A Dail Committee was told on Wednesday that the Office of Public Works (OPW) will be the body that develops the Digital Hub in a project that will cost between EUR150 million and EUR200 million. A steering committee will oversee the project, with members of the committee including individuals from the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA), the OPW and officials from the Department of Communications, the Irish Times has reported.
Described as “imminent” the unveiling of the first phase of the PSB — which was developed and will be managed by the Reach agency – will include a set of capabilities aimed at improving services to citizens and to achieve administrative efficiencies within the public sector. The deployment includes a portal website that will act as a comprehensive single access point for public services at www.reachservices.ie for citizens.
Accenture's sixth annual global e-Government survey shows that Ireland came in at 14th place along with five other nations. This places the country in the "follower" category in terms of overall e-government service maturity. In 2004, the Republic was ranked 11th in the firm's report.
The construction of Ireland's e-government infrastructure is about to reach an important milestone next month as the Public Services Broker (PSB) goes into operation.
Seamus Brennan, Minister for Social Welfare and Family Affairs, has revealed that a review of the department's methods of paying customers is underway, with a view to identify a payment system that would be flexible, cost-effective and would take account of the needs of social welfare recipients.