IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

DSS, Ireland's largest privately-owned computer systems and services company, has announced that they have been awarded the contract to supply the technology platform behind the Local Government Computer Services Board “mobhaile” pilot project.

Mobhaile, which will form a key part of the ongoing eGovernment initiative, will provide a wealth of information of local relevance to citizens and businesses across the country.

Read more: Ireland: DSS awarded LCGCSB contract

The waiting time for the payment of Child Benefit is being dramatically reduced from months to hours in a major redesign and modernisation of the social welfare payment system, Mary Coughlan TD, Minister for Social and Family Affairs said today.

Read more: Ireland: Child benefit payment faster and now more efficient as rates increased

Details of who will build and manage Ireland's core e-government system, the Public Services Broker, have been released, with BearingPoint winning the lion's share of the contract.

The selection of BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting) was widely expected after Reach, the government agency responsible for the new system, named BearingPoint its preferred supplier late last year. The announcement also included a full list of companies involved in the important contract: Esat BT, for infrastructure management outsourcing, as well as BEA, Netegrity, Oracle and Sun Microsystems for technology.

Read more: Ireland: BearingPoint set for e-gov rollout

The proposed Irish e-voting system for this year's European and regional elections will undergo scrutiny by a group of independent experts who will look into the system's alleged security flaws. A report is due out on 1 May, following which the government could decide to withdraw its plans. The group, called the 'Commission on electronic voting' has built a website which was made public today. The proposal, put forward last year by the Irish government, drew furious criticism from civil liberties group and the opposition labour party about alleged security shortcomings.

Read more: Irish e-voting system under scrutiny due to concerns about fraud