Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
78. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the progress being made in the digital transformation of public services; the anticipated efficiencies arising from these initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25718/26]
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. This involves the digitalisation of the majority of public services including, for example, applying for social housing, obtaining a marriage certificate or registering for key welfare supports, such as the working family payment. My department oversees and monitors implementation of the Digital Public Services Plan through central governance arrangements, performance reporting by Departments and agencies, and ongoing engagement to track progress, manage risks and support delivery. 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.
In February 2026, the Department of the Taoiseach published the Digital Ireland strategy, which aims to ensure Ireland remains a digital leader in an increasingly competitive global environment. Underpinned by inclusion and accessibility, its implementation harnesses digital and AI opportunities to deliver effective and modern public services, and to empower our people to thrive in a digital society.
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 reducing the administrative burden, and building trust as well as improving efficiencies and streamlining processes for the public and allowing resources to be redirected towards improving outcomes for citizens.
In this context, my Department places a strong emphasis on securing value for money, in line with DPER Circular 18/2025, which reinforces the requirement that all public expenditure is subject to robust governance and oversight. Through Circular 14/2021, my Department has an oversight and approval role for all new digital and ICT initiatives. The primary objective of the Circular is to ensure that digital and ICT related initiatives are appropriately aligned with all relevant government policies and the strategies that support them; and that appropriate governance arrangements are in place. Consideration of proposed initiatives also includes leveraging complementarities and synergies across Departments where possible, including the reuse of shared digital public infrastructure building blocks developed by the OGCIO, as well as other shared solutions across the public service. From an Exchequer perspective, closer collaboration across different Departments providing joined-up services has the potential to greatly enhance the efficiency of service provision by reducing administrative duplication, siloing and fragmentation of IT systems across the public service. From the perspective of the user, these efficiencies are manifested in the form or more intuitive and user-friendly services that take less time to access and navigate, which don’t require people to continually provide the same information multiple times.
