The Taoiseach has announced the establishment of an Information Society Commission that will be chaired by Mr Danny O' Hare, former president of Dublin City University (DCU).
Reporting directly to the Taoiseach, the new Commission will comprise representatives of the business, community and social communities and will play a key role in developing a public policy framework for the information society in Ireland.
Over the past six years the increase in Internet access from under 5 per cent to the current level of over 40 per cent has led to calls among businesses for the establishment of such a body.
The Government is also creating a Cabinet committee on IT and an e-strategy group and is expanding the Information Society Policy Unit.
The Government will also adopt the Public Services Broker model for integrated delivery of public services through multiple access channels.
"These new arrangements are designed to deliver a more coherent overall approach, at the highest level of Government, to the formulation and implementation of policy on a wide range of issues that increasingly cut across traditional Departmental boundaries", Mr Ahern said.
"I am confident that the new Information Society Commission will play a key role in shaping Government’s response, and in highlighting the public policy issues that need to be prioritised", he said.
The new Information Society Commission will contribute to the formulation of Government policy by:
- highlighting the challenges and opportunities presented by Information Society developments
- monitoring Ireland's performance in its evolution as an Information Society, both nationally and internationally.
- identifying areas of co-operation with other jurisdictions, including the establishment of links with the Northern Ireland Information Age Initiative.
- establish further working groups to provide expert advice on specific areas of public policy development.