Electronic Service Delivery within NI Government Departments

Electronic Service Delivery Report to the Northern Ireland Assembly by the Comptroller and Auditor General Electronic service delivery is a key aspect of the wider e-Government agenda. It is about Government using new technologies, particularly the internet, to improve the way it delivers services and to transform internal efficiency. In July 2001, the Northern Ireland Executive established a target of having 100 per cent of key services capable of being delivered electronically by the end of 2005.

A report published  by  the Comptroller and Auditor General, examines the progress made in delivering services electronically. Mr Dowdall said:

“Electronic service delivery is now well-advanced in some areas of Government. However it is not enough simply to put existing services on-line. The importance of understanding citizens’ needs cannot be over-emphasised and departments need to work together more closely to develop joined-up services which cross departmental boundaries. ”

Main Findings

  • Overall, Northern Ireland departments reported that 93 per cent of their key services were now capable of being delivered electronically. Several of these electronically-enabled services have received external recognition for high standards.
  • However, even full achievement of the target would provide little information on the effectiveness of electronic service delivery. The target does not consider the take-up and usage of the services and it is possible to achieve the target in full without necessarily delivering any of the benefits of e-government.
  • There was no independent challenge of the services selected for inclusion in the target. This created the risk that services may have been defined as ‘key’ and electronically enabled, even though there was no evidence of customer demand; or important services may have been excluded from the target because they were not appropriately assessed.
  • Services are meant to be designed around the needs of users, rather than for the convenience of existing government structures and organisations. This requires consultation with customers. There was little evidence that departments had engaged with service users to identify their needs.
  • It is not clear if there is a high degree of take-up of electronic services, whether customers are satisfied with the services or if departments are making cost savings or efficiency gains. In the absence of such measures, there is no basis for assessing, in aggregate terms, the overall value for money of electronic service delivery.
  • A key theme of electronic service delivery is to provide new, often joined-up, services which meet the needs of customers rather than reflecting the way in which government is currently structured. The report did not find evidence of services which crossed departmental boundaries.
  • There have been a number of wider e-government developments in NI which should contribute to improved electronic services in the future. This includes a review of public sector websites, the establishment of the Online NI website (www.onlineni.net) as a public sector portal and work being undertaken by the Digital Inclusion Unit.