The Comptroller & Auditor General, whose office examines spending by public bodies, has said a Government target of having all public services available online by 2005 was 'clearly unrealistic'. The target was set in 2002.
In a report on eGovernment, the provision of public services over the internet, John Purcell said services such as Motor Tax and the Revenue Online Service had been successful.
But the progress of many other projects was slower than planned, and a substantial number did not proceed or were abandoned. Scrapped services included online applications for housing grants, passports and driving licences. Mr Purcell said identity authentication processes had not been developed in several cases where plans were not implemented.
By mid-2006, only 53% of projects had been completed as planned, while 16% had been abandoned. The Health Service Executive suspended a plan for a 'national health portal' early in 2005 after €2m had been spent on the project.
The Comptroller said that there had been more success in delivering services for businesses than for individuals.
He also said that while many departments or agencies claimed to have achieved efficiencies from eGovernment, only a few provided hard evidence of substantial savings. €420m was spent on eGovernment projects in the 2002-2005 period.
The Comptroller found that Ireland performance in delivering online services was around the EU average, but some states were providing 'significantly higher' levels of service.
Mr Purcell also looked at the plan for a Public Services Broker, a single website which would link all services associated with events such as the death of a relative or setting up a business for members of the public.
He found that that the feasibility of the concept was not examined early on and planning was weak. It was scaled back in 2002 and a less ambitious project approved the following year.
The project was due for completion in August 2004, but was not finished until December 2005 at a cost of €37m, compared with the original estimate of €14m.
The Comptroller said Reach, which comes under the Department of Social & Family Affairs, could have delivered the system in a more timely and cost-effective way, had it been managed 'more rigorously'. Only a small number of services are currently available through the Broker system. Both Reach and Broker are being reviewed, and Mr Purcell said a 'clear strategic vision' was urgently needed for both.
