New Connections - Second Progress Report, 29th April 2004

Foreword

This second report on the implementation of New Connections the Governments Action Plan for the Information Society in Ireland points to much progress in a number of crucial areas such as Telecommunications Infrastructure, Legal and Regulatory, Environment, ICTs in Government and eInclusion.

In the closing months of 2003, for instance, the telecoms market started to respond to Government initiatives to stimulate competition in the marketplace and we now see a general improvement in the availability of broadband products with prospects of a continuation of this trend over the coming year.

Importantly, the e agenda is now being mainstreamed across all areas of economic and social activity and the focus of attention is shifting towards the use of technology rather than simple awareness and access. 

Online service delivery will be made easier following the selection by Reach of a build partner for the Public Services Broker and agreement on a list of priority services for on-line delivery by 2005. 

The developments in online Government have also been very encouraging.  The launch of the new computerised General Register Office electronically registers all births, deaths and marriages. This should make integration much more achievable, and we are already seeing this in the automated Child Benefit payments for second and subsequent children. 

In recent weeks, people have been paying their Motor Tax online in what is turning out to be a very convenient and popular way for people to access public services. 

The Land Registry made significant progress in electronic service delivery in 2003. This is having a tremendous impact on the way property-related transactions are being handled on a daily basis.

In 2003, the Revenue Commissioners made Employer Tax Credit Certificates electronically available, enabling employers to integrate employees tax credit details into their payroll systems. Revenue are also offering a new online service for Tax Relief at Source for mortgages through their website.

The Central Statistics Office, in its first ever statistics on how ICTs are used in Ireland, revealed how the primary use of Internet technologies is email followed by travel and accommodation, information and shopping.  Clearly, therefore, content and the use of technology are critical in stimulating greater engagement in the Information Society.

With further e-Inclusion initiatives being undertaken this year, I am confident that we can continue to show how technology can make a real difference to peoples lives.  E-mail and online shopping are a good start, but the challenge is to create meaningful and useful content to enable everyone to exploit technology to maximum advantage and to provide the levers of change and advancement that can help people to overcome barriers of personal and economic circumstance.

The Information Society is not something vague that has yet to emerge-it is here already.  We are all participants to some degree or other.  In the years ahead with an enlarged Europe that will see greater global competition on Governments and individuals it is important that we continue to be at the forefront and, perhaps more importantly, that we continue to be a strong, successful economy and society, based on the celebration and nurturing of knowledge and creativity, giving everyone a fair chance to participate.

Mary Hanafin, T.D.
Minister of State for the Information Society

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