Press release
Minister of State O’Donovan participates in discussion on digital government services
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
Gathering information from members of the public on their use of, enthusiasm for and access to online government services
Minister of State Patrick O'Donovan TD with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Open Government today (20th November 2018) participates in a discussion on digital government with members of the public in Dublin, to gather information from the public on their use of, enthusiasm for and access to online government services.
This discussion is one of several that will be held to capture the opinions of people at different life stages and their experiences in interacting with a range of government services.
The overall goal of these sessions is to get insight and understanding into what people like about digital government services, what they feel Government could do better, things they would like to see that may not yet be available, and any concerns and potential barriers.
These sessions will provide members of the public with an opportunity to have a direct input into matters which affect them and their communities.
They will also allow the Minister to deliver on his commitment in the eGovernment Strategy 2017-2020; to explore ideas and suggestions from citizens so that Ireland can remain a leader for eGovernment.
Speaking at today’s session, Minister O’Donovan said:
"I am very pleased to be launching such a detailed exercise to gather the views of members of the public. It is essential that the Public Service continues to develop digital services to meet the needs and expectations of our people; in other words our services should be consistently easy and convenient to use. If we are going to claim that our digital government services are user-centred then it is essential to ask the citizens themselves and let them input into our future plans and designs."
He went on to say:
“This research on our citizens’ experiences of using digital services is a key step to improving our delivery of Government services. Digitalisation of services is critical in order to meet people’s expectations of more immediate and responsive engagement with government and in turn, will drive better policies and enhance services.”
ENDS
This discussion is part of the foundation for a significant research exercise that will be undertaken by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), under Action 1 of Our Public Service 2020, ‘Accelerate Digital Delivery of Services’.
The research will encompass a wide range of demographics and sections of society, and it will help identify government services to be prioritised for digitalisation, as well as online services that could be enhanced or improved.