditure incurred in external information technology costs in each year since March 2011, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32304/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) in my Department has a broad remit which includes responsibility for the implementation of the Public Service ICT Strategy. The ambition of the ICT Strategy is to maximise the benefits of ICT in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery.
The Build to Share pillar of the strategy is a significant driver of OGCIO’s agenda in terms of the central provision of common ICT services across government and the OGCIO currently provides common ICT services to over 30 Public Service Organisations. In addition to leading its implementation, for which an 18 Step Action Plan was developed, the OGCIO is also leading implementation of the eGovernment Strategy 2017-2020, the Public Service Data Strategy 2017-2023, and Action 1 of Our Public Service 2020 which seeks to drive digital transformation across government.
The combination and impact of these initiatives places the OGCIO at the very core of digital transformation of government and of ICT service delivery to government bodies and agencies. The scale of this responsibility, the growth in use of shared systems, the relatively modest headcount in OGCIO and the need for some very specific, fixed-term technical input, e.g. on data centre design and cyber-security, has resulted in additional external ICT spend in the last three years in particular. The relevant expenditure by OGCIO is set out in the table below.
Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO)
|
Year |
External IT Costs |
|
2011 |
€1,609,711.27 |
|
2012 |
€1,987,012.03 |
|
2013 |
€2,429,100.65 |
|
2014 |
€3,415,217.74 |
|
2015 |
€5,061,705.25 |
|
2016 |
€7,689,692.10 |
|
2017 |
€15,427,256.27 |
|
2018 |
€14,431,121.15 |
|
2019 (to-date) |
€5,768,558.40 |
The table below sets out the relevant information in respect of other divisions of my Department.
|
Year |
External IT Costs |
|
2011 |
€45,113.36 |
|
2012 |
€56,675.79 |
|
2013 |
€36,080.82 |
|
2014 |
€48,566.79 |
|
2015 |
€43,534.38 |
|
2016 |
€191,766.89 |
|
2017 |
€886,473.07 |
|
2018 |
€1,549,324.14 |
|
2019 (to-date) |
€662,465.30 |
