eolas Magazine issue 45

Informing Ireland’s decision-makers...

A decisive moment in time Bord Gáis Energy’s Dave Kirwan Sinn Féin finance

Education

eGovernment

spokesperson

Minister Norma

Minister

Pearse Doherty TD

Foley TD

Ossian Smyth TD

outlines economic

discusses the new

reflects on digital

priorities

Digital Strategy for

developments

Schools

issue 45 May 21

Data protection • eLearning and eTraining • Digital government

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Speakers include:

Key issues examined include:

Katharina Knapton-Vierlich

Paul Quinn

4

Covid-19 impact on public procurement

Head of Public Procurement Unit

CEO, Office of

4

Green public procurement

European Commission

Government Procurement

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Latest European policy update

Ireland

4

The need for collaborative procurement across public services

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Best practice local government procurement

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Professionalising public buyers

John Swords Head of Procurement Health Service Executive

Sharon Smyth Director of Supplies and Services, Central

Sorcha McKenna

Procurement Directorate

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The impact of Brexit on organisations

Partner

Northern Ireland

4

Social procurement

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Procurement across the health sector

Declan McCormack

4

The challenge of IT procurement

Claire Downey

Principal Officer, eInvoicing

4

Co-ordinator

Ireland Programme

Attaining social and economic benefit from public purchasing

4

Best practice: Case studies from outside Ireland

McKinsey & Company

Community Reuse Network of Ireland

Emma McEvoy Lecturer, Maynooth University

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Contents

08

04

Matters arising

06

Issues 06 08

16

12 16

22

Round table discussion: Connecting Ireland and the future of work 28 32

22

39

40

62 66 84

87

94 102 106

126 118

130

140

Sponsored by

Education Minister Norma Foley TD discusses the new Digital Strategy for Schools Preparing Europe’s Digital Education Action Plan Remote learning and learning loss impact Online learning snapshot Sponsored by

Interview: Minister of State with responsibility for eGovernment Ossian Smyth TD Government CIO Barry Lowry explores catalytic impact of Covid User-led mobile policing Ireland’s place in European Commission DESI rankings

Europe 118 120

122

Sponsored by

In profile: The Data Protection Commission First European Commission review of GDPR A child-orientated approach to data protection Schrems II ruling repercussions

Digital government 88

88

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD outlines economic challenges Deploying RPA in the Health Service Executive

eLearning and eTraining 58

58

Hosted by

Data protection 40 48 52 54

57

Vaccination roll-out adjusted Cover story: Bord Gáis Energy Managing Director Dave Kirwan discusses the transition to a zero carbon future National Service Plan published Interview: Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD

EU advocates greater tax transparency European Commissioner for Justice queries Irish defamation laws

Public affairs 126 128 130 136 140

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan explores universal basic income The Electoral Reform Bill analysed Interview: Oireachtas Chief Translator Vivian Uíbh Eachach Political platform: Labour Party’s Duncan Smith TD Back page: Martina Devlin, Ireland’s Future

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Speakers confirmed include:

Key issues to be examined:

Anne Graham

Peter Walsh

Chief Executive

Chief Executive

•

Transport policies and priorities

National Transport

Transport Infrastructure Ireland

•

Supporting transport infrastructure and services

Authority

for shifting mobility patterns Nicola Kane

Dr Bidisha Ghosh

Head of Strategic Planning, Insight

Assistant Professor

and Innovation

Trinity College Dublin

Transport for Greater Manchester

Brian Donaldson

Professor Nick Reed

Chief Executive Officer

Reed Mobility

•

The future of mobility post-Covid-19

•

Transportation 5.0 and a new digital era for transport

•

Maxol Group Jennie Martin

Daisy Narayanan

Secretary General

Director of Urbanism

ITS (UK)

Sustrans

Graham Brennan

Mark Finlay

Transport Programme

Head of Public Sector for Republic

Manager, Sustainable

of Ireland, Amazon Web

Energy Authority of

Services (AWS)

Moving towards sustainable mobility and a green recovery

•

Commuting beyond the coronavirus

•

The future of transportation in the cloud

•

Women-led design of future transport solutions to transform the way spaces are connected

•

Connectivity and the future of Ireland’s gateways

•

Investment in key infrastructure projects

•

Covid-19 and the future of public transport: Restart and recovery

•

Ireland

In association with

Sponsored by

Looking towards recovery for the aviation sector

Media partner

Digital

To register...

By telephone +353 (0)1 661 3755

Online www.transportireland.ie

Events

Print

Full programme available online

eolas Issue 45 May 2021

Editorial

Seize the moment…

Owen McQuade, Managing Editor owen.mcquade@eolasmagazine.ie

After three decades, the steady global decline in corporate taxation is set

Ciarán Galway, Editor ciaran.galway@eolasmagazine.ie

to be arrested. Parallel efforts on behalf of the Biden administration and the OECD Inclusive Framework on BEPS 2.0 to introduce a global minimum

David Whelan david.whelan@eolasmagazine.ie

rate of corporate tax represent a high fiscal risk for Ireland.

Fiona McCarthy fiona.mccarthy@eolasmagazine.ie

Ireland has been well served by its 12.5 per cent rate of corporation tax.

Odrán Waldron odran.waldron@eolasmagazine.ie

Totalling €11.8 billion in 2020, corporate tax equates to one-fifth of overall Irish tax revenues. Conversely, published in April, the Draft Stability Programme Update 2021 projects that pervasive proposed changes to the international tax ecosystem could cost the State €2 billion in annual corporation tax receipts by the mid-2020s and undermine Ireland’s

Advertising Sam Tobin sam.tobin@eolasmagazine.ie Design

economic competitiveness.

Gareth Duffy, Head of Design gareth.duffy@eolasmagazine.ie

The Republic retains several obvious advantages in attracting and

Paul Rooney paul.rooney@eolasmagazine.ie

retaining FDI, including EU market access. However, to successfully navigate this fundamental challenge to its economic model and remain competitive, Ireland should seize the opportunity to distinguish itself from

Events Lynda Millar lynda.millar@eolasmagazine.ie

its unidimensional caricature as a low-tax jurisdiction.

Become a subscriber!

Meanwhile, just as the international tax environment is evolving with longterm repercussions for this island, so too is the context in which we produce and consume energy. Recognising that the energy industry has now reached a decisive moment, in this issue’s cover story interview, Bord Gáis Energy’s Dave Kirwan asserts that the energy company will be at the forefront of the transition to a zero-carbon future for energy.

Moreover, this issue of eolas includes detailed reports on data protection, eLearning and eTraining, and digital government. Interviewees and contributors include Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD, Minister for Education Norma Foley TD, Minister of State with responsibility for eGovernment Ossian Smyth TD, the Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan TD,

Annual subscriptions: €15.00 + €5.00 P&P Contact: Sharon Morrison Email: subscriptions@eolasmagazine.ie Online: www.eolasmagazine.ie eolas Magazine bmf Business Services Clifton House Lower Fitzwilliam Street Dublin, D02 XT91 Tel: 01 661 3755 Web: www.eolasmagazine.ie Twitter: @eolasmagazine

and Oireachtas Chief Translator Vivian Uíbh Eachach, among others.

Ciarán Galway

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The FSC’s Chain of Custody certification provides a way in which the material can be tracked from the certified initial source through the manufacturing process to the end user.

matters arising

Credit: Fianna Fáil

European Commission recommends Ireland reconsiders hotel quarantine

The European Commission has advised Ireland to pursue less restrictive measures than the mandatory hotel quarantine regime introduced in April and has asked the Irish Government why some EU member states are subject to the rules.

Ireland is the only one the EU's 27 member states that forces arrivals from certain countries to pay to quarantine

for up to 14 days in a secure hotel, at a flat rate of €1,850. European member states subject to the measures include Belgium, France, Italy, and Luxembourg, who were added to an initial list that also included Austria.

“The Commission has concerns regarding this measure in relation to the general principles of EU law, in particular proportionality and non-

discrimination,” a Commission spokesman said. “The Commission believes that the objective pursued by Ireland, which is the protection of public health during the pandemic, could be achieved by less restrictive measures.”

The spokesperson added that exemptions should be made for essential travel.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, dismissed the concerns of the Commission, stating he “flat out disagrees” with their stated opinion: “I make no apologies to the Commission, to the Italian ambassador or anyone else for putting in place the measures that we believe, and our public health teams believe are the right measures to keep people safe,” Donnelly said. “We are now leading Europe by a country mile in terms of the biosecurity measures we have in place. It's something we should be very proud of and it's something the people want.”

The Commission sent similar administrative letters to six other EU member states in March regarding Covid-related travel restriction, but no action has been taken against any member state on the issue as yet.

Credit: Douglas O'Connor

New hate crime legislation to cover gender expression and identity New hate crime legislation will, for the first time in the history of the State, make it a specific criminal offence carrying longer prison terms to commit a hate crime based on the colour of a person’s skin, sexual orientation, or their gender, including gender expression or identity.

victims feel afraid for their future, their friends, and their families. They lead to a divided society, where whole communities can feel unsafe and angry.

Perpetrators will know that we are determined to stamp out prejudice and hate.”

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD published the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021 on 16 April. The Bill also makes “protected characteristics” of a victim’s race, nationality, religion, ethnic and national origin, and any disability.

The Minister said: “These crimes are motivated by prejudice. They make

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The display of content intended to incite hatred in a public place, including on social media, will now carry with it a prison sentence of up to six months on conviction. Specific “intent or recklessness” criteria must be met by such materials in order for a charge to be brought against those displaying them.

matters arising

House prices rise higher than 2010s levels Residential property price index

February showed a 1.2 per cent annual rise to February 2021 in Dublin, with property prices outside Dublin rising 4.7 per cent in the same timeframe. House prices outside of Dublin rose by 4.3 per cent, while apartment prices rose by 9.6 per cent.

The south east was the region outside of Dublin that experienced the greatest price growth, with house prices rising 6.6 per cent; only houses in the border area and in Fingal saw decreases, 0.8 per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively.

House prices in Dublin increased by 1.2 per cent and apartment prices increased by 0.9 per cent.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the cost of houses and apartments have risen by 3 per cent nationally in the year ending February 2021. The CSO’s Residential Property Price Index now shows national, Dublin and rest of Ireland house prices to all be above any level

that they had reached in the entire 2010s decade.

The 3 per cent rise compares to an increase of 2.6 per cent in the year to January 2021 and an increase of 1 per cent in the year to February 2020. The Residential Property Price Index for

Prices have not yet returned to their boomtime peaks: the national index is now 15.5 per cent lower than its highest level in 2007. Dublin residential property prices are 21.2 per cent lower than their February 2007 peak, and residential property prices in the rest of Ireland are 17.5 per cent lower than their May 2007 peak.

Data Protection Commission opens investigation into Department of Health The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has opened a statutory investigation into the Department of Health after it was reported that the Department had been processing data of children with autism involved in cases against the State.

data processing concerned and it will

The RTÉ Investigates programme reported that the Department of Health had continued to gather information about children with special educational needs and their families who were involved in legal actions against the State, long after their cases had become dormant.

Secretary General for the Department of

The DPC said the inquiry will examine whether or not the Department of Health discharged its obligations in connection with the data processing and “will examine whether or not the Department of Health has discharged its obligations in connection with the

of the State, which sometimes includes

determine whether or not any provisions of the Data Protection Acts and/or the GDPR have been contravened by the Department of Health in that context”.

Health, Robert Watt, stated that the Department had not unlawfully held any information. “The Minister for Health is regularly named in litigation, and one of the duties of the Department of Health is to manage cases effectively on behalf review of sensitive information in order to settle or defend a case,” he said.

A team of authorised officers has been appointed by the DPC to conduct the inquiry.

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Vaccine rollout changes to age-based system Amidst heavy criticism of the Government’s vaccine rollout policy, a change to an age-based system was announced by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD in March.

The day after the announcement of the shift in strategy, figures showed that over 800,000 vaccine doses had been administered by that point. Of the 806,541 vaccines that had been administered in the Republic, 580,857 were first doses, while 225,684 people had received second doses. In comparison, Northern Ireland had administered 887,598 vaccine doses, with 749,112 being first doses and 138,486 people having received two.

Speaking upon the update to the Government’s Covid-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy, Donnelly said: “The

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vast majority of those who have received vaccines are our most at risk loved ones who have suffered the highest burden of serious illness and death, as well as the social isolation the necessary public health measures have created. We have seen nursing home residents and staff, frontline healthcare workers and those aged over 80 received their Covid-19 vaccines and infection rates in these groups has fallen dramatically and as a result, we have seen clear evidence of vaccination bonus in this cohort, and recently saw visits to nursing homes restart.”

The Government expects that three million doses will be administered over the months of April, May and June, with four in five adults to receive at least one by the end of June. All adults aged over 70 are expected to have received their first dose by mid-April, while the vaccination of those aged between 16-69 at high risk has begun.

The Government says that the age-based approach will “make the rollout more efficient at higher volumes of vaccinations, and better meets the objective of protecting those at highest risk first”. Donnelly added that the

issues eolas

decision “means for the first time that we can give better information to the very reasonable question, ‘when will I be vaccinated?’”.

The change was precipitated by a consistent failure to meet targets in the first months of the Government’s vaccine rollout programme. Many of the issues associated with the rollout have arisen as a result of supply issues, with Ireland receiving its share of what the EU has procured as a bloc. Queried in the Dáil by the independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick as to how the North had vaccinated more people than the Republic by late March, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD responded that this was due to the different contracts AstraZeneca had with the UK and the EU. “We don’t know why the UK got preference from AstraZeneca,” Varadkar said. “We will catch up and we are catching up.”

Challenges with AstraZeneca have been among the key factors affecting supply to EU member states; such challenges have meant that, by early April, the EU had vaccinated just 18 per cent of its population, while the UK had vaccinated 55 per cent. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) had approved the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for all age groups in January, but some EU member states initially refused to recommend its use on people aged over 65, with France and Germany eventually revising this stance to approve it for use on those aged between 65 and 74.

Later in March, the AstraZeneca rollout was then paused in 13 countries, including Ireland, after a small number of people had been reported to have developed blood clots after receiving the vaccine. The EMA then said that there was no evidence that the vaccines had caused the clots, leading to its resumption in most countries, but then on 7 April stated that there was a “possible link”. Age limitations have been set on the vaccine in various jurisdictions, despite the EMA stating that neither age nor gender are determining factors in possible clotting.

The UK has stated that those under 30 should receive an alternative vaccine, while France, Germany and the Netherlands have said it should be limited to those over 55 or 60.

The EU also suffered supply problems

“We have the benefit of learning from our own experience over the past three months, and what has been shown to be most effective internationally. It means for the first time that we can give better information to the very reasonable question ‘when will I be vaccinated?’.”

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD

with the UK agreeing a contract with AstraZeneca before it had, meaning the 27 member states were behind the UK in supply numbers. This issue was compounded when Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna both encountered issues with their production and distribution.

significantly in front of their EU counterparts, on 16.8 per cent and 13.2 per cent, respectively. Comparatively, non-member states proximate to the EU, the UK, Switzerland, and Turkey have rates of 11.8 per cent, 8 per cent and 9.4 per cent, respectively.

In February, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen admitted that the EU had been “late to authorise” and “too optimistic when it came to massive production and perhaps too confident that what we ordered would actually be delivered on time”.

Things are beginning to more optimistic in terms of vaccine supply, with news coming in early April that up to 960,000 vaccine doses are to be delivered to Ireland in the month of April, some 100,000 more than was originally expected. Roughly 90 per cent of supplies are said to be used within days of arrival, meaning that at least 860,000 doses will be administered in April, assuming no issues arise with the supply.

