Sir, – As the provision of Government and local authority services migrates to a digital “do it yourself” system, can we expect a reduction in fees?
This occurred to me when renewing my driving licence online.
I am providing the home office environment to do the renewal, paying for the expensive electricity to run the process, and my computer is being used to do the online “paperwork”. Add to this the cost of my time.
All of this is based around a slow broadband connection.
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This self-service driving licence renewal is charged at €55.
While accepting that there is a cost for everything in life, there is merit in believing that the cost of service provision must come down when a digital service pipeline is established.
If our Government wants to create a citizens’ digital workforce by proxy, it must offer a financial incentive to encourage people to engage with e-services. – Yours, etc,
JOHN TIERNEY,
Fews,
Co Waterford.
