Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
54. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the Government's programme of digitalisation of public services. [10464/26]
View answerBetter Public Services 2030 is the transformation strategy for the civil and public services and provides the overarching framework for my Department’s public service reform and digitalisation focus in the years ahead. This includes setting digitalisation and data policy for modernised service delivery and providing key features of the digital public service infrastructure that are relevant to the integrated and digital delivery of public services, driving the adoption of Artificial Intelligence, and ensuring digital inclusion.
In November 2025, I launched the Digital Public Services Plan 2030, which sets out Ireland’s roadmap to fully digitalise key public services by 2030, ensuring that 100% of these services are available online and 90% of applicable services are accessed digitally. Aligned with this Plan, my Department is delivering critical features of the digital public service infrastructure to improve the quality, consistency and interoperability of digital systems underpinning key public services.
Another strategy published by my Department is Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap, Government’s aim is to make the digital transition a positive one for those who can engage digitally and to provide support or an alternative for those who cannot.
Later this year, my department will publish the Public Service Data Strategy 2030 to deliver a modern public service data ecosystem where high quality public administrative data is routinely used for policy and service planning and delivery for Better Public Services outcomes.
Combined, these strategies and their successful and sustained implementation reshape the way in which public services are delivered and experienced, with the overall goal of improving outcomes and trust.
My Department has also taken a proactive and coordinated approach to supporting the responsible and effective adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the Public Service which supports broader digitalisation. A key component of this was the publication of the ‘Guidelines for the Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service’ in May 2025, which provide a practical framework to assist Public Service Bodies in designing, developing and deploying AI in a manner that is ethical, transparent and aligned with public service values.