In comparison, 1.18 million doses were shipped to Ireland across the first three months of 2021. While the figures estimated are of course to be welcomed, it must be remembered that supplies are confirmed by suppliers for just two weeks, meaning that anything beyond this timeframe is based on forecasting.

Ireland, as an EU member state, is free to make its own deals with vaccine manufacturers who have not reached an agreement with the EU. It is under these terms that some TDs have urged the Government to enquire about the feasibility of procuring quantities of the Russian Sputnik vaccine. How rigidly the terms of this agreement are enforced within the EU is also a matter of doubt in any case, given the German Government’s side-deal with Pfizer that secured an extra 30 million doses for the country; the European Commission has refused to state whether or not this was a violation of the agreement’s terms.

Ireland, as one of the few member states to have fully vaccinated over 6 per cent of its population by mid-April, is among some of the better performers in the EU. Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, and Sweden join it in the sixth percentile range. Greece, Romania Czechia, Denmark, and Austria rank in the seventh percentile range. Serbia and Hungary, who both agreed deals with Russia for the supply of the Sputnik vaccine, rank

Further good news for Ireland’s vaccine supply came in mid-April, when it was announced that the EU is set to get an extra 50 million doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine in quarter two of 2021.

Ireland, being entitled to 1.1 per cent of EU supply, will received 540,000 of these doses. A four-week gap between first and second doses is currently in operation, but it is now being mooted that this interval could be extended to give authorities the time to roll out first doses to more people than originally planned.

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cover story

A decisive moment in time: Towards a net zero future A leading thinker in the Irish energy sector and Managing Director of Bord Gáis Energy, Dave Kirwan talks to Owen McQuade about how the transition to a net zero-carbon future will require a new approach to how we produce and consume energy.

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cover story

Reflecting on the huge challenge ahead for the energy sector, Dave Kirwan considers the fundamental principles behind such a change: “The transformation the economy must undergo is an adaptive transformation.

It’s not a technical transformation, it’s not about more of the same – bigger, better or faster. It’s adjusting to a different way of doing things.”

The transformation of the energy sector cannot be pursued “with a central edict”, he says. Rather, it must ultimately be “owned by all of our citizens”. The outworking of this change process is that “we are going to create a platform for the energy sector in Ireland where customers become active participants of a net zero energy system. We all have a role to play in that because no part of the value chain will stay the same”.

Such a future will be difficult for infrastructure providers and how they develop their networks over the next 20 years. “What will they allow onto the grid? What is the right generation mix?

What role will demand side management play? And the big question: What will this mean for customers and will they get onboard with the choices they will have to make?” asks Kirwan.

The Managing Director believes that these changes are quite different to those made to Ireland’s energy system in the past and recalls a quote from John Maynard Keynes: “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.”

“Large, sophisticated energy users are already procuring their own low carbon solutions. We are offering our commercial customers sophisticated demand side products so that they can become active participants in the energy system benefiting their bottom line and the system overall.”

For Kirwan the central challenge is knowing, in absolute terms, what is required to achieve our net zero ambition. “The reality is that we don’t know. We are going to have to experiment and learn to adjust our thinking along the way,” he remarks.

evolves, the energy sector will get a better sense of what energy mix is required to serve customers’ needs.

Bord Gáis Energy is already seeing this with business customers. “Large, sophisticated energy users are already procuring their own low carbon solutions. We are offering our commercial customers sophisticated demand side products so that they can become active participants in the energy system benefiting their bottom line and the system overall.”

The Government’s five-year carbon budget lends itself to this type of approach. As each five-year cycle

Kirwan reiterates his assertion that this transformation will be different from the changes of the past: “Those who have

“The scale of ambition is right, but we must be alert to how we approach it. It has to involve the energy customer in a way that they have not seen up to now,” the Bord Gáis Energy Managing Director adds.

worked in the industry for many years will have to be very open as to how we meet customer needs in the future.

Looking to that future, no one technology will be enough, and we will require a mix of renewable gas and electrification.”

The customer Bord Gáis Energy’s strategy to date has been to be the ‘helpful energy brand’.

That approach has worked well over the last six years, but Kirwan says that it is now changing. “We looked after customers’ energy needs for them, and they were happy with that. Now, we

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cover story

need to engage customers and let them make a number of decisions: how do I insulate my home? Or should I spend the money on a new patio?”

To this end, the energy company has offered customers a number of innovative products including ‘free energy Saturdays’, which was essentially a peak shifting product. It has also formed a partnership with Energlaze to install solar panels and offer deep retrofits to customers, simultaneously putting itself forward as a one-stop-shop for the National Retrofit Scheme.

As the offerings to customers evolve, Bord Gáis Energy is upgrading its engineering capabilities. At present it services around 60,000 boilers each year and Kirwan has asked his senior management team: “Why shouldn’t we be in 200,000 homes by 2025 and not just servicing boilers but replacing them with heat pumps or upgrading their insulation?”

The energy company will also be extending its ‘local heroes’ network of trusted tradespersons nationwide.

Additionally, it will be offering energy assessments in order to reach more homes. “We don’t know what will work but we need to offer a lot of options and to understand what the customer

needs. We are going to have to take some risks and invest to decarbonise Irish homes. There is not a clear commercial return on all these options, but we have to try them.”

Kirwan was particularly impressed by the SEAI’s ambition in decarbonising Irish homes and their innovative approach. The SEAI has employed behavioural economists to understand the nudges that will encourage customers to move towards low carbon investments and services. In turn, Kirwan says that Bord Gáis Energy needs to provide customers with competitive services and solutions that reflect those behaviours.

“The scale of the ambition is huge, and we will not achieve it through one technology. The cost of improving Building Energy Ratings across Ireland’s housing stock, adequate enough to allow heat pumps to replace fossil fuel heating systems, is huge. Therefore, I believe we should look to a hybrid solution of more insulation and renewable,” he explains.

Digital Bord Gáis Energy’s Hive Active Heating was the first smart energy offering to Irish domestic customers. Kirwan says that with the experience garnered to

“The energy industry’s commitment to a net zero carbon future is no longer qualified… We realise that this has to happen and Bord Gáis Energy wants to be at the forefront of that transition.”

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date, it is now becoming apparent how the Hive technology could play a part in any transition to low carbon energy use.

“Initially, Hive was just about getting customer data and offering remote control, with customers engaged via an app. Looking to the not too distant future, where the customer has an electric vehicle, a smart meter and an in-home battery, it will be possible to combine these technologies on the Hive platform.

“It will be possible to automate the optimum use of the appliances and interface with the electricity market at a scale level. Therefore, the platform will effectively be a virtual power plant.

That’s the evolution of our investment in the Hive platform. This ‘home energy management’ approach is pulling all the pieces of the jigsaw together to give benefits to both the system and customers.”

Kirwan highlights parent company, Centrica’s Cornwall project as a pilot for this approach, whereby smart local economies are dispatched to optimise demand side and upstream supply.

“That is what we are trying to unlock with our Hive platform,” he indicates.

Whitegate A key aspect of the energy transition is

cover story

security of supply, particularly as we move towards ever higher levels of intermitted renewable energy. In this aspect the company’s Whitegate gasfired power plant is a useful asset and a very efficient technology. However, the company’s ambition is to be net carbon zero. Bord Gáis Energy is looking at Whitegate in the context of its net zero transition and has engaged with Ervia on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen as a fuel. This fits well with Centrica’s interest in using the depleted Rough Gas Field in the North Sea for CCS as part of a wider hydrogen solution. Kirwan sees a potential role for Whitegate in a hydrogen hub in the Cork area.

Inclusivity When asked if there is a danger that poorer households might be left behind in this transition, Kirwan is clear that all households need to move forward: “We need wholesale adoption and scale.

Subsidies need to be targeted towards customers that cannot afford these first steps. We cannot create a new generation of fuel-poor households.”

“The scale of ambition is right, but we must be alert to how we approach it. It has to involve the energy customer in a way that they have not seen up to now.”

Future Stepping back and looking strategically at Ireland’s climate ambitions, Kirwan believes that “we are at a decisive moment in time”. The Covid crisis, he suggests, has interrupted orthodoxy and forced each sector of the economy and society to think differently. He also acknowledges Ireland’s ambitious Programme for Government and vision around climate action. “The energy

industry’s commitment to a net zero carbon future is no longer qualified. We now need to work out how to deliver that. We realise that this has to happen and Bord Gáis Energy wants to be at the forefront of that transition. Maybe for the first time ever, most of the actors are aligned on the scale of the transition and are not paying lip service to it. We will make mistakes but we have to get on with it and learn along the way,” he concludes.

In recent years, Bord Gáis Energy’s focus on the energy needs of the home led the company to partner with Focus Ireland. The partnership has subsequently produced €2.4 million of funding to combat homelessness and has assisted 4,000 families. Likewise, this year’s Shine a Light campaign was the biggest to date and Focus Ireland has now called for a new national strategy to end homelessness. “I’m proud to be part of an industry that is challenging itself to be net zero carbon by 2050. I agree with Focus Ireland, we should have an ambition and plan to achieve zero homelessness in Ireland.”

Kirwan is committed to the challenge of alleviating homelessness and observes that the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the prevailing approach to homelessness. “Post-pandemic we should not resort back to the old approach. Focus Ireland has the ambition to alleviate all homelessness and to pursue a new approach postpandemic. Our relationship with Focus Ireland has made us a better company and a better group of people,” he insists.

Profile: Dave Kirwan Dave Kirwan is the Managing Director of Bord Gáis Energy. He returned to the role in 2020 having completed a successful term as Managing Director of the UK Home business at Centrica and in addition to his role at Bord Gáis Energy, he serves on the Centrica Group Executive Committee. Prior to joining Bord Gáis Energy in 1999, Kirwan worked for ESB and ESBI in power generation in Ireland and abroad.

From Tullow, County Carlow, Kirwan is an electronic engineering graduate from UCD and he has an MBA from UCC and completed his doctorate in Business Economics from the university.

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Dr Steevens' Hospital, HSE headquarters.

Unprecedented National Service Plan budget Having been expected in November 2020 but delayed until February 2021 amid the pandemic and other considerations, the publication of the HSE’s 2021 National Service Plan details an “unprecedented” increase of allocation by €3.5 billion.

The €3.5 billion increase for the 2021 National Service Plan brings the total amount of funding allocated to the HSE for 2021 to €20.6 billion and represents an increase of 21 per cent on the funding level of the 2020 National Service Plan. €1.68 billion of the €3.5 billion increase is to be allocated to Covid-19 spending, with the remaining €1.8 billion representing an underlying increase of 10.6 per cent in health spending, itself an increase on the 7.3 per cent average annual increase recorded between 2016

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and 2020. €1.1 billion of this €1.8 billion is dedicated to the delivery of “permanent enduring improvements in healthcare arising from the Sláintecare reform programme”; the remaining €700 million of the non-Covid related increase is “to cover the increased costs of providing existing levels of service which have increased due to demographics changes and various cost increases”.

Paul Reid, CEO of the HSE, said: “This significant investment represents the trust that the Government and the public

have placed in us after a year in which our staff have gone above and beyond to do all they can to keep people safe and healthy. The last 12 months have brought very rapid changes in how we provide healthcare, and we intend to use the best of the changes coupled with the new investment to sustainably transform how we deliver healthcare in Ireland.”

The National Service Plan is the annual document that sets out the type and volume of health and personal social services to be provided by the HSE

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within a given year. Typically issued before the turn of the year into the year covered by the report (i.e., the 2020 version was published in December 2019), this year’s version suffered delays and was not published until late February.

The 2021 plan “provides for additional spending to improve many services including those in the areas of cancer, maternity and mental health”. It provides for the addition of 16,000 staff above December 2019 levels, which includes 1,100 medical and dental staff, over 3,500 nurses and midwives and 4,000 health and social care professionals.

With the Service Plan arriving in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a given that healthcare measures to combat the pandemic would dominate the content of the Plan. Section 2 of the Plan comprises the HSE’s Covid-19 Action Plan, which includes plans for the procurement of PPE, a national operating model for testing and tracing and the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

On the procurement of PPE, the Plan pledges to: build and deliver a “dedicated, stable and responsive PPE supply and distribution service”; deploy a long-term procurement solution for the provision of PPE to healthcare services; conclude an independent audit of both the sourcing and management of PPE; and work with the Department of Health and Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Scheme to develop the PPE procurement demand forecast.

The national operating model for testing and tracing includes a pledge to deliver a daily capacity of 25,000 tests and to implement a national Virus Reference Laboratory Covid-19 offsite at Backweston, County Kildare in order to provide capacity and resilience. In terms of the vaccination programme, the plan says that it “expects vaccines to continue to be approved by the European Medicines Agency with increasing supplies being made available by manufacturers to Ireland”.

The vaccination rollout in the plan is broken into three phases: initial rollout; mass ramp-up; and open access. No timeline or figure specifications are given as to how to judge the need of one phase and the beginning of the next but given the opening of mass vaccination centres

€20.6

billion total funding for HSE in 2021

€3.5

billion increase on 2020 funding

€1.8

billion on underlying health spend

€1.68 €1.1

billion for Covid-19 costs

billion for Sláintecare reforms

€700

million for increasing costs

in February, the plan appears to have progressed to the second phase. The third phase, open access, will begin when there is “a large volume of vaccines available for the population and that vaccine storage and administration requirements will be simpler than early vaccines”. When such arrangements are in place, said vaccines will be delivered through mass vaccination centres, GPs and pharmacies.

In terms of the implementation of Sláintecare, the Service Plan is to be delivered within the strategic framework of the HSE Corporate Plan 2021–2024, which includes objectives such as early intervention and the enhancement of community services in order to reduce the need for people to attend hospital that are central to the Sláintecare model.

The plan pledges “whole-system reform”, stating that this is “critical if we are going to address the long-standing challenges of our health service”. Challenges specifically mentioned as being in need of transformation include: long waiting lists for scheduled care in hospitals; long waiting times in emergency departments, especially for older people and those with more complex needs; the functioning of hospitals with high occupancy levels; an overreliance on residential models of care

and a lack of services “to enable our gaining population to maintain their independence and live well in the community”; waiting times for mental health services; and a lack of homebased support and person-centred and responsive support for people with disabilities.

The reform programme is said to centre around the enhancement of patient experience, the improvement of service access across primary, community and acute services, increasing the range and capacity of services delivered in community settings, increasing bed capacity and focusing on health promotion.

The HSE states that it expects the following impacts to come from these reform measures: health outcomes in Ireland will equal or better OECD averages; children will have access to an integrated high-quality child health service focused on prevention and early intervention; community services will provide preventative, management and support services for obesity; the health of those most disadvantaged will improve; prevalence of obesity will decrease annually, by 2 per cent for disadvantaged populations; and harmful alcohol consumption will be reduced.

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Three Ireland: Securing value for money for small public bodies

In the last year, Three Ireland re-engineered its network in response to changing work patterns due to Covid-19.

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A new direct drawdown arrangement from Three Ireland offers smaller public bodies such as smaller charities, local authorities and education institutions simple access to mobile voice and data contracts. Public bodies who spend €25,000 or less on mobile voice and data can now enter a contract simply by visiting the Three Ireland website or emailing a dedicated account team.

This service is offered under an Office of Government Procurement framework and provides a compliant, value for money solution with a seamless switch from other providers. For smaller public sector bodies (PSBs), procuring relatively small quantities of goods and services in a compliant way can take a great deal of time and effort. For a PSB that might typically have between 10 and 70 employees, the standard process of defining requirements, publishing a tender, and evaluating submissions,

could take up to a year and consume a lot of resources across IT, finance and procurement roles.

