Press release
Minister Donohoe publishes Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap
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
The Minister for Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, today published Digital For Good: Ireland's Digital Inclusion Roadmap.
As digital technologies become increasingly woven into our daily lives, there is a risk that some people could be disadvantaged and therefore left behind. However, much work is progressing across government to achieve digital inclusion through better skills, access and infrastructure.
Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap brings this work together in a coherent manner and sets out key supplementary measures. This shows how Government continues to empower and support everyone to use digital services in a meaningful way. It is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’ principle of “Leave No One Behind”.
The goals for the Roadmap are:
Speaking at the publication, Minister Donohoe said:
"I am delighted today to publish Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap. There are many existing initiatives and supports being progressed that will directly contribute to improving digital inclusion through better skills, access and infrastructure, and reducing digital divides at national, local and community level right across the country. Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap brings together this work in a coherent manner and sets out key supplementary measures."
Minister Donohoe added:
"I would like to thank in particular the representative groups that were consulted in preparation of the Roadmap for their engagement and valuable contributions."
The Roadmap also reflects the ask to public service bodies in the Public Service Transformation 2030 Strategy – Better Public Services, to identify and prioritise actions that support digital inclusion to make sure no one is left behind.
Minister of State Ossian Smyth said:
"With this Roadmap, we are recommitting to making digital inclusion a core part of designing and delivering quality digital public services. This reflects our view that a digital by default approach to public services does not mean digital only."
Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap uses the dimensions of the national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital – Digital Transformation of Business, Digital Infrastructure, Skills, and Digitalisation of Public Services – as the context to translate high-level commitments into measures aimed at achieving these outcomes.
Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap fulfils a commitment in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, which sets out a vision of a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving Ireland where no one is left behind. The national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, places a strong emphasis on inclusiveness, security and safety includes a specific commitment to ensure Government better serves those cohorts who are not in a position to engage online through a clear plan involving focused supports, including skills and infrastructure, and assisted digital facilities safeguarded through appropriate consents and protocols.
A sub-group of the Senior Officials’ Group on Digital developed Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap. Most departments were represented on the sub-group and the remaining were consulted as required.
A number of non-governmental groups were consulted in preparation of the Roadmap as was the National Disability Authority.
The High-Level commitments in the Roadmap are:
Some of the measures included in the Roadmap include:
1. The roadmap sets out how the government will foster and encourage public, private and voluntary sector organisations to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the Digital Inclusion of their employees and customers by signing a Charter for Digital Inclusion that will enable them to share their activities
2. The Roadmap sets out the structures and measures through which the State will tackle harmful online content and misinformation and disinformation including the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 and the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán and appointment of an Online Safety Commissioner and a Digital Services Commissioner
3. The Roadmap commits to continually improving connectivity through the National Broadband Plan, Broadband Connection Points and the local library network
4. The Roadmap commits to providing all primary and special schools with high-speed connectivity in 2023
5. The Roadmap commits to supporting media literacy through the Media Literacy Ireland Network
6. The Roadmap commits to driving and promoting digital literacy through the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy and the Digital Strategy for Schools. This will include allocating up to €1 million following a call for proposals under the ALL Innovation and Collaboration Fund, which will include digital literacy projects
7. Supporting over 100 ICT Apprentices on their two-year pathway to becoming full-time members of the Civil Service digital workforce and supporting other areas of the Public Service in implementing similar programmes
8. The Roadmap commits to extending facilities available at the Department of Social Protection’s 63 Intreo Centres to facilitate access to the www.MyWelfare.ie portal including establishing a MyGovID account
9. Develop an action plan to embed design techniques in the delivery of services to the public, following the principles set out in Designing our Public Services
10. The Roadmap commits to expanding the languages supported on the gov.ie portal as part of the 2023 enhancement programme