How much do you know about the Government in Ireland?
Class Discussion:
Are eGovernment and eDemocracy the same thing?
Video - What is eGovernment?
What is eGovernment?
eGovernment refers to how ICT is used by a government to communicate and interact with its citizens and businesses. It has involved government and public services moving from traditional face to face over the counter services to online engagement.
Examples of Irish Government online services:
www.gov.ie (access to 18 government Departments, government agencies and local authorities) including Education)
Revenue’s tax online Service (ros), Pensions, car tax, Local Property tax (LPT)
eDemocracy is the use of Information Technology to provide a 2-way communications platform for citizens and their elected representatives.
It supports Digital citizenship by giving citizens a voice to raise concerns, discuss issues and shape political content.
It can ensure that citizens are fully aware of all the facts during the democratic decision making process before they cast their vote in a Referendum or in a General or local election.
Digital Communication is also important in informing citizens what is happening in the day to day running of the country.
Newspapers, radio and TV news are no longer the only means by which political news is distributed. Social media platforms, Twitter accounts and live coverage of Dail Eireann, Seanad Eireann and Committee sessions keep us informed of all the major political debates. To access to these live sessions tune into the Oireachtas TV channel or click on the following link. Oireachtas TV
Using eGovernment Services
Convenient method for governments to
share information and citizens/businesses to
find it
Cost effective – less manpower needed
Efficient
Customer / citizen / business friendly
Potential for a paperless government
Environmentally friendly
Accessible from anywhere in the world
Convenient method to access and share information
No travel required to access services
Paperless
Record of transactions- transparency