But under a “direct drawdown” arrangement which is provided under the national framework for mobile voice and data services, any PSB that spends €25,000 or less per year for their mobile voice and data services can enter into a contract with Three Ireland without needing to take on the overhead of a costly and resource-intensive competitive tendering process.

Three Ireland won the right to offer services under the direct drawdown facility offered as part of the Office of Government Procurement Mobile Voice and Data Framework. Direct drawdown is a simple process that’s designed to remove much of the red tape involved in tendering for small PSBs. In effect, this direct drawdown provision gives these organisations the buying power of a much larger group, bringing significant benefits in terms of scale, service and cost.

It’s the best solution for the PSB buying the service and, ultimately, for the taxpayer.

Value for money While public procurement frameworks are typically renewed every four or five years, this direct drawdown contract is renewed annually. This means the buyers are guaranteed to get the best available value for money.

Three scored highest in the competition to establish the direct drawdown contract when measured against several criteria including network performance, billing and invoice management, mobile device management, transition and porting and value for money.

Let’s look at the criteria in turn. If we take network performance, over the past year, we re-engineered our network in response to the changed working patterns and increased working from home due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

Ireland’s fastest mobile network

Three Ireland manages and facilitates the onboarding process, making it easy for a PSB to switch.

support to make the switch seamlessly

This network performance has been independently verified by Ookla®, the global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network testing applications, data and analysis which, based on Speedtest Intelligence® data for Q3–Q4 2020, found that Three is Ireland’s fastest mobile network. (You can find out more about Ookla’s testing process at speedtest.net/awards/three). So, at a time when Covid-19 restrictions are still in place and a return to the office is unlikely for many people in the short- to medium-term, people working from a home office may have access to our enhanced mobile broadband services.

and swiftly.

And with 5G now launched, and currently rolling out across Ireland, agencies will be able to take advantage of even faster speeds.

While Three was awarded the contract

We can also remove logistical challenges for PSBs by facilitating delivery of devices and SIMs to staff members in a seamless way. This saves the PSB’s IT department from having to get new devices delivered to the agency’s main office and then manage the process of supplying them onwards, while ensuring an optimal subscriber experience. This is a procurement challenge at the best of times, but especially now while we still face Covid19 restrictions.

on the basis of the “most economically advantageous tender”, there are benefits beyond price alone in the additional service Three can provide and our

When a PSB switches to the Three network as part of the framework agreement, we manage and facilitate the onboarding process. This transition and porting process from another provider’s network can involve replacing mobile handsets, SIMs or both, while keeping their existing numbers. We have a dedicated account management team, supported by a service team operating from Limerick, which means that agencies can avail of multiple layers of

extensive experience of the public sector. We can apply this knowledge to help PSBs, because we are likely to have encountered similar challenges before.

For example, we can act as a trusted advisor on issues like mobile security, which has become much more pressing due to the risks involved in remote working. We can suggest security applications that can address the agency’s risks around protecting data and securing their staff.

Three also provides a higher data allowance than other operators, so PSBs can be sure they get more for their money. This gives predictability of cost. Now that working from home is much more common, employees are more likely to be using mobile data to connect to conference calls or go online if fixed broadband isn’t available.

Because our data plans have a large allowance, PSBs can be confident there’s no ‘bill shock’ caused by high data use.

For finance teams, we can import internal cost centres and reporting codes into our billing system. This way, PSBs get high levels of transparency and reporting on their mobile charges, with a full breakdown per user on their bills.

All told, this is a prime opportunity for PSBs to take advantage of the fastest network in the country, which is also the largest carrier of mobile data in Ireland; more than all other mobile networks combined.

Any PSB that spends €25,000 or less each year on their mobile voice and data can take advantage of everything this framework has to offer by simply contacting the dedicated account team at framework@three.ie or visiting the Three website at Three.ie.

Advertorial

A seamless porting process

Predictable costs for PSB finance teams

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P E AR S E DO HERTY TD:

Ciarán Galway sits down with Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Pearse Doherty TD, to discuss his party’s fiscal policy, the Covid crisis and recovery, and Irish unity.

Having delivered his party’s response to government budgets for 12 consecutive years, Sinn Féin’s TD for Donegal South West Pearse Doherty is intent on becoming the next Minister for Finance.

Asserting that “for too long, it is the vested interests which have had the ear of government”, he is determined to “make real change for a lot of people whose voices, in my view, have never been heard in the corridors of power”.

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For Doherty, it is a matter of placing “ordinary people” above landlords, speculators, and high financiers.

Eschewing the charge of naïveté, he acknowledges that change comes dropping slow, but suggests that the opposite is also true. In the words of Lenin: “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

“Change can happen fast if the political will and determination is there. That’s why I want to be Finance Minister because I know I can do a lot of good in that role,” Doherty insists.

To illustrate his point, the Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle member refers to erstwhile Fianna Fáil Education Minister Donogh O’Malley’s surprise proposal for free secondary education in September 1966.

Credit: Sinn Féin

“We have the team to deliver”

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While he had consulted neither his department nor his cabinet, he had tacit approval from Taoiseach Seán Lemass and the public greeted the announcement with widespread support, effectively precluding O’Malley’s cabinet colleagues from opposing the policy.

Tax policy While Sinn Féin is frequently characterised as a “high-tax, antibusiness party” by its political opponents, the finance spokesperson argues that it is in fact a “fair tax party”.

“The reality is we are pro-business; we want to see more support for small and medium enterprises. However, we do believe that there needs to be increases

tax rate that has been key in attracting many multinational corporations to locate in Ireland”.

“The 12.5 per cent rate has served us well,” Doherty says, adding: “I think we have moved on and the discussion is not about the tax rate anymore. The discussion is about what is happening around the edges of that and the way that profits can be shifted or be written down to sub-degrees or to zero by very aggressive tax planning.”

While not advocating for a change to the corporate tax rate, Sinn Féin does propose that associated loopholes are “damaging Ireland’s reputation at home and abroad” and should be closed.

parameters set down by the Department of Finance and within the fiscal rules, despite the fact that we believe they are too restrictive”, Doherty argues that it offers a “clear choice”.

“We believe that we should be bringing in a third rate of income tax. This is something that the IMF called for just a fortnight ago; that countries should look into taxing higher income earners. That’s a tax that would continue to generate income, yearon-year.

“That’s not the type of approach that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to take.

They would rather hit us with carbon taxes, consumption taxes and allow loopholes to exist which allow for companies to write down their taxable profits to close to zero.”

“Change can happen fast if the political will and determination is there. That’s why I want to be Finance Minister.” on employers’ PSRI at higher earner level,” he retorts.

Doherty highlights advocacy for the inclusion of increased research and development supports in Finance Bill 2020 as one indicator of his party’s support for SMEs. “I think we need to go a lot further because when you pare back what is happening in Ireland, particularly with SMEs, we are not as productive or as profitable as we should be in relation to our European competitors. There is a lot of focus on FDI which creates high value jobs and a good return to the taxpayer, but we believe that focus cannot come to the detriment of SMEs,” he argues.

On its proposed increase of employers’ PRSI on salaries over €100,000 to a rate of 15.75 per cent, Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson references the substantial supports provided to businesses, employers and employees throughout the pandemic. The reality, he indicates, is that “we cannot have those type of safety nets if we’re not willing to contribute to them” and as such he believes that the proposed increase has been vindicated.

Interestingly, for a party of the left, Sinn Féin’s 2020 manifesto committed to “retaining the 12.5 per cent corporation

“We have seen it in terms of the onshoring of intangible assets, where all the costs can be written off against future profits,” he details. This loophole was identified by Séamus Coffey, former chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, in the Review of Ireland’s Corporation Tax Code commissioned by the Department of Finance.

“The biggest tax change that Sinn Féin advocates and the one which would bring in the most amount of money – close to €750 million each year – is a tax recommendation put forward by [Séamus Coffey]. That was his proposal. Therefore, the type of proposals we are putting forward are far from reckless,” Doherty asserts.

Sustainability Regardless, a recurring criticism of Sinn Féin’s tax policy, and one strongly refuted

by Doherty, is its potential unsustainability beyond year one. “Those that make that charge are our political opponents who are unwilling to, for example, tax the banks. The banks aren’t going to be paying corporation tax, not just for one year, but for 20 years,” he replies.

Emphasising Sinn Féin’s annual costed alternative budget, published “within the

Global tax challenges Reiterating his belief that corporate tax loopholes are damaging Ireland’s reputation in Europe and beyond, Doherty suggests that these “allow the impression to exist that Ireland is a type of rogue entity in relation to taxation”.

Conversely, the Sinn Féin frontbencher asserts that as a small and open island economy, Ireland “should have the right and has a legitimate right to use taxation to give us a competitive advantage”.

However, he qualifies this by asserting that this competitive advantage “cannot be on the back of developing nations or as part of a race to the bottom”. “There has to be flexibility in terms of steering taxation policy to allow Ireland to compete with nations that are far bigger and may have competitive advantages that we do not have. Ireland has a lot more than taxation to offer and that is why it has been so successful up until this point,” he observes.

In the US, the Biden administration’s global tax plans could have significant repercussions for Ireland. However, as yet, these plans have yet to navigate the US Congress or Senate. While Doherty does not believe that Ireland will

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Credit: Sinn Féin

necessarily lose economic advantage in terms of FDI, he is cognisant of the wider macroeconomics “beyond our control”.

“The big challenge for Ireland is not from Biden’s proposed increase in the rate [of corporate tax], it is more in terms of what his administration is doing in relation to the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income [GILTI] which he is increasing from 10.5 per cent to 21 per cent. That will apply to profits which are moved from a company that is based in Ireland and is repatriating profits to the US; they will be hit by double the tax rate after the Irish taxes are made.

“The impact here is not that Ireland will receive less tax, it is that the US will receive more. The question is whether that will dissuade future companies from locating in Ireland as their centre, or whether it will dissuade companies that are here from making a new investment,” he explains.

Ireland has already factored a €2 billion reduction in corporation tax receipts into its fiscal parameters as a result of potential changes produced by the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) negotiations and the Biden

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proposals. However, Doherty also emphasises that Ireland has much more to offer than an advantageous tax rate.

Factors contributing to Ireland’s economic competitiveness include access to Europe; a highly educated and English-speaking workforce; and relative government stability.

Simultaneously, the Sinn Féin TD identifies two conspicuous challenges.

The first is a requirement for “proper and substantial” investment in education and the second relates to infrastructure and cost of living. “Many companies will tell you that one of the biggest challenges they face in terms of locating in Dublin is that they cannot find accommodation for their employees. That’s why major companies are buying up apartment blocks and buying houses from plans.

Much of the development that is happening now in our capital and surrounding areas is not being sold on the open market. That is a problem.

Reducing the cost of housing through the type of capital investment programme that we are proposing supports our competitiveness and retains that into the future in terms of FDI,” he says.

Covid crisis While recognising the opportunity of the Covid crisis as a prospective economic gamechanger, Doherty is acerbic in his criticism of government deputies applauding frontline workers in the Dáil little over one year after facing down the striking nurses and midwives.

“It’s very easy to say the right thing at the right time, but a year on, the question is: Have we treated those on the frontline properly? The answer is no. That was exposed last year when the Government opposed paying student nurses working on the frontline,” Doherty maintains.

“I’m sceptical, not that change is going to come, but rather that this government will deliver that change. I genuinely believe that change is coming and that Sinn Féin will be at the heart of that change. This is what the Government really does not want, because its trick is to always pretend that change cannot happen. That was blown apart in the last election; people saw that it does not have to be this way, that Sinn Féin, along with others, can offer real change. That genie is not going back into the bottle

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and that is why we have seen our support continue to grow.”

Fair recovery Reflecting on the social and economic recovery, Doherty re-emphasises his party’s assertion that the any recovery must be rooted in fairness. “I take a lot of hope out of this [crisis]. When government is forced to move, it can move,” he says, referencing the legislature’s consensus on the public health response at the outset of the pandemic.

Elaborating on the principles informing Sinn Féin’s vision for the recovery, the finance spokesperson contends: “The principle is that the State must be there to support you when you are in need.

The principle is that certain services need to be public services as a right, not because of how deep your pockets are or who you know. Childcare should be a right, like education. Healthcare should be free at the point of delivery. There should be a right to a home. That’s the type of change that we would bring.”

Irish unity Sinn Féin’s primary policy objective remains the pursuit of Irish reunification.

A persistent theme of the Irish unity debate is cost. In November 2020, the party published Economic Benefits of a United Ireland. The discussion document makes two assertions: firstly, that partition is unaffordable; and secondly, that Irish unity will deliver economic benefits to island of Ireland as a whole.

“Ireland cannot afford partition,” Doherty states, adding: “What our document shows very clearly is that partition has negatively impacted both sides of the border, but particularly the North. In the North, as a result of having no fiscal powers, or very few fiscal powers, decisions are being made in Westminster which really only serve the City of London and the south-east of England and do not serve the regions of Britain and definitely do not serve the North.”

Doherty’s document also emphasises the relative economic neglect which prevails in the border counties. “There is reason why Donegal, which I represent, has the highest levels of poverty, unemployment and medical card usage

Credit: Sinn Féin

“A referendum on Irish unity is part of the Good Friday Agreement. It is outside the control of the Irish Government when this takes place. Given that people recognise that a referendum will take place within the next number of years… the failure to plan is a very serious failure of leadership by this government.” in the State, alongside the lowest levels of disposable income in the State.

Economically, we know Donegal has been forgotten, but partition has had a major impact in cutting off the natural hinterland of the county along with its natural trading partners in Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh.

where all communities on the island of

“Can we afford partition? No, we cannot.

Can we afford Irish unity? Of course, we can. How can I say that? I rely on a peer reviewed international report which modelled Irish unity in a post Brexit scenario and indicated that in the first eight years post-unity, the benefits to the economy would be €23.5 billion, north and south.”

unity is part of the Good Friday

Ireland can discuss what a new Ireland would look like; and an Irish Government green paper on Irish unity.

“In the absence of doing that, the Irish Government could be walking into a Brexit scenario. A referendum on Irish Agreement. It is outside the control of the Irish Government when this takes place. Given that people recognise that a referendum will take place within the next number of years, whether in five or 10 years – we would like to see it in five – the failure to plan is a very serious failure of leadership by this government.

Addressing the challenges in terms of planning for Irish unity, Doherty advocates for the creation of an all-party committee on Irish unity; a civic forum

“Change can happen. I believe that it can, and I know that we have the team to deliver it,” he concludes.

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Economic recovery: Investing in infrastructure Contextualising the review of the National Development Plan (NDP), Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD discusses how an ambitious public capital programme can play a critical role in the recovery of the Irish economy.

Setting out the context for the delivery of a renewed NDP, Minister McGrath acknowledges the critical role of stakeholders in the delivery of infrastructure throughout the pandemic and the importance of the agility shown not only maintaining the economy but providing a basis for future growth.

The Government’s “determination to deliver infrastructure and ensure the country develops in a co-ordinated and well-planned manner” is driven not only by the acknowledgement that Covid-19 will bring about many changes to how the public interacts with infrastructure but also the projection under Project Ireland 2040 of a population increase of some one million people over the next two decades.

