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THE GOVERNMENT has published its ‘master plan’ to offer public services online, as part of its overall plans to streamline the public sector.
The eGovernment 2012-2015 document, published this afternoon by public expenditure and reform minister Brendan Howlin, outlines 45 goals in eight main areas in which services will be moved online over the next four years.
The plan is based on five ‘key principles’, including the theory that public services should always be delivered through the most appropriate channels, that electronic governance should reduce bureaucracy, and that public services should try to make online services the most attractive option.
The plan also identifies 11 areas in which progress should be made by the end of 2013, including the ability to renew an adult passport, lodge planning applications and objections, apply for driving licences, and form new companies.
Other plans include the ability to allow the public apply for welfare benefits, while companies will be able to file their corporation tax returns. It is also planned to roll out the fixyourstreet.ie service, which currently only covers South Dublin, to the rest of the country.
Part of the broader plan will see public bodies adopt social media usage policies, develop smartphone apps where appropriate, and examine the possibility of establishing an online, interactive Citizens Information Centre.
Overall the plan intends to help Ireland meet EU targets of having 50 per cent of public services, and 80 per cent of business services, delivered online by 2015.
Howlin said the plan “places citizens and businesses at the centre of eGovernment” and challenged public bodies to develop new services with public convenience in mind.
He added that a public service Chief Information Officer Council had been established in order to oversee the implementation of the eGovernment programme.
A data-sharing ‘clearing house’ has been established within his Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in order to advance data-sharing across public bodies.
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A welcome development by Minister Howlin. We need to streamline our public services to make them as efficient and effective as possible. Online access such as that proposed is another step in the right direction.
You mean Virtual services. Ones that don’t actually exist. What a master stroke from those Dail devils. Well here’s my virtual Household charge you bunch of comical con men
First a Five Point Plan, and now a Masterplan. What next? Plan Nine From Outer Space?
A final solution
Yes public sector workers do hurry up and move services online so the minister can make you redundant.
just because something is online doesn’t mean redundancy. look at motortax.ie it’s a great service instead of posting documents or going to your motortax office or ros with revenue. it should make things easier for people and also won’t have files being “lost”. also it allows people to deal with public services out of hours. a positive move if it works
Eh….wrong
To streamline/online services the motor tax office in nutgrove has been closed with a loss of 50 jobs!!!
Pipe, smoke it!!!
Ryan was is 50 job losses or redeployment within the ps all which were probably agreed in croke park. either way the facilities should make things easier for consumerd. do we move forward or stay where we are.
yes the nutgrove office closed but no one lost their job!they have been moved to the smithfield and clondalkin office and other sections
Thanks Karen. Hopefully this will create jobs for IT companies if outsourced and we do not have a repeat of the fiasco of the hse payroll system a few years ago. will make life easier and glad to here the 50 people are still employed.
Driving licences are to be done by the RSA come january 2013.dont see how it can be done online doh?im sure they will have a way but i just dont see it happening
the rsa are a bit more advanced in someways as have been issuing digital tachograph cards for years now which are chip and pin. I am unsure if they can be done online but would say its the route they will follow for driving licences
yeah i suppose,forgot they do the tacograph cards.we are definatly getting the card licences in jan doh,about time!
Comment of the Month Eugene …:)
Especially the last three words ! ” if it works ”
Thats a big if and a big ask!
Obviously this is all about providing better service to the public, which is why they’re doing it now and not five or ten years ago. Bit like automated inquiry services, remember back in the stone ages when people would have to ring a regular priced or free number and get through immediately to someone at other end of the line. Nothing to do with redundancies, I’m sure they intend to put all those bureaucrats to good work cleaning hospitals and filling potholes.
Online is where we should be at !
But my faith in government departments getting it right is low.
…..and while we’re at it we’ll move to e-voting…oh am…..maybe not
It’s a good forward planning move. However we will always have the naysayers. What’s wrong with been progressive on our vision for positive change
Finally discovered the Internet did ya, ya big bunch of eejits.
Shane Broadband is NOT available in rural IRELAND unless you are in a town and/ or very near a main Road if beyond that it is dial up connection and we all know how bad and slow that is and that is in 2012 and still no dignity of any work to get that sorted and the Government are talking of Government services going on line great idea but put the infrastructure in place first Minister Howlin
Companies can already complete their tax return online!!! This isn’t new!
I think it is only the self employed who can not companies, though I stand to be corrected.
about bloody time only about ooohh ten years behind rest of Europe.
In fairness we were actually ranked first in Europe for the quality of our e-governance last year. The range of services available online is already way ahead of most other countries. But don’t let that get in the way of the favorite Irish past time: putting ourselves down.
Janine
Don’t hold your breath . It is all talk.It wont happen….
I can’t see any mention of costs or savings ???
What about a masterplan of actually rolling out broadband to every orrifice in the connected country,we are still behind.
Is this a trick to catch folks out too!
Hi Jimbo, think I would use a better word than orifice, brings a different meaning to mind…lol
Jimbo
Yes it a trick to try and get some yes votes , but I do not believe people are going to fall for it … Vote NO.
Can we add voting to this list, great news as it stands, but would love to see online voting sometime soon.
Ah yes of course…Virtual services. Services that don’t actually exist. What a master stroke from those Dail devils.
Well here’s my virtual household charge payment you bunch of hopeless coniving, con men.
This will take years and cost a fortune when the public service unions get involved.
“A data-sharing ‘clearing house’ has been established within his Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in order to advance data-sharing across public bodies.”
Scary….
It’s only fair to catch the tax evaders, welfare cheats, etc as the rest of us are subsidising them with our taxes.
Wow, the humourless government trolls are out in force tonight, bless ‘em.
Our broadband is like our trains 4th slowest in Europe. The only thing that is fast in Ireland is TD’s cashing in on expenses and allowances. Same as previous lot – gangsters.
Thought this government were meant to be creating jobs?
So did the 450k people on the live register…….
Their still waiting over a year later……
Your self and Ryan obviously think that the government should ban the use of computers and calculators, and should instead hire more into the public service. What a great idea! Why stop there? Let’s ban JCBs and hire more lads with shovels. Sure we’ll have full employment in no time. Go back to the pub ye wasters.
Haha well said Frank
Frank Caffrey + Karen
Your comments are not very nice or helpfull. What do you suggest for the 450,000 people should do to earn a decent living ? You seem lucky enough to still have a job …Why don’t you swap places with some one on the dole for a trial period of say 12 months and see how you woulkd like it ? and Karen there can do the same …Good comment my a**e. Have any of you any sympathy or empathy for your fellow country men / women.
Yeah Frank we’re crazy Luddites, obviously the introduction of technology is all about efficiency of service for the public and never about removing human labour from the equation. Not like the mechanisation of farming for instance ever reduced the requirement for agrarian employment, leading to rural depopulation. It’s all about, productivity, efficiency and progress. And anyhow think of all those new jobs technology provide for competitive Chinese factory workers. Don’t think, don’t ask questions, don’t stand in the way of progress.
how are they going to pull that off they tried a house tax that failed…these bog snorklers couldn run a tea party never mind the web…its another electronic voting shambles
What will be the cost of training people on this, and the implementation cost?
does this mean that loads of seat warming people will go on the dole as they should, To join all the well educated people on the other side of the glass that they have been disrespecting..
Yawn… Policy recycling seems to all recent governments can rise to.
we have a cunning plan it involves your money and our friends
Go to bed, little sheep; your work is done.
who is bren howling??? never heard of him
Any indications of how many redundancies and savings this will result in?
The public service is hardly going to make all these efficiency savings and then keep on people to do less work are they?
have your say