Ireland slips down the 'e-readiness' rankings: Ireland has slipped into 16th place in the latest Economist e-readiness rankings, losing ground as its industrialised peers adopt VoIP and internet television. That's according to the seventh annual e-Readiness Rankings, which measure the e-business environment of 68 countries around the world, gauging the extent to which each market is prepared to take advantage of internet-based opportunities in the public and private sectors. The report, which was prepared by IBM and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), found that Europe continues to dominate the rankings, taking six of the top 10 spots. Denmark is the most "e-ready" country in the world, followed by the US, Switzerland, Sweden, UK, Netherlands, Finland, Australia, Canada and Hong Kong. For more on this story see ElectricNews.net.
Ireland should boost IT use in schools: Irish students are being put at a disadvantage because of the failure to use technology properly in the classroom, according to ICT Ireland, an association that represents the high-tech sector within business lobby group IBEC. The organisation has accused the Irish government of failing to put in place adequate plans to boost the use of technology in the classroom. ICT Ireland warned that Irish students risk falling behind their European peers because the IT strategy for the classroom appears to have ground to a halt. ICT Ireland director Kathryn Raleigh said this failure could limit students' career options in the future. She said the organisation would like to see a strategic policy on the use of ICT in the classroom; ICT Ireland is calling for a central policy that dictates how ICT is used in the classroom. For more on this story see ElectricNews.net.
European Commission unveils plan for 2010: Hundreds of billions of euro could be saved every year due to administrative modernisation across EU Member States, according to the European Commission's new eGovernment Action Plan. Announcing the new plan, the Commission noted that 100 percent take-up of electronic invoicing and electronic public procurement is predicted to save EUR300 billion annually. All 25 Member States have already agreed to pursue these goals; the new Action Plan outlines concrete steps toward achieving them. The plan highlights five priority areas from now until 2010. These consist of ensuring there is no digital divide, using ICT to create efficiencies, implementing e-procurement, enabling EU-wide access to services for citizens, and strengthening participation and democratic decision-making. For more information on the Action Plan, read the Commission press release.
India to roll out e-government centres: The state of Jharkhand in India is in the process of setting up common service centres (CSCs) to provide e-services for citizens in rural villages, reports Calcutta's online newspaper, the Telegraph. The state government has invited tenders from providers to establish centres in 4,562 villages under a public-private partnership model. A government spokesperson said the CSCs aim to transform villages through the use of information and communication technologies and to deliver a host of government and private services such as telemedicine, e-education and internet access. "It will instil confidence among the people about the Government's intention to uplift rural economy and also eliminate red-tape, corruption and wastage of time, money and resources," said government IT officials.
Maltese drivers renew vehicle registrations online: The government of Malta has launched an online vehicle registration renewal service, reports Maltese newswire di-ve.com. The eVERA service was launched by Minister for Investments, Industry and IT Austin Gatt, who said the service had 200,000 potential clients and was the Government's largest electronic service to date. Users of the service can log on to the www.licenzji-vetturi.gov.mt website and, if they have a valid insurance policy and their vehicle does not require a VRT test, they can renew the vehicle's registration licence online. The new licence disc is posted out to users within three working days, eliminating the need to go to the Licensing Department in person. The Government said it was considering the development of other online services, such as the renewal of driving licences and the registration of new vehicles.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 28.04.2006