Adopted in 2018, the existing NDP outlined a 10-year capital investment

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programme of around €116 billion aimed at upgrading the country’s infrastructure, enhancing economic capacity and promoting balanced regional development. So far, the plan has progressed a number of key infrastructure projects and the current Government has continued this momentum, including, most recently, through Urban Regeneration Development Fund allocations of around €1.3 billion across different regions of the country from the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien TD. A review of the current NDP was scheduled for 2022 but in November 2020, the Government opted to launch of Review to Renew. Explaining the decision, the Minister identifies an opportunity to “reassess the country’s priorities”. “The review provides an

opportunity to reassess our investment plans as a country, to update our project costings and to highlight any new issues that may need to be taken into account considering the priorities in the Programme for Government [PfG] and of course, the ongoing impact of Covid-19,” he states.

Another crucial factor in the decision, which McGrath highlights, is the opportunity to invest in public infrastructure based on access to “funding at historic low rates of interest”, which he says must be availed of in a “considered and careful” manner.

Asserting that an ambitious public capital programme can play a crucial role in the recovery of the economy, he contrasts the current economic outlook with that of a decade ago, when the global financial crisis meant that funding was not available and Ireland experienced a peak-

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to-trough cut in the public capital programme of some 60 per cent.

By comparison, the €10.8 billion capital budget for 2021, around 5 per cent of GNI*, is not only a record high for Ireland but one of the largest proportional allocations in the European Union.

The Minister outlines a number of key challenges the two-phase review will seek to address, including identifying the appropriate level of public capital investment for the next decade, resetting policy priorities in line with the PfG and closer alignment between the NDP and the National Planning Framework spatial strategy. A further major challenge he raises is around governance of the public capital programme, which he believes can be more efficient.

In April 2021, the Minister published the Phase 1 report on the NDP review, which he describes as an evidence base for Phase 2. The Phase 1 report involves analysis from the National Investment Office and DPER looking at appropriate spending levels and also examines the delivery challenges, with the Minister cognisant that further constraints exist outside finance, such as bottlenecks in the planning system, and that these must be addressed for infrastructure development over the next decade.

The Phase 1 report also deals with sectoral trends in demands across those key areas of climate change, education, and transport, for example. “Critically, it also looks at non-infrastructure investment,” explains the Minister, adding: “Because research and development is increasingly going to be an important part of the NDP, as is digitalisation, enterprise development and equipping people with the skills to match the requirements of a rapidly evolving economy. The NDP is not just about building roads, bridges and houses and our definition and understanding of infrastructure is constantly evolving.”

As well as further exploration of the role of PPPs, McGrath states that Phase 1 will look at the area of assurance, where he has identified the need for essential reform. Several decisions have already been taken in this regard, as he seeks to incorporate greater external involvement and oversight to the public capital

“One of the learnings I have from being in opposition and in observing the management of projects in my time here in the Department is that resources and time spent at the pretender stage are generally well spent.” programme.

“One of the learnings I have from being in opposition and in observing the management of projects in my time here in the Department is that resources and time spent at the pre-tender stage are generally well spent. If you can pre-empt problems before they arise, it enables projects to go through the delivery phase in a much smoother manner,” he explains.

McGrath has announced his intention to put in place a framework of external experts in major infrastructure delivery, to advise government departments, at the two key “decision gates” of the business case stage and pre-tender stage.

Reviews by the experts, he says, will focus on the robustness of planned delivery, the accuracy of cost forecasts, and give consideration of risk and procurement. The Minister is establishing a major projects advisory group to assist his department in managing the external expert framework and assimilating the forthcoming outcomes from their reviews.

swift economic recovery. While under no illusion that that past year has resulted in considerable economic damage, he points to ESRI predictions of 4.5 per cent economic growth in 2022 and 5 per cent in 2023 as a source of optimism, which in tandem with the Government’s new National Economic Recovery Plan presents an opportunity for economic growth.

However, he is also aware of the hangover challenges presented by the pandemic. For example, the Department has identified significant capital underspend across government departments both in 2020 and this year, largely due to the Covid-19 restrictions on construction. Only 10 per cent of capital budget can be carried forward by a department for the following year by law and, in response, the Minister has introduced new reporting requirements for the main capital spending departments to report quarterly to

Furthermore, the Minister has announced the expansion of the Project Ireland 2040 delivery board to include five external members from the private sector or those who previously worked in public sector infrastructure delivery, who he believes will add rigour and experience.

Cabinet on their capital spending to date

Phase 2 of the review is scheduled for summer 2021, with the objective of publishing a new 10-year NDP with rolling five-year capital ceilings for departments, which the Minister says will “offer a line of sight and certainty” about the funding they will have over the next five years.

budget that is available, even if that

Looking to the future, McGrath projects a

regard,” he concludes.

and their projections for the remainder of the year.

“This will enable the Government as a collective to take decisions to ensure we are making maximum use of the capital means reallocation from one area to another because we recognise the important role of capital investment in recovery. We need to always be looking at ways to improve the productive capacity of the economy and the public capital programme is a huge lever in that

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round table discussion

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Connecting Ireland and the future of work Vodafone Ireland hosted a virtual round table discussion with experts from across the public and private sectors, applying their experience and insight to explore the opportunity presented by the Covid-19 pandemic to implement new models of work for the future.

What are the key drivers of change in the future of work and how can we reimagine the way in which we work? What role will connectivity play?

Shelah McMahon There are a range of drivers for the future of work such as technological advancement, increased digitalisation, and advanced workplace communication tools but the most seismic driver has been the pandemic. There has never been a timelier opportunity for us as a nation to review how we work and what we want the future of work to look like.

Policy, culture, and tools are the key elements which will help us formulate the future of work and they are fundamental to the needs of the country to recover both socially and economically from the pandemic.

Deirdre Frost Technology and broadband are drivers of change, but they are also the enabling infrastructure. The pandemic has served as a driver of change in terms of allowing people to experiment with what remote working might be like, albeit a forced experiment. Previous patterns have shown us that in a tight labour market, employees have more bargaining power and can therefore drive change. A further driver is the low carbon agenda. I think the benefits of remote working, in terms of reduced emissions, should be quantified to a greater extent and this should help inform the debate on both a micro and a macro level. Having analysed remote working for a long period of time, I’m interested to see what elements will gain traction and be sustained beyond the pandemic. Organisational culture and government policy will be critical to this.

Tom Gilligan

Round table discussion hosted by

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The key drivers Mayo County Council has identified are technology, infrastructure, and people. Putting people at the centre of everything we do is a critical feature for local government, and we recognise a significant shift in the way we do business, which needs to be supported by policy, technology, and investment.

We also recognise that we have a large cohort of staff whose roles do not easily lend themselves to remote working. To this end, there is an important leadership role in managing and engaging staff. The need to connect and collaborate will be even greater in the future and digital technology will be a key enabler.

Tracy Keogh Technology, policy, and culture are the drivers we talk about when transitioning organisations, but we have also identified two additional layers which expand upon these. The first is the hard infrastructure in the form of broadband and hubs but the second is the importance of layering thriving eco-systems on top. We have a tiny window to maximise the opportunities of remote working presented by Covid. If you look at New Zealand, which has now exited lockdown, there has been a massive return to in-office working and so we must act swiftly if we are to capitalise on Ireland’s window.

Ruth Morrissy Undoubtedly, Covid-19 has changed the world of work forever through the acceleration of existing trends such as digitalisation and technology adoption.

One of the major drivers of remote working has been and will be employee demand. Generally, what we have experienced is not remote working to its truest extent; it has been emergency working from home. Despite this, in the Department’s interactions with the public, we are still observing strong interest in remote working continuing to some degree post-pandemic. Employers who embrace remote or flexible working practices are going to see benefits such as access to larger talent pools and improved staff morale. Underpinning policy, particularly in relation to connectivity, is also very important in this regard and that is why a major component of the Remote Work Strategy is focused on having the right national infrastructure in place.

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Deirdre Frost is a Policy Analyst and Project Manager with the Western Development Commission. She has analysed and published on a range of policy issues relating to regional and rural development including the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan. Deirdre is also Project Manager of ‘Digiwest’, a project delivering four rural working digital hubs in the western region. Since January 2020, she has led on a collaborative project with NUI Galway on the analysis and promotion of remote working which has undertaken several national surveys on remote working during Covid-19.

Stjohn O’Connor

Tom Gilligan Tom is a Director of Services and Head of Finance at Mayo County Council.

Before joining Mayo County Council, Tom was the Head of Finance with the newly created Limerick City and County Council, the biggest change management programme in local government history. Prior to joining the public sector, Tom had roles in construction, retail, manufacturing, and the pharmaceutical sector. Tom is the holder of an MBA in Local Government and is the instigator and founder of VacantHomes.ie, an initiative of Mayo County Council on behalf of the Local Government Sector. Tom is also an author and recently published his first book Irish Drummers Volume One.

From a Civil Service perspective, the ability to attract and retain talent is a major driver. We are approaching a point in the Civil Service whereby a large portion of our senior management will be retiring within a short period of time. We need to adjust if we are going to continue to attract talent to work in the Civil Service; broaden the offering; and move away from the expectation of needing to be located close to Dublin.

3.

Tracy Keogh Tracy Keogh is a co-founder of Grow Remote and a recognised international leader in the world of remote. Having over 10 years of experience in technology start-ups, Tracy spent the last few years building the largest local community of remote workers in the world. Working to change how employment spreads, she has spearheaded the delivery of training courses in remote to over 35 large enterprises, and 200 individuals.

How can a distributed model of working help to rebalance the economy and what are the benefits?

4.

Tom Gilligan

Shelah McMahon Shelah McMahon is the Head of Public Sector Sales at Vodafone Ireland.

Shelah manages the central government portfolio and previously led public sector service management for Vodafone Ireland. Shelah has 25 years of experience across financial services and telecommunications with extensive experience of leading large teams and strategic change programmes. Shelah is passionate about connectivity and pioneering a gigabit society where public and private sector collaborate to democratise connectivity, which will deliver benefits to all citizens living and working in the island of Ireland.

The emerging opportunity and shift of mindset ushered in by Covid indicates that work can be done elsewhere across the country. Campaigns have been launched to bring people back to the west of Ireland. That will enhance the economy on the west coast, particularly in respect of our local towns and villages.

It will also breathe new life into our communities and regenerate areas which have been in decline. It’s a great opportunity for people to reduce commuting times, to inject more flexibility into their day and to achieve a better quality of life. This is all conducive to Project Ireland 2040 which envisions a progressive population distribution strategy and the creation of much more balanced national economy.

5.

Ruth Morrissy Ruth Morrissy is an Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Working in the Labour Market and Skills Unit, Ruth has led on several projects on remote work, such as the 2019 Remote Work in Ireland report, the creation of the Department’s Guidance for Working Remotely website, and the Department’s public consultation on the topic. Last year, she led the development of Making Remote Work, Ireland’s first Remote Work Strategy which was published in January 2021.

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Stjohn O’Connor Stjohn O’Connor is Principal Officer in charge of Rural Development and Innovation in the Department of Rural and Community Development. Stjohn has worked in a variety of departments and is currently responsible for building a national network of remote working hubs, delivering the Broadband Connection Points initiative of the National Broadband Plan, and working with local authorities to innovate with digital technologies. Stjohn holds a doctorate in governance from Queen’s University Belfast.

Deirdre Frost Rural and regional development, as well as the ancillary spend that is associated with people living and working remotely or indeed working from a hub in rural areas, has to some extent been overlooked by concerns about Dublin city centre or other large urban centres.

Deirdre Frost

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“Employers who embrace remote or flexible working practices are going to see benefits such as access to larger talent pools and

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improved staff morale.”

Shelah McMahon, Head of Public Sector Sales, Vodafone Ireland The debate should not be reduced to an ‘either or’ discourse. In real terms, the proportion of people moving has a benefit for rural town centres that far outweighs any detriment to larger urban centres. At the same time, one key benefit to employers is an expanded labour supply.

Whether they are urban or rurally based, they will have improved access to skills from a broader geographic area, which will be advantageous, especially in periods of high economic growth and tight labour markets.

Ruth Morrissy Increasing participation in the labour market is a huge benefit, not only in terms of traversing geographical boundaries and reducing commuting times, but for the cohorts of people who typically have lower economic participation rates. These cohorts include people with disabilities and people with caring responsibilities who can benefit greatly from the elimination of the commute to work. It also helps attract older workers as they move towards retirement. The flexibility of remote working enables this cohort to remain in the labour market for longer, benefiting society as a whole. What is really striking about the benefits is how many of them are interlinked. For instance, if we can reduce commuting times, we can simultaneously reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector while improving the work-life balance of workers. The possibilities are huge.

Tracy Keogh There is a gap between the rhetoric and the implementation of remote working policy. Without case studies and toolkits which support organisations to make the transition, we will be stuck in a loop of achieving consensus on the obvious benefits of remote working followed by little tangible action. When we talk about the benefits to communities, often the discussion sways towards repopulation and attracting people from east to west.

Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics talks about remote working being an option for the top 7 per cent of employees. However, this does not produce positive outcomes for our rural communities. Instead, people on higher salaries move in and reduce affordability in these communities. There is much untapped potential in moving away from the top 7 per cent and providing career opportunities to the existing talent in rural and regional communities.

Shelah McMahon The distributed model of working also incorporates government policies, employer policies and employee policies.

Likewise, culture is intrinsic to making this work. As the infrastructure becomes available, whether that be the collaborative tools to work from home or the creation of digital hubs, unless there are appropriate policies both from the organisations and the State, alongside an

authentic culture which trusts and empowers people to work from locations other than fixed offices belonging to the organisation, it will not yield sustainable benefits. The opportunity to work remotely cannot merely extend to a privileged cohort that does not actually contribute to the social fabric of rural Ireland. Similarly, the distributed model of work will only achieve sustainable success if there is distributed equality of access to the digital skills which can capitalise on that opportunity.

Stjohn O’Connor If you consider the research literature on building resilience in rural communities, one of the consistent themes is moving away from the traditional primary and secondary industries to establish a broader economic base. What we’re talking about here is an opportunity to achieve that, for the first time. It involves attracting different types of industry and jobs into communities to create a much more sustainable pathway to economic growth. From a community development perspective, there are far more people currently able to be involved in their communities because of the shift to remote working. That’s another redistributive effect for rural Ireland. Much of our society is built on volunteerism and people investing their spare time into local initiatives. When people are locked into a two-hour commute, it does not leave a lot of spare time for voluntary work.

“The emerging opportunity and shift of mindset ushered in by Covid indicates that work can be done elsewhere across the country.”

Tom Gilligan, Director of Services and Head of Finance, Mayo County Council

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“I am led to believe that there is already a slow and steady return to the workplace. If that is because of inertia, then we need to move to counteract that and consolidate remote work practices.”

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Deirdre Frost, Policy Analyst and Project Manager, Western Development Commission

What are the most significant obstacles to implementing new models of working?

Tracy Keogh We developed a maturity model for organisations transitioning away from coping remotely to thriving remotely, which we split in to three groups: CEO leadership; people managers; and the rest of the organisation’s talent. In one organisation we worked with, we found that 90 per cent of staff said that they wanted to work remotely but 77 per cent of people managers said that they wanted people back in the office. What that tells us is that people managers need more support but also that this must be CEO-led because leadership is the missing component. A general understanding of the potential benefits is present but there is insufficient research into what is being lost in terms of collaboration and culture. The starting point must be case studies because fully remote has been tested and in-office has been tested but we have yet to fully evaluate a hybrid, remote first model at scale.

