Press release
Minister Donohoe welcomes Ireland’s progress to top ten for Digital Government
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
Ireland has placed in the top 10 international performers in the 2023 Digital Government Index (DGI) published by the OECD. Ireland is ranked alongside countries such as Korea, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Canada. The Digital Government Index is a report that assesses the efforts made by governments to establish the foundations necessary for a digital transformation of the public sector that is coherent and human-centred.
Commenting on the report, Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe said:
"This is a great result not only for digital teams in Government but for the people of Ireland. Our digital transformation is increasing productivity, enhancing services and improving people’s lives. The public rightly hold government digital services to the highest standards of safety, security and ease of use and Ireland scores highly in these areas."
Minister of State for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth added:
"Digital transformation is a whole of government endeavour, driven by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer within my department. They are bringing together colleagues from across Government and this combined effort will continue to deliver better digital public services."
The DGI assesses countries’ digital government by looking at the degree to which they have the necessary foundations in place to be able to leverage data and technology to deliver a whole-of-government and human-centric digital transformation of the public sector.
In this year’s index, the OECD commended Ireland for demonstrating a comprehensive approach to ensuring strong foundations for digital government with a balanced performance across the six dimensions they examined.
Ireland’s national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, published in early 2022, sets out a pathway to support Ireland’s ambition to be a digital leader at the heart of European and global digital developments. It places a strong emphasis on inclusiveness, security and safety, underpinned by strong governance and a well-resourced regulatory framework.
Harnessing Digital supports the Public Service Transformation Framework in the Better Public Services strategy. This strategy provides the direction for transformation in the public service with a vision for inclusive, high quality and integrated public service provision that meets the needs and improves the lives of the people of Ireland.
Examples of recent digital initiatives delivered in Ireland include the Digital COVID Certificate; the gov.ie portal for digital public services; the MyGovID electronic ID service enabling access to high value digital public services such as Revenue and PAYE Online records, National Childcare Scheme, Driving Licence Renewal; and online Passport applications.