Stjohn O’Connor That community penetration is exactly why we are developing the national hub network because we see the value of leadership and we have been approached by companies who recognise the value the network will bring. The Western Development Commission will undertake a marketing campaign around the network, but we also recognise that it needs to be a bottom-up campaign. If we have 400 hubs on the network, they need to be actively promoting the availability of jobs and of a mechanism to attract those jobs into their communities. In addition, we would like to see a community dividend emerging from hubs in the network that would see them providing additional services to the community.

Deirdre Frost To me the major obstacle is inertia and missing the opportunity to grow the remote workforce for the future, because at present we are working remotely in an enforced regime. Taking the point about New Zealand not seizing the remote working opportunity, Ireland could be the same if we do not act. I am led to believe that there is already a slow and steady return to the workplace. If that is because of inertia, then we need to move to counteract that and consolidate remote work practices. To do so, we need a better understanding. In the surveys conducted in partnership with the Western Development Commission and NUI Galway we see that for many people, their understanding of remote working is grounded in the emergency working from home model we have all experienced over the past year. I think we can take lessons from those countries who are more advanced in their response to the pandemic.

Stjohn O’Connor

skillsets, and infrastructure. The final obstacle is employee change fatigue.

Employee change fatigue was an obstacle pre-pandemic, when it was recognised that constant introduction of new ways of working negatively impacted on staff morale and productivity. We have been through a substantial change in the last year and employee capacity for new ways of working needs to be a big factor of how we plan for the future.

Shelah McMahon There is a critical role for leaders, whether they be private or public sector, not just to be the drivers of change but also to identify the various employee needs at different stages of their careers. Those entering the labour market will have a different requirement to those nearing retirement and that will be different again for those with caring responsibilities.

Balance is key and crucial to finding that balance to deliver a future, successful way of working is asking the people who

One of the most interesting findings to have emerged from our surveys within the Civil Service was a widespread lack of knowledge of the third option; working in another facility such as a community hub. Part of our role is to disseminate that information but also to show leadership. We are awaiting approval on a proposal that would see existing OPW facilities around the country be transformed into remote working hubs for civil servants at very little cost. It is something I am keen to introduce because I think it would serve as a demonstration of how the public sector is embracing remote working opportunities.

are going to deliver that model what they

Tom Gilligan

recently published a code of practice on

I think there are three identifiable obstacles. The first is culture and how receptive an organisation is to change.

The second are the resources available to an organisation, including finance,

need and then delivering that through policy and culture changes.

Ruth Morrissy Mindset and culture are significant challenges and I think as more people managers receive training, that will help to develop trust, as will the constant improvement of collaboration tools. One of the barriers we heard much about was the ability to switch off and the right to disconnect when remote working. Under the National Remote Work Strategy, the Workplace Relations Commission the right to disconnect which will hopefully provide people with a lot more understanding of how the law will apply in these remote scenarios, helping both employers and employees.

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“There is a gap between the rhetoric and the implementation of

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remote working policy.”

Tracy Keogh, Co-founder, Grow Remote

How can new ways of working align productivity and engagement with a healthy work-life balance and what does this mean for rural communities?

Ruth Morrissy In terms of productivity, there is a significant volume of research which provides a mixed picture on whether remote working is more productive or not. One significant piece of research undertaken by Microsoft polled 9,000 managers across 15 countries and found that remote working had been equally productive or improved productivity for the majority of companies. There are significant implications if people can get more work done in the same amount of time. It could help to prevent overworking or working later into the day. Paired with a reduced amount of time spent commuting, this will unlock much more time to be spent locally, increasing engagement within the community.

Deirdre Frost The research we conducted was very consistent. The issue with productivity is the extent to which people are using extra time to do the same job, versus the time they have left over to invest in their local community. The Western Development Commission/NUI Galway surveys from 2020 indicate that people had much more free time because they were not commuting and some of this

was spent working. This may be due to an initial learning curve whereby people were getting to grips with new ways of working or things were taking longer.

However, one thing that is very clear is that at least some of that saved commuting time is being used to invest in individual wellbeing, community wellbeing and family wellbeing. That can only be a good thing.

Tom Gilligan Alongside productivity, it’s about people and place. Our Rural Future, the recent government document that sets out several objectives to transform rural Ireland, encourages vacant properties to be brought back into use as community spaces and technology hubs. That will benefit the local community by enhancing access and therefore choice. Improved productivity is about ensuring that a task is completed in the most efficient manner possible. The new ways of working will help align with that objective. At the same time, in Mayo County Council, we have placed a particular emphasis on people’s mental wellbeing. Amid Covid, an increased number of people are working in isolation, inhibiting the collaboration traditionally associated with an office environment. Early on, at the start of my own career, I was advised to always take time and sit with colleagues from different sectors of my organisation. I learned a lot from that experience. People miss that aspect of work and we must be mindful as employers that we monitor mental wellbeing and ensure regular contact with

colleagues as we implement new ways of doing things.

Shelah McMahon This pivot towards new ways of working feels much more significant given the context of the pandemic. There must be a holistic focus on the wellbeing of the community of people who work within any given organisation. The wellbeing of the people availing of the distributed model of working is critical to the success of that model. The wider culture, inclusivity and diversity of an organisation will contribute to this success. One of the most interesting aspects of this conversation is that there appears to be a consensus that the tools and infrastructure are there. We must then layer on the public and private policies from the State and organisations, as well as cultures. These are the pillars for the delivery of the future of work, wherever you work and however you consume your services.

Stjohn O’Connor There needs to be very specific research from within individual sectors as well as on a national basis as to where the dividend of remote working will be felt.

Everyone knows that there are pervasive benefits across all sectors of society and the economy, but we have not yet reorientated the research to look specifically at each of those elements.

We have spoken to the Western Development Commission about understanding the immediate economic

“From a community development perspective, there are far more people currently able to be involved in their communities because of the shift to remote working.”

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Stjohn O’Connor, Principal Officer, Rural Development and Innovation, Department of Rural and Community Development

“Employers who embrace remote or flexible working practices are going to see benefits such as access to larger talent pools and improved staff morale.”

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Ruth Morrissy, Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment impact on communities, but we must give broader consideration; to the carbon emission dividend, for example, and involve others such as the Department of Transport. In each of those areas, we need the policy experts to consider ‘what is the dividend, and can we put a price on it?’ Then we will start to see the full picture of remote working and articulating the vision will become a lot easier.

What lessons have been learned over the last year with enforced distributed working across the country, especially for those delivering state services to citizens and how citizens consume them?

Deirdre Frost Amid this new enforced layer of digitalisation, we must extend the remote working dividend into wider society. I make that point because the Western Region and rural regions generally have a higher population in the economically inactive cohort. It strikes me that while many of the benefits of remote working may not have been properly quantified, it is very clear that they have been felt by the economically active. I am hopeful that these benefits will be felt by wider society, including those who are not in the labour force. In the context of the digital divide, many older citizens have improved their digital literacy. While this has occurred across vast swathes of the population, including through remote access to health services and education services, I am cognisant that the lessons and skills I and others have learned through remote working might not be universal.

Tracy Keogh Grow Remote has observed that many people now have a personal experience of remote working and that experience informs their associations with the wider concept. If someone had a negative

experience during the emergency working from home period, then they are likely to have a negative perception of remote working more broadly. Even when we discuss the remote first concept, some people say, ‘well, I want to be in the office sometimes,’ as opposed to recognising that it is location agnostic. To move past this, we need to broaden the perspective and avoid forcing a particular model upon individuals.

Ruth Morrissy The biggest lesson is that it can be done.

Many organisations had a cultural mindset that they could not do it or that their roles weren’t applicable. Obviously, that is true in some very specific sectors.

With organisations like the Civil Service, where previously there was not a significant volume of remote work being undertaken, it soon became apparent that many roles could be fulfilled from home with some ease. In terms of improving the delivery of state services, I spoke with my colleagues in the employment permits section to gather an understanding of how they have been transitioning with their workload. In the relatively short period of time of working remotely, these colleagues have replaced all the paper-based elements of their system and are now providing all their services digitally. There are significant benefits for applicants in that scenario as permits are now provided via email, which is faster and more reliable, improving overall customer service.

Stjohn O’Connor The simple point is that it works. We have all adjusted and accelerated changes that were on the agenda for a long time but did not previously have enough momentum behind them to be implemented. We had no option but to make those changes which has resulted in rapid innovation. It has shown that we can change, develop, and try new things.

There must be an acceptance of the need to plan for the future, recognising

that we can change, and we can succeed. The greatest lesson from a Civil Service perspective is the willingness to innovate and to take risk. A window of opportunity now exists, and we need to seize the moment, driving changes that unlock ubiquitous benefits and avoiding a backwards slide into traditional patterns.

Tom Gilligan One of the key lessons has been around communication. How, when and what we communicate with people is now more critical than ever. The second lesson concerns technology and skillsets. What we have learned is that it is important to adopt the most relevant technology and have the necessary skills to use it effectively. For instance, in Mayo County Council, we have launched a consultation portal around the new county development plan, providing people with the opportunity to submit their observations online. Consequently, this has injected a greater degree of flexibility into the process. Simultaneously, we must be conscious that there are certain cohorts of the workforce, particularly those in construction and manufacturing, which are still required to be on-site and cannot fully embrace the benefits and flexibility of remote working.

Shelah McMahon The single biggest lesson for my team, and Vodafone Ireland more broadly, has been to experiment and learn fast. Amid the pandemic, we needed to be braver, and leadership was required to be more agile. Speed often trumps perfection.

This has meant being open to making mistakes and learning from these. We were forced to do that over the last year and given the ongoing public health restrictions, that continues to be the case. Post-Covid, it would be a shame if we missed the opportunity afforded by the crisis to share socio-economic growth across the island of Ireland and instead regressed back to pre-pandemic working practices.

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The Pandemic: One year on with a 10 per cent decrease in the number of people without a third level qualification who were employed in Q4 2020. At the same time, the corresponding figures for those with a third level qualification increased.

Each of these disparities has an impact on the long-term policy response. “This time last year, the thinking was that the pandemic was a system-wide, symmetric shock. It now appears that it is more of an asymmetric, sector-specific shock, with unique impacts,” Donohoe observes.

Response Credit: Merrion Street

Addressing the ESRI in March 2021, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD delivered a speech titled The Pandemic: One Year On in which he emphasised the fundamentals of the Irish economy, acknowledged the impending challenges and outlined how these could be overcome while “relentlessly pursuing many opportunities”.

Remarking that the labour market has been “turned on its head”, the Minister for Finance emphasises that at the time of his speech, over one million people were in receipt of either the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) or were on the Live Register.

Asymmetry Delving into these figures, Donohoe acknowledges the disparate impact the pandemic has had across the labour market in three ways. Firstly, publicfacing sectors have been most adversely affected due to their inability to easily pivot to remote working and social distancing. As such, job losses and business closures have been concentrated in sectors such as a hospitality, leisure, and personal services.

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“To put this into perspective, the number of hours worked in the food and accommodation sector fell at an annual rate of 53 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020,” the Minister says, adding: “On the other hand, hours worked in the information and communications sector… rose 3 per cent over the same period.”

Secondly, he highlights the disproportionate impact on young workers. While the total unemployment rate was 19.8 per cent, the rate of unemployment among the 14-24 age cohort increased to 46 per cent in Q4 2020. This is partly due to the prevalence of young workers in contact intensive sectors.

Thirdly, workers with lower educational attainment were also severely impacted,

At the time of speaking, the Minister indicates that a total of approximately €38 billion of government resources had been allocated to support households and businesses, ultimately aimed at mitigating the permanent impacts of the pandemic.

As such, at an aggregate level, household income increased in 2020. Indeed, CSO data indicates that during Q2 2020, median household income fell by almost 2 per cent compared with a counterfactual decrease of 20 per cent in the absence of government supports.

Simultaneously, consumer spending has decreased in negative correlation to household income.

Consequently, as reflected in other advanced economies, aggregate figures for households point to an accumulation of savings. For example, in Q2 2020 the savings rate of the average household increased from €1 in every €10 of takehome pay to €4 in every €10 of takehome pay. In total, €15 billion of the €126 billion household deposits in the domestic banking system has accumulated in the last year.

“Importantly, this means that once the virus has been contained, the unwinding of the savings ratio will provide some support for economic recovery, at least in the short term,” Donohoe remarks.

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Countercyclical policy response

Thirdly, he reiterates the asymmetric nature of the crisis.

A countercyclical policy response is possible for two reasons, he argues.

Firstly, “careful management” of the prepandemic economy and secondly, favourable sovereign financing conditions.

Therefore, while monetary policy is appropriate on an aggregate level, it cannot provide sector specific response and fiscal policy is required to support employment and income. This interaction, the Minister observes, has provoked a debate on the sustainability of public debt.

In relation to economic management, the Finance Minister credits budgetary surpluses, the Rainy Day Fund, macro prudential tools and the structure of the tax system. These were, he argues, political decisions that enabled the State to enter the pandemic from a position of strength. At the same time, unlike during the previous crisis, this countercyclical policy response is now advocated by the European Commission, the IMF and the OECD. Once the monetary support mechanisms come to an end, he projects: “The benefits of prudent economic management pre-pandemic alongside determined countercyclical support during the pandemic, will become evident.”

Fiscal and monetary policy Minister Donohoe outlines three factors informing complementary fiscal and monetary policy. Firstly, he contends, the depth of the Covid crisis “necessitates a more aggressive countercyclical policy response”. Secondly, the impact of monetary policy is constrained by the zero-lower bound for interest rates.

Irish debt to modified national income increased to 108 per cent or €219 billion in 2020 and is expected to increase further in 2021. Simultaneously, while debt is increasing, the debts service burden is falling in positive correlation with interest costs. As such, mirroring similar scenarios across advanced economies, Ireland’s interest bill absorbed 4.5 per cent of total revenue in 2020, compared with 12.5 per cent 2013.

However, the Minister warns: “While the policy framework with respect to deficits and debt is evolving, this does not absolve us of the need to reduce our deficit over time.”

Published in late January 2020, the Department of Finance’s Annual Report on Public Debt in Ireland “emphasises that there is no single metric to show whether a country’s debt is sustainable or not”.

For Ireland, as a small country which cannot print its own money and which is a member of a monetary union in which monetary policy is “not always optimal for a small country”, he argues, maintaining sustainable public finances is vital. This entails a reduction in the interest bill, through a reduction of the deficit at an appropriate pace. “The idea that ‘deficits don’t matter’… is so far wide of the mark as to be dangerous.”

So, while countercyclical support is essential, it must be sustainable. A new balance must be struck, the Finance Minister suggests, between sustaining debt, managing the deficit and economic growth. “The need to manage our national finances differently will emerge.

And it is in our interests to be ready for that moment,” he asserts.

Interest rates Highlighting the absence of certainty around the future of interest rates, Donohoe notes increased inflation rates and accompanying inflationary expectations elsewhere globally. He also emphasises two certainties: firstly, greater public debt is “more painful” if there is an increase in borrowing costs; and secondly, “the more carefully a national deficit is managed the better the prospects for more affordable costs”.

Welcoming the European Commission’s communication of One year since the outbreak of Covid-19: Fiscal policy response, the Minister points to a number of initiatives to be delivered in coming months, including completion of the stability and convergence programmes, alongside preparation of member states’ recovery and resilience plans. Meanwhile, in Ireland, the Government intends to publish the National Economic Plan and the Medium-Term Plan to align public spending and revenue, as per the Programme for Government.

Overall, Donohoe indicates that the pandemic has redefined uncertainty and tail risk. “In order to reduce the vulnerability of the economy and the public finances to some of this uncertainty, reducing the debt ratio back to lower and safe levels must be a key priority over the medium-term,” he concludes.

“In order to reduce the vulnerability of the economy and the public finances to some of this uncertainty, reducing the debt ratio back to lower and safe levels must be a key priority over the medium-term.” eolas issues

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Final Climate Action Bill published In March, the Government approved the final text of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill. The legislation will pass through the Houses of the Oireachtas as a matter of priority, amending the 2015 Act to provide a governance framework for the pursuit of national objectives and international obligations.

KEY ASPECTS OF THE BILL • provides for a national climate objective of a climate neutral economy no later than 2050; • provides for the expansion of and an enhanced role for the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), empowering it to recommend carbon budgets to the Minister; • provides that the first two five-year carbon budgets as proposed by the CCAC should deliver a 51 per cent reduction in carbon emissions (relative to 2018) by 2030; • provides that the Government will determine carbon budget application within each sector; • provides that actions for each sector will be detailed in the annually updated Climate Action Plan; • provides that government ministers will be held responsible for achieving legally binding targets in their specific sectors, with each minister accountable to an Oireachtas committee; • provides that local authorities will each prepare five-year climate action plans; and • provides that public sector bodies must take account of climate action plans in pursuing their functions.

C L I M AT E AC T I O N P L A N 2 0 2 1 C O N S U LTAT I O N Communities, households and members of the public have been encouraged to join the ‘Climate Conversation’ dialogue and contribute to the Climate Action Plan for 2021. Simultaneously, climate scientists and industry experts have been asked to share data informed technical proposals to support the development of the plan. This consultation will remain open until 18 May 2021.

In the meantime, the Government has committed itself to a set of interim climate actions to “ensure continued delivery of climate action across departments and their agencies”. It suggests that the interim climate actions be used as a benchmark for consultation responses, highlighting weaknesses to be addressed in the 2021 Climate Action Plan.

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REACTION

Micheál Martin TD An Taoiseach

“The Bill we are publishing today affirms our ambition to be a global leader in this field. As we begin our journey towards net zero emissions, the Government is committed to tackling the challenges, and embracing the opportunities, this transition can bring our economy, our society and our country. We must continue to act, across government, as there is no time to waste when it comes to securing our future.”

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we must ensure that the road to recovery is a sustainable one. I am confident that the decarbonisation of the economy will present significant opportunities for Irish business, for trade and for new employment. Whether that be in the huge expansion of entire industries, such as retrofitting or offshore wind, by becoming an electricity exporter, or new jobs in cleantech, the early movers with the most ambition will see the greatest opportunities.”

Eamon Ryan TD Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications

Leo Varadkar TD An Tánaiste

“We finally have urgent ambition set in legislation that puts Ireland on the road to net zero emissions by 2050. We also have a legally-binding framework in place which includes accountability to deliver our target of a 51 per cent reduction over the next decade. It’s time to set out a new Climate Action Plan, to begin the journey to net zero, by halving our emissions over the next 10 years. In doing so, we can build a cleaner, more sustainable and secure future for us all.”

“We have been waiting a long time for the publication of this key piece of climate legislation… The draft Bill was full of loopholes… For too long, successive governments have failed to meet their climate targets and that has to stop. Accountability and strong language will be paramount…

Senator Lynn Boylan Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate Justice

“The make-up of the Climate Council is also key. The days of neo-liberal economists deciding climate policy are over. The Climate Action Committee called for a broader range of expertise including climate scientists and someone with a background in labour relations and a just transition.”

Oisín Coghlan Friends of the Earth Director

“This Climate Bill is a big step in the right direction. The first draft had too many loopholes. Now, the targets are tighter, the duty to act is stronger, and the language is clearer. But today is just the beginning.

TDs and Senators must now do their job to make sure the final law is as robust as possible… The climate law is the starting gun for the race of a lifetime. The race to zero pollution fast enough to prevent complete climate breakdown and fairly enough to leave no one behind.” eolas issues

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Deploying RPA in the HSE Ciarán Galway speaks with Kevin Kelly, RPA Lead with HSE Shared Services and Philip McGrath, Public Service Innovation Policy Lead with the Reform and Innovation Division at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) about the rollout of robotic process automation (RPA) across the Health Service Executive (HSE).

What are the key drivers of RPA deployment in the HSE? Philip McGrath The key drivers of RPA in the HSE are the same as the drivers of RPA in any of our public service bodies; we need to automate processes that are time consuming and laborious to make organisations more efficient. These processes follow a particular pattern; they generally involve several different systems, and they involve rules. RPA frees up staff to be transferred to do more value-added work and undertake more cerebral tasks, while simultaneously speeding up processes. Moreover, RPA assists in performing a type of audit on an organisation’s processes. It helps to identify areas where processes really aren’t contributing to desired outcomes, other processes that lean methodology can be applied to, as well as processes that might not need to be undertaken at all. This improves the service delivered to citizens, making it better, easier to use and quicker.

Kevin Kelly In many of the areas where we have deployed RPA, it has enabled those

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already stretched teams to absorb more work with the same headcount. Although traditionally a good fit in the areas of administration and particularly within HR and finance, we are observing interest from both administrative and frontline areas and through the conversations we are having right across the health sector, use cases are emerging that positively impact frontline services directly. For instance, nurses who have been relieved of administrative tasks through RPA and surveillance scientists who have handed over their administrative tasks to a robot or virtual worker, thereby allowing them to analyse infectious disease data rather than having to process it first.

delivery model we have subsequently adopted have been validated by DPER. This instilled a high degree of confidence that our approach is correctly aligned with broader public sector policy.

Philip McGrath

Kevin Kelly

DPER has been involved in research, testing, piloting, and growing RPA since the end of 2016. Our collaboration with the HSE has confirmed that RPA can be gamechanger in terms of how we administer our services to the citizen. The health sector is the largest and, arguably, the most complex component of the public sector and we know that there are several systems that would be prohibitively expensive and difficult to integrate using conventional automation methods. That’s why driving RPA’s success in this particular sector will pave the way for other centres of excellence to embed RPA across government.

Having DPER’s stamp of approval on this technology and on the approach that we were taking has been invaluable. From the HSE’s perspective, DPER came on board at an early opportunity and supported us to identify suitable areas to conduct a number of pilots. Since then, the decisions we have taken to invest in the establishment of our Centre of Excellence and in the operating and

While we have centres of excellence in Revenue, the National Shared Services Office and the Department of Social Protection is working through its options at the moment, what the HSE has done is showcase how RPA can be successful in terms of changing how we do work. This ranges from the back office and the work done in relation to Garda vetting to the Mater Hospital, where nurses have been

What are the advantages of the HSE/DPER collaboration on RPA?

issues eolas

assisted in their administrative duties, and to the work on positive Covid test cases in the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. It has confirmed and validated DPER’s planned direction of travel and it has shown the enormous savings that can be made if people commit at a strategic level. The Centre of Excellence that Kevin is building is very much strategically focused and incorporates the virtual worker into the future of the health service. Overall, the collaboration acts as a blueprint for us in moving forward across government.

What are the most significant challenges on this journey?

Kevin Kelly While the deployment of RPA within the HSE was a year or two in the making, it suddenly became an overnight success because we were fortunate to land RPA

Philip McGrath

Philip McGrath

The most significant challenge since we began embedding the pilots was the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated challenges that working remotely has presented. However, this has also acted as a catalyst. Organisations will now very quickly move to digital inputs which then more easily enable the deployment of RPA. In terms of the challenge, projects across the HSE have, out of necessity, been required to take a backseat while our health service staff focus on protecting the public and the vaccination programme. As much as we would love to be pursuing every single pipeline of processes, there are other priorities for Kevin and his team. While the deployment of RPA is very important in terms of the future of the health service and ensuring the most efficient service possible, it is clear that the health and wellbeing of the citizen takes precedence.

We found it particularly difficult to identify projects over a number of years, in part at least due to a misunderstanding about what RPA is and how it can be applied.

Covid has inadvertently put processes under a microscope and enabled people to understand that what they previously thought were subjective decisions were in fact a series of rules-based decisions, usually bundled together. There has been something of a cultural shift as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“People are genuinely excited about what they hear about RPA and when we present the evidence from within the HSE, there is a clamour for this technology to be applied.” Kevin Kelly, Health Business Services technology into the right areas at the right time in the very early stages of the Covid19 response and it made a significant difference. However, the challenge that presents now is the expectation to keep delivering, while simultaneously building an enterprise technology platform and embedding an appropriate delivery methodology and support structure. So, it is a balancing act at the moment between doing this correctly while simultaneously meeting demand.

Another challenge that we have encountered is a skills deficit. RPA is a relatively new and niche technology, so we’re cognisant of the challenge of attracting appropriately skilled people who are in high demand. For that reason, we’re keen to upskill our own staff to become proficient in RPA technology so we have developed staff training opportunities through our Digital Academy and are exploring other initiatives that will create a pipeline of talent through apprenticeships and internships that we will then tap into.

Kevin Kelly That’s correct. Many of my team have been involved in the Covid-19 response to some degree over the last 12 months, firstly in contact tracing and more recently the vaccination programme.

Simultaneously, however, the HSE has undergone a rate of digitalisation during that timeframe that might otherwise have taken years. As such, staff have become more aware of new and innovative ways of working than they were perhaps 12 or 18 months ago. They are scanning for more efficient approaches to work and can now envisage how automation might occur in their respective part of the health service. The crisis has brought about an opportunity for us in that digital transformation has accelerated. But we’re in the early stages of our RPA journey and there is a substantial volume of work ahead of us to firmly establish the Centre of Excellence and embed a federated model of local delivery and self-sufficiency across the organisation.

How has the application of RPA supported the health service’s Covid-19 response?

Kevin Kelly This is where the RPA has already proven its worth for the HSE. One of the areas in which we had piloted RPA was a process around Garda vetting and fortunately, we had it automated by the end of February 2020 just prior to the first positive Covid19 cases in Ireland. That particular Garda vetting process previously took over three weeks for a team in Dublin to complete and the implementation of RPA reduced that time to six hours. As such, a process that was occurring monthly could now be completed weekly. In the context of the Covid emergency, at a time when we were hiring new interns and nursing graduates at pace, the streamlining and automation of this process meant that these new health service staff had their HR records updated with their vetting outcomes more rapidly enabling them to be deployed into frontline posts more quickly.

In March 2020, we then engaged with the Director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and, over the past year, we have implemented an RPA solution which has effectively reduced a previously manual process from 26 minutes to just over three minutes. In effect, for every 100 positive Covid cases, we are now saving public health staff 38 hours of administrative workload.

When you consider the context of hundreds, or at times thousands of positive daily cases, that’s a significant number of hours of manual data entry being saved each day. By early December, we had scaled the solution by

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“I’d love to see the Centre of Excellence that Kevin and the team have developed being available to all the bodies in the health sector and potentially making this platform accessible to other public service bodies in the future.” Philip McGrath, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform cloning our RPA virtual agents to manage up to 10,000 cases per day based on predicted models. HSE data scientists have been instilled with such confidence that they are now discussing the automation of additional processes relating to vaccination data, genome sequencing and antigen testing notifications. We would simply not have been capable of managing the workload that was emerging from the daily positive Covid figures, so it is a good news story.

Philip McGrath I was almost shocked by the level of support that RPA provided to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. It was a very proud moment for the people who had been working on RPA when we saw how much assistance this provided during a national crisis and how it enabled our medical scientists to do what they do best; protect public health. RPA, in this instance has really validated itself and has shown that we can have a future where our human workforce is supported by virtual or robot workforce.

What is your vision for the future of RPA across the health service?

Kevin Kelly Our plan is to develop a high degree of self-sufficiency in RPA skillsets, right across the organisation. We will do this by establishing a central technology platform, a governance structure and a series of methodologies which will support and encourage all elements of the health sector to adopt virtual workers into their respective areas to perform repetitive, mechanical tasks, and ultimately free up our staff to focus on delivering better health outcomes for our service users.

For now, we’re focused on driving RPA based automation across this very large organisation, but we are keeping our

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finger on the pulse on new developments, such as chatbot technology or other cognitive AI technologies, which can then knit into what we’re already doing.

Philip McGrath I’d love to see the Centre of Excellence that Kevin and the team have developed being available to all the bodies in the health sector and potentially making this platform accessible to other public service bodies in the future. If that is possible from a technical, logistical and governance perspective, that would be very welcome. There is a lot of valuable time, whether in clinician, data management or back office, being spent on processes which are not adding value.

As Kevin said, what we need to do is find ways to return that time to the frontline, rendering our services better, cheaper, and faster for the user. We can do that by investing in our people who can then automate their own processes and become self-sufficient in automation. We can then look at incorporating additional intelligent automation platforms and move

Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly has 30 years of experience working within technology, the first half of which was spent in the private sector before he joined the HSE in the latter half. Predominantly, Kevin worked within ICT infrastructure, but six years ago, he moved into the HSE’s Shared Services Division initially as a Business Relationship Manager but more recently leading on digital innovation across health shared services.

into more advanced areas, such as cognitive computing and artificial intelligence.

Kevin Kelly One of the most pleasing and surprising aspects of this is the manner in which our colleagues have been so eager to embrace RPA. We haven’t met any resistance and people have recognised the benefit to them, the work they do and the service they deliver to their service users. It has been a positive experience for us in exploring the opportunities which exist with every section we have engaged with. People are genuinely excited about what they hear about RPA and when we present the evidence from within the HSE, there is a clamour for this technology to be applied.

Philip McGrath That sentiment has been mirrored elsewhere. Previously, when we rolled out RPA within the National Shared Services Office, there was initially a lot of suspicion around RPA. However, when people saw that it worked and removed challenging processes that staff had to spend hours each day working on, they sought to improve their processes to get them to the point whereby they could be automated. While they can offload much of the mundane, repetitive, and timeconsuming aspects of their work to a virtual worker, staff retain ownership of the processes, and that is important.

Philip McGrath Philip McGrath worked within the Department of Justice for 12 years, undertaking a variety of different roles ranging from processing asylum seeker claims to antimoney laundering. Philip joined the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in 2014 and was allocated to the Reform and Innovation Division where he now leads public service innovation policy. While he began piloting RPA in 2016, the majority of his work relates to driving innovation across the wider public service, including responsibility for coordinating the recent Public Service Innovation Strategy.

issues eolas

Global minimum corporation tax The Biden presidency has reinvigorated efforts to reform the international corporate tax regime which could have significant repercussions for Ireland.

Addressing the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in early April 2021, US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen asserted that efforts to agree a global minimum corporate tax rate of 21 per cent could halt the “thirty-year race to the bottom on corporate tax rates”.

Yellen’s remarks on international priorities referred to efforts on behalf of some countries to use reduced rates of corporate tax as a tool of economic competitiveness in an effort to attract FDI. “We are working with G20 nations to agree to a global minimum corporate tax rate that can stop the race to the bottom. Together we can use a global minimum tax to make sure the global economy thrives based on a more level playing field in the taxation of multinational corporations, and spurs innovation, growth, and prosperity,” Yellen said.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal in the same week, Yellen outlined: “This is the rock bottom of the race to the bottom: By choosing to compete on taxes, we’ve neglected to compete on the skill of our workers and the strength of our infrastructure. It’s a self-defeating competition, and neither President Biden nor I am interested in participating in it anymore. We want to change the game.”

Under Biden’s proposals, which have been shared with the 135 countries involved in the OECD BEPS negotiations, the taxes paid by multinationals would be based on their sales in each of the countries within which they operate. It is intended that this would inhibit tax avoidance and

profit shifting. Meanwhile, the minimum global rate of 21 per cent could prevent the US from being undercut, stemming further losses to its tax revenue.

Speaking at a virtual meeting of the G20’s finance ministers in February, Yellen endorsed the OECD negotiations to reform the international corporate tax system. Two months later, the Treasury Secretary reiterated her support for an agreed OECD global minimum rate.

“Destructive tax competition will only end when enough major economies stop undercutting one another and agree to a global minimum tax. Through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, we have been engaged in productive negotiations to achieve this,” she wrote.

This has revitalised the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project which seeks to mitigate the shifting of profits from high-tax to low-tax jurisdictions by determining where tax is paid and setting a minimum rate. Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, suggested that the US proposals will “reboot” the stalled OECD negotiations.

GILTI Domestically, the Biden administration intends to increase corporation tax to 28 per cent to provide revenue for a massive $2.3 trillion capital spending programme as the spearhead of the post-Covid recovery in the US. Introduced under the previous Trump administration, the global intangible lowtaxed income (GILTI) system taxes

income that is earned outside of the US

by US controlled foreign corporations.

Intended to discourage US companies from offshoring business to low-tax jurisdictions, it is now recognised that 10.5 per cent was insufficient rate in disincentivising these companies.

Biden’s proposals would increase the GILTI from minimum of 10.5 per cent to a minimum of 21 per cent.

If the Biden administration’s proposed changes to tax levying were implemented, it would mean that any company paying tax at a rate below the global minimum would be required to pay additional tax in each jurisdiction it operates in, in order to reach the 21 per cent threshold. Consequently, Ireland’s advantageous tax regime could be destabilised.

Although yet to progress through the House of Congress, the minimum tax rates set within the US will inevitably have repercussions for the OECD and Ireland.

While highlighting the fact that Ireland’s corporation tax rate has not changed since it was reduced from 32 per cent to 12.5 per cent in the 1999 Finance Act, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD recognises that the context of the debate on corporate tax policy has now changed.

“What Ireland and other countries will do is put forward their case within with the OECD, and we’ll work inside that process to try and influence an outcome that recognises the role of small economies in the global economy,” he insists.

eolas issues Credit: Mark Warner

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Intelligent automation: Enabling your operations Digital transformation can help enhance our public services by improving back office operations to better serve the needs of citizens, businesses, and employees through the innovative use of design, operations and new technology, write Shane Mohan and Louise McEntee of Deloitte.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a practical and pragmatic approach to move towards digital transformation that is within reach for all organisations and business areas. Our experience with a range of public bodies is that they can implement automations that deliver material efficiencies, time and cost savings in a very short time – a few months, and even weeks in some cases.

Delivering real benefit from the outset Robotic process automation is already delivering significant benefit across the Irish public sector. In the past year alone, we have partnered with multiple departments and agencies to deliver: •

RPA is here to stay In the past few years, we have seen organisations embrace digital ways of working, and many have incorporated robotic process automation as part of their transformation journey, to support their people and enable their operational efficiency.

We are working with organisations across the public sector to:

Advertorial

•

•

•

•

Help them to imagine the possibility intelligent automation presents for their organisation;

•

For most organisations the initial focus will be on substitution; organisations take processes or fragments of processes as they are performed by humans and simply automate those processes by replicating them exactly.

As an organisation’s understanding of

Increased efficiency by reducing processing time/lapsed time for completion of processes, and removing handover delays;

automation increases the trend is to

Improved employee experience: Staff have been able to move away from repetitive rule-based tasks associated with manual processes and to focus on more challenging and value adding activities;

reduce backlogs, process duration, and

move to shifting work, redesigning processes to shift elements of work from human workers to digital workers to remove bottlenecks, and remove lapsed time when handing processes between teams and accelerate overall processing time.

The next evolution is to supersede

•

Increased Quality: Increased data completeness, quality and security;

existing processes. Organisations are

•

Improved Accuracy: Reduction in human error reduction in time required for QA/human review;

operations to allow people and

Automation re-configurability: Automations and business-objects developed for automated processes can be easily reconfigured for other processes;

to our digital workforce but actually

24/7 Operations: Scheduling processing to run outside working hours will increase capacity of your teams, while also improving accuracy and efficiency; and

How do I spot a good opportunity for automation?

•

Deliver their vision for automation and release immediate value from basic RPA through to intelligent automation; Transform their operations by exploring how they can redesign their service model and operations to really get the best from both people and their digital workforce; and

•

Build new automation capabilities in their organisation, to support them to sustain these new automations and manage their digital workforce.

•

Standardised process: The robot will carry out the process in the same way every time it is run, so that reliable results are produced every time.

moving to redesign their processes and technology to truly collaborate. This means that we do not just shift work over redesign work to deliver new, different and better results for citizens, businesses and employees.

Pre-Requisites:

Digital/Computerbased Rules bases

Case Enhancers: High volume Low variability Error prone

Why should you automate?

Your RPA Deployment Checklist When preparing to adopt RPA within your organisation there are some key areas to focus on: •

•

•

Identify change champions: You will need leaders who will be the face of the transformation within your organisation and can advocate for your transformation. Empowering your teams, who know their business best, on process selection, process, operation or organisation design, and to shape key messages around the change can really help to avoid pitfalls and risks down the road.

Clearly articulate alignment between automation and your organisation’s priorities: Disruption to the way things have always been done and transition is rarely easy, but if your teams and stakeholders understand how these initiatives link to your overall priorities (e.g., better service, improved efficiency, reduction of backlogs) and how they will benefit, they will be more inclined to commit to a project and support it.

Clearly define the changes that automation will bring: This will include supporting your teams to redesign their operations and processes to work in partnership with your digital workforce. You will need to think through your training

Getting started on your automation journey?

Start small Start with a pilot project. Building a production ready bot from the outset rather than a proof of concept means that your automation will deliver real benefit to your organisation straight away. You can also start to build the skills required to continue to implement automation within your organisation.

But think big Be prepared that once you introduce automation to a team, they will be

considering what they will want to automate next before your first project is finished. It will be important to consider how you are going to build skills, manage your digital workforce and maintain momentum around your programme of automation beyond that first pilot.

Office of Government Procurement RPA Framework is there to support you The OGP Framework for the provision of RPA services, training, and support makes it very easy to get started on your automation journey. To learn more about RPA and other automation technologies, or to discuss how to get started with RPA, contact the Deloitte or Department of Public Expenditure and Reform teams:

E: IE_GPS_RPA@deloitte.ie E: rpa@per.gov.ie W: https://bit.ly/3dcH79L

Louise McEntee

Shane Mohan

Louise leads our

Shane leads

Government &

Deloitte’s

Public Services

Government &

Intelligent

Public Services

Automation Team.

practice. He

She is a specialist

works with

in the delivery of digital operations & transformation.

She with our partners in DPER and OGP to support clients through the RPA Framework.

clients across National and Local Government, Justice, Health and Education sectors.

Advertorial

•

Check for leadership alignment: Not just official sign-off but actual agreement on the goals of your implementation (quantified by a business case/payback period), timelines and resources.

approach to foster continuous improvement and also focus on the skills to embed your changes (e.g., change management, programme/project management and automation management) to support your teams to evolve those roles and build skills for the future.

issues eolas

Brexit: Progress and process pursue legal proceedings against the UK’s decision to unilaterally extend grace periods for the Irish Sea border.

In early March 2021, Frost announced the extension of grace periods for goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, set to end in March, until October.

However, he failed to consult the EU’s Šefčovič on the move. Despite attempts to play down the move, pointing to “operational reasons”, Šefčovič said the move amounted to “a violation of the relevant substantive provisions” of the Protocol.

The EU Commission will continue its legal action against the UK over its unilateral action on the Northern Ireland Protocol but away from the spotlight, the European Parliament has moved closer to ratifying the EU-UK trade deal.

As intensive talks were underway in London in mid-April over implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, MEPs in Brussels moved a step closer to ratifying the trade deal which has been provisionally implemented since January.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney TD was in London on the 14 April for a series of meetings with British cabinet ministers to discuss the management of the Protocol and the impact of its implementation.

Coveney’s visit to London coincided with a meeting between European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and UK Minister for EU relations, David Frost, in Brussels, with the pair seeking to keep communication open over differences around the

38

eolas issues

implementation of the Protocol.

Both parties described the informal meeting as positive, with Šefčovič stating that officials had been given a “political steer” for discussions to intensify in the coming weeks.

However, while a statement from the UK also described a “constructive atmosphere” and the establishment of positive momentum, the spokesperson added: “But a number of difficult issues remained, and it was important to continue to discuss them. [Mr Frost] agreed there should be intensified contacts at all levels in the coming weeks.”

Despite the positive development, Šefčovič has indicated that the EU will

Brussels has said it is ready to find “swift, pragmatic solutions” within the framework, something Coveney has repeatedly stressed. “We need to talk seriously about how the Protocol is being managed, how it can be implemented in a way that listens to the concerns many in Northern Ireland have and what flexibilities are possible,” he said in London.

While the Protocol, as part of the 2019 divorce treaty, is legally separate from the EU-UK trade deal, the two have been consistently linked politically. Earlier this year, the European Parliament paused the ratification process of the trade deal in response to the UK’s grace period extension.

However, it would appear that MEPs are now more contented with progress in the negotiations over the Protocol and could soon move to officially ratify the trade deal.

In mid-April, the EU’s foreign affairs and trade committees backed the trade and cooperation agreement by 108 votes to one, a move which paves the way for a future final ratification vote by the assembly.

MEPs waited to be briefed on Šefčovič’s meeting with Frost before setting a date for a final ratification vote, but Parliament faces an end of April deadline to either extend the provisional application of the agreement or ratify the agreement in full to avoid the trade deal ceasing to apply and a revert to WTO terms.

Data protection report

Sponsored by

data protection report

A productive year: Ireland’s Data Protection Commission Due to the colocation of several US technology giants in Ireland, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) is, in certain circumstances, the lead supervisory authority of ‘big tech’ in Europe. eolas provides an overview of its performance in 2020.

Led by Commissioner for Data Protection Helen Dixon, at its core, the DPC is the national supervisory authority in Ireland responsible for “upholding the fundamental right of EU persons to have their personal data protected”. The role of Ireland’s DPC is multifaceted and balances complaint processing and resolution with systemic supervision and investigation. 2020 was a year of significant progress and substantial output for the DPC. Tasked with supervising the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU)

40

2016/679), the DPC also supervises several additional legal frameworks including the Law Enforcement Directive (LED) and Data Protection Act 2018, as well as the e-Privacy Regulations.

The DPC’s work ranged from the culmination of legal proceedings it initiated in the High Court in 2016 relating to EU-to-US data transfers, to the conclusion of 6,000 complaints and liaisons with the Government on legislative initiatives.

Through GDPR, the EU sought to establish a One-Stop-Shop (OSS)

mechanism to streamline how multinationals which operate in more than one EU member state interact with data protection authorities. These companies are subject to oversight from a single supervisory authority in the member state where they have a ‘main establishment’.

As such, Ireland’s DPC often operates as the lead supervisory authority for investigations. In 2020, it received 354 cross-border complaints through the OSS mechanism, lodged with other EU data protection authorities.

2020 was the second full year of the

Core functions of the Data Protection Commission application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comprehensively regulates every sector.

The DPC emphasises that the GDPR is an ongoing project, with many areas that “remain for exploration to the benefit of organisations and data subjects alike, including data codes of conduct and certification”.

Driving improved compliance with data protection legislation.

Conducting inquiries and investigations into potential infringements of data protection legislation.

However, the DPC is not immune from criticism. In the last year, some of the most prominent criticisms have related to the perceived leniency of the fine handed down to Twitter International Company (TIC), the efficiency of its decision-making process and the fact that international data transfers have not been immediately blocked.

Decisions made by the Irish Data Protection Commission are the first that have progressed through the Article 65 dispute resolution mechanism.

Previously, Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has criticised the fact that very little had been written about the first Article 65 decisions and “what has been clarified in terms of documenting a breach and how it must be distinguished from an incident tracking”.

Responding to the criticism that the fine issued to Twitter International Company was insufficient, Dixon asserts that the objective of the inquiry was to reasonably prove that there were infringements and apply a proportionate fine.

Large-scale inquiries Through statutory inquiries, the DPC determines whether infringements of data protection legislation have occurred and, where these occur, it decides on the corrective power to be exercised. In 2020, the DPC issued detailed decisions in respect of its inquiries.

At the close of 2020, the DPC was pursuing 83 statutory inquiries, 27 of which were cross-border inquiries.

Organisations under investigation range from Apple Distribution International and Facebook Inc. in cross-border inquiries to An Garda Síochána, Bank of Ireland and the Catholic Church in domestic inquiries.

4

data protection report

Handling complaints from individuals relating to potential infringements data protection rights.

Promoting awareness of the risks, rules, safeguards and rights required in the processing of personal data.

Cooperating with data protection authorities in other EU member states on cross-border processing.

Inquiry decisions, 2020 Organisation

Decision date

Kerry County Council

25 March 2020

Waterford City and County Council

21 October 2020

Tusla Child and Family Agency (3 breaches)

07 April 2020

Tusla Child and Family Agency (1 breach)

21 May 2020

Tusla Child and Family Agency (71 breaches)

12 August 2020

Health Service Executive (HSE South)

18 August 2020

Health Service Executive

29 September 2020

(Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital) Ryanair

11 November 2020

Twitter International Company

09 December 2020

Groupon

16 December 2020

University College Dublin

17 December 2020 Source: Data Protection Commission Annual Report, 2020

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data protection report

Data protection breach notifications by category Category

Total

Unauthorised disclosure

5,837

Hacking

146

Malware

19

Phishing

74

Ransomware/Denial of service

32

Software development vulnerability

5

Device lost or stolen (encrypted)

19

Device lost or stolen (unencrypted)

29

Paper lost or stolen

275

E-waste

1

Inappropriate disposal of paper

21

System misconfiguration

40

Unauthorised access

146

Unintended online publication

61

Other

78

Total

6,783 Source: Data Protection Commission Annual Report, 2020

A final decision issued through the Article 65 procedure in the Twitter International Company case represented the pinnacle of large-scale inquiries concluded in 2020. This determination of this case represented the first substantial fine issued by the DPC. In this high profile inquiry, which commenced in January 2019, the DPC investigated Twitter International Company’s compliance with its obligations under the GDPR. In December 2020, the DPC issued its decision and found that TIC had infringed Article 33 by failing to notify without delay the DPC about a personal data breach which arose from a bug in the Twitter mobile for Android.

The DPC’s draft decision was

42

submitted to other Concerned Supervisory Authorities (CSAs) via the Article 60 mechanism of the GDPR in May 2020. It was the first draft decision to traverse the Article 65 dispute resolution process as well as being the first in a ‘big tech’ case on which all EU supervisory authorities were consulted a CSAs. The European Data Protection Board adopted the decision in November 2020 and the DPC issued its final decision the following month, imposing an administrative fine of €450,000. The DPC asserted that this fine was an “effective, proportionate and dissuasive measure”.

Complaints Alongside large-scale inquiries, routine work undertaken by the DPC involves

processing thousands of complaints made to the office by organisations and individuals. In 2020, 4,660 GDPR complaints and 59 Data Protection Act complaints were made against organisations by individuals with 4,476 complaints (including those received before 2020) resolved. Over 60 per cent, or 2,186 complaints, were received by the DPC in 2020 were resolved within the calendar year.

These complaints ranged from securing access to personal data to unauthorised and unnecessary disclosure of personal data to third parties.

In order to trigger the DPC’s complaint processing function, a complaint must emanate from: • an individual in relation to the processing of their own personal data; • a legally authorised person or entity on behalf of an individual; or • an advocacy group which meets GDPR, LED and DATA Protection Act 2018 requirements to act on behalf of one or more individuals.

However, an inadvertent trend has been the increase in complaints received that have “little or nothing to do with data protection”. Likewise, a phenomenon whereby organisations and individuals have attempted to “misuse the GDPR to obfuscate or pursue other agendas” has continued in 2020.

Breaches As a result of the mandatory requirement to notify the DPC in relation to data protection breaches, the volume of notifications received by the DPC remains high. In 2020, the DPC received 6,783 data breach notifications under Article 33 of the GDPR, 2 per cent of which did not meet the criteria of a personal data breach. A total of 6,673 valid data protection breaches constitute a 10 per cent increase on data breach notifications in 2019.

By some margin, the most commonly notified data category of data breaches under the GDPR in 2020 was ‘unauthorised disclosures’ (86 per cent), with the majority of the total data

breaches occurring in the private sector. Additionally, the DPC received 70 valid data breach notifications under the e-Privacy Regulations and 25 breach notifications relating to the LED.

Other specific projects undertaken by the DPC in 2020 include Children Front and Centre: Fundamentals for a Child Orientated Approach to Data Processing, a comprehensive guide relating to the protections required for processing children’s data under the GDPR. A ‘regulatory sweep’ of the most frequently visited websites in Ireland was also completed in order to establish the extent of compliance with e-privacy regulations in Ireland. The results of this were described as “disappointing” and the DPC has indicated that its cookies investigations and enforcement action will continue throughout 2021.

Covid-19 The DPC identifies the Covid-19 pandemic as a moment which exemplifies the value of the GDPR. In rolling out its public health response, government was required to consult with the DPC on any public health initiative with personal data processing implications. Such initiatives included the Return to Work Safely Protocol and the Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form.

GDPR provided the parameters within

Sector

Number of data-breach notifications

Private

4,097

Public

2,559

Voluntary

data protection report

Other projects

GDPR data-breaches, 2020

16

Charity

1

Total

6,673 Source: Data Protection Commission Annual Report, 2020

which to ensure that these initiatives

Data transfers

were proportionate and that the rights of individuals were protected.

From a litigation perspective, 2020 was a demanding year for the DPPC. Legal

The most prominent example of this

proceedings initiated by in the Irish

was the consultative engagement

High Court by the DPC in 2016 were

between the DPC and the Government

concluded by a July 2020 judgement

on the Covid Tracker App. Beginning in

made in the Court of Justice of the

March 2020, the DPC emphasises the

European Union (CJEU). On the use of

data protection challenges of developing a national contact tracing app. The supervisory authority later provided a Data Protection Impact Assessment for the Covid Tracker App,

Standard Contractual Clauses in underpinning personal data transfers from the EU to the US, the CJEU clarified that that regardless of the legal mechanism employed, the personal data of EU citizens must have

ensuring that all risk was adequately

equivalent protections in the US as are

assessed prior to its launch. After the

guaranteed in the EU. Following this

app’s launch, this engagement with the

judgement, the DPC initiated an

Department of Health continued in

investigation into Facebook transfers to

relation to cross-border interoperability.

the US.

PROFILE

Helen Dixon Appointed as Data Protection Commissioner for Ireland in September 2014, Helen Dixon is responsible for upholding the rights of individuals regarding how data about them is used. This role requires regulation of a large number of US internet multinationals with European bases in Ireland. Previously, Dixon led regulatory enforcement of compliance with the filing provisions of the Companies Acts with the Irish Registrar of Companies.

Dixon has also held senior roles in the former Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation working on economic migration policy, science, technology and innovation policy. She spent the first 10 years of her career in the IT industry. The Data Protection Commissioner holds postgraduate qualifications in European Economic and Public Affairs, Governance, Computer Science, Official Statistics for Policy Evaluation, and Judicial Skills and Decision Making.

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External or internal cyberthreats to government and public sector data? data protection report

that was in the pre-GDPR era, right, when things weren’t regulated yet? Well, just over a month ago, we could read about “Thousands have highly personal details exposed in Covid-19 vaccine data breach” (Extra, 2021), and a year earlier we could read that “Ireland had fourth most data breach notifications in the EU last year” (Extra, 2020).

Last October, ESET researchers uncovered an Advanced Persistent Threat group that has been stealing sensitive documents from several governments in Eastern Europe and the Balkans since 2011. Named XDSpy by ESET, the APT group has gone largely undetected for nine years, during which it has compromised many government agencies and private companies, using spear phishing emails in order to compromise their targets.

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The emails displayed a slight variance, as some contained an attachment, while others contained a link to a malicious file. Before that, in August, several Canadian government services were disabled following a series of cyberattacks. On 15 August, the Treasury Board Secretariat announced that approximately 11,000 online government services accounts, originating from the Government of Canada Key service and Canada Revenue Agency accounts, had been victims of hacking attempts.

A year before that over 752,000 birth certificate applications have been exposed online by an unnamed company that enables people to obtain copies of birth and death records from state governments in the United States.

Over a 12-month span between June 44

2018 and May 2019, a total of 2.3 billion files were discovered exposed online due to misconfigured or non-secured file storage and sharing technologies.

These are just some examples of various threats to state organisations and infrastructure that we repeatedly read about. Some are external, like hackers, sometimes state-backed, others are organised crime and some originate from within, either through malicious activity or just negligence or bad design. Some headlines from Ireland from a while ago included: “Personal data of 380,000 welfare recipients stolen” (The Irish Times, 2008), “75,000 customers’ bank details on stolen Bord Gáis laptop” (Siliconrepublic, 2009), “Lost Phoenix Ireland data tape had details of 62,000 customers” (Databreaches, 2011), but

So what is it with data security and why is it such a headache? Well, unlike in the pre-digital era, when stealing a database would entail a truckload of paper having to be hauled around, today huge databases with thousands of entries can be attached to an email or put on a flash drive. The key questions are therefore how access is regulated and how secure the storage is. Who can access the data and what can they do with it, can it be accessed by unauthorised people and can they copy or manipulate it in any way. In 2016, the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom was investigating the biggest data breach in its history. The incident was caused internally – a former employee had been surreptitiously gathering data over a six-year period. The breach only came to light after the individual offered the information to his new employer, a major TV broadcaster.

Insider threats can be both intentional and unintentional. They are influenced by technical, behavioural, and organisational issues, meaning that organisations need to consider solutions that address each of these key areas of weakness to ensure they have responses to most scenarios. Three years ago, a survey for Accenture revealed that almost one in five (18 per cent) employees in the healthcare industry in the United States and Canada said that they would be willing to give access to confidential medical data about patients to an unauthorized outsider for financial gain. They would expect no more than $500 to $1,000 for their login credentials or for deliberately installing tracking software or downloading the data to a portable drive.

In addition, this way of compromising patient data is not a purely hypothetical phenomenon. Roughly one in four (24 per cent) respondents said that they

All this reveals that whether initiated externally, or coming from within the organisation, the “human factor” is the weakest link of data protection. In fact, a 2015 paper by Nuix, reported that the overwhelming majority of respondents (93 per cent) consider “human behaviour” to be the number one threat to their security. So what can be done about it?

1. Know about the threats The first step in preventing cyberthreats is knowing about them. Following general cybersecurity news, browsing through the headlines of IT topics, anything is good just to get a feel of what sorts of threats are currently trending and help recognise them when encountered and increase the chance of avoiding them.

Security clearance for access to data should be strictly regulated and enforced in every organisation, so that unauthorised people do not even gain access to sensitive data, while authorised ones are accountable and tracked for any transfer, removal or manipulation of data.

3. Employee education Employees need to be regularly educated and briefed on any current

4. Encryption Well encrypted data is pretty useless to any attackers, even when successfully exfiltrated from an organisation as current encryption tools are practically impossible to decrypt by unauthorised prying eyes. That is why GDPR legislation mentions encryption as one of the recommended tools, although not mandatory, in mitigation of potential damage caused by data breaches.

in the prevention of account hijacking.

Threats to cybersecurity of government and public sector institutions are therefore many and varied, can come from outside or inside and can cause various degrees of difficulties and disruptions. But overall, while countering them may appear very intimidating at first, mostly all can be avoided with proper planning and introduction of even some relatively simple measures.

Security professionals have spent years coming up with optimal prevention measures, solutions and best practices for most threat scenarios, so the knowhow and the hardware are there. With a bit of effort to put it all together, there is really no obstacle to properly benefit from and enjoy safer technology.

5. Secure backup and storage Secure backup of sensitive data is key to long-term data breach prevention.

Whether on-site or cloud storage is used, strict protocols on content, control and accessibility, as well as accountability of the storage provider need to be observed in order to ensure maximum data security and data loss prevention.

T: +353 53 914 6600 E: info@eset.ie W: www.eset.ie

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2. Regulation and access control

external types of threats, particularly ones that initiate the breach through social engineering, which takes advantage of the employees themselves, by asking them to open a file attachment or click on a compromised link in order to gain access.

data protection report

were actually aware of a co-worker who had made a profit by providing a third party with access to such information.

6. System Patching and Multi Factor Authentication Administrators should also endeavour to ensure their systems are regularly updated to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities and employ Multi Factor Authentication as another valuable layer 45

data protection report

European Data Protection Board makes first Article 65 decision The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) reached its first binding decision on an Article 65 dispute in November 2020. The dispute concerns the Irish Data Protection Commission’s (DPC) decision to fine Twitter over a five-year data breach, although some European supervisory authorities are likely to still be unhappy with the fine imposed.

The EDPB announced that a vote to back a draft decision submitted by the DPC had passed by a two-thirds majority. The settlement relates to Twitter’s disclosure of a bug in its tweet protection feature in early 2019.

The feature, designed to protect tweets from public viewing, was found to have a bug meaning that Android users who applied the feature may have had their data exposed to the public internet as far back as 2014. Since the breach lasted from 2014-2019, it fell under the EU’s General Data Protection

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Regulation (GDPR), introduced in 2018, with Article 65 of the regulation relating to cross-border matters.

With Twitter’s European headquarters situated in Dublin’s George’s Quay, the DPC became the lead supervisory authority (LSA) in the case, but its cross-border nature meant that the EDPB, which brings together the data commissioners of Europe to coordinate pan-EU regulatory activity, was brought in to adjudicate on the draft decision the DPC had taken.

The EDPB process allows these data

commissioners and supervisory authorities to raise “relevant and reasoned” objections to draft decisions.

In the summer of 2020, deputy commissioner of the DPC, Graham Doyle stated that, following consultations with the concerned supervisory authorities (CSAs), the DPC had submitted the matter to the EDPB under Article 65, making this case the first referral of its kind.

Despite hoping to have a decision on the case “early” in 2020, action was delayed by disagreements between the

DPC and other supervisory authorities.

Eventually, agreement was reached two years after the investigation into Twitter began and the EDPB announced in November 2020 that it had “adopted by two-thirds majority of its members its first dispute resolution decision on the basis of Art. 65 GDPR”.

“As the LSA rejected the objections and/or considered they were not ‘relevant and reasoned’, it referred the matter to the EDPB in accordance with Art. 60 (4) GDPR, thereby initiating the dispute resolution procedure. Following the submission by the LSA, the completeness of the file was assessed, resulting in the formal launch of Art. 65 procedure on 8 September 2020. In compliance with Article 65 (3) GDPR and in conjunction with Article 11.4 of the EDPB Rules of Procedure, the default adoption timeline of one month was extended by a further month because of the complexity of its subject matter.”

The binding decision was subsequently adopted on 9 November. In its decision, the EDPB stated that the DPC had ruled that Twitter had not met its obligations under Article 33 (1) GDPR and also found that Twitter had not acted in a timely manner with regard to the data breach. Twitter “became actually aware of the breach on 7 January 2019 but should have been aware of the breach at the latest by 3 January 2019, since on that date Twitter, Inc. as processor first assessed the incident as being a potential data breach and the Twitter, Inc. legal team instructed that the incident be opened”.

Companies are required to notify commissioners of a data breach within 72 hours of its discovery under Article 33 (1) GDPR, but in this case the “ineffectiveness of the process” in the “particular circumstances” and “a failure by [Twitter] staff to follow its

that it had imposed an administrative fine of €450,000 on Twitter ‘as an effective, proportionate and dissuasive measure’ after its investigation had found that Twitter

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Explaining the process through which EU-wide data regulation is now performed, the EDPB said: “In May 2020, the Irish SA [the DPC] shared its draft decision with the CSAs in accordance with Art. 60 (3) GDPR. The CSAs then had four weeks to submit their relevant and reasoned objections (RROs). Among others, the CSAs issued RROs on the infringements of the GDPR identified by the LSA, the role of Twitter International Company as the (sole) data controller, and the quantification of the proposed fine.

“The DPC announced on 15 December

had ‘infringed Article 33 (1) and 33 (5) if the GDPR in terms of a failure to notify the breach on time to the DPC and a failure to adequately document the breach’.” incident management process” mean that Article 33 (1) GDPR had been violated nonetheless.

In its binding decision, the EDPB ruled: that the DPC did not have to amend its draft decision on the basis of the complaints raised by the other supervisory authorities; that, despite concerns raised about further infringements committed by Twitter, the DPC was not required to amend its draft decision as the “factual elements” of the DPC decision were “not sufficient to allow the EDPB to establish the existence of infringements”; that amid protestation that the fine the DPC wanted to issue was not dissuasive enough, it was “required to reassess the elements it relies upon to calculate the amount of the fixed penalty to be imposed on TIC [Twitter] and to amend its draft decision by increasing the level of fine in order to ensure it fulfils its purpose as a corrective measure and meets the requirements of effectiveness, dissuasiveness and proportionality”.

Having been given a month to announce its decision, the DPC announced on 15 December that it had imposed an administrative fine of €450,000 on Twitter “as an effective, proportionate and dissuasive measure” after its investigation had found that Twitter had “infringed Article 33 (1) and 33 (5) if the GDPR in terms of a failure to notify the breach on time to the DPC and a failure to adequately document the breach”. The DPC had originally

proposed a fine of between €135,000 and €275,000 in its draft decision, but the binding decision of the EDPB forced that figure upwards.

It is unlikely that this new figure will have appeased the European supervisory authorities that had raised issues with the perceived laxity of the fine. The German supervisory authority had advocated for a fine of between €7,348,035 and €22,044,195, stating: “As Twitter’s business model is based on processing data, and as Twitter generates turnover mainly through data processing, the DE SA considers that a dissuasive fine in this specific case would therefore have to be so high in that to would render the illegal processing unprofitable.”

Twitter responded to the judgement stating its delay in reporting the breach had been “an unanticipated consequence of staffing between Christmas Day 2018 and New Years’ Day”; it is thought that DPC took this into account when deciding the fine amount.

This being the first fine issued by the DPC under GDPR rules could be a portent of things to come, with many major firms accused of data breaches having their European headquarters in Dublin and over 6,600 valid breach notifications received in 2020, this is most likely the beginning of a long battle for the DPC. 47

data protection report

EU Commission GDPR review Fragmentation across member states needs continuously monitored if the EU is to develop “a truly common data protection culture”, the first EU Commission evaluation of GDPR has found.

While largely positive in its outlook, the review report highlighted, in particular, that greater harmonisation was required in relation to the handling of crossborder cases and recommended a more effective use of all tools provided in the GDPR for the data protection authorities to cooperate.

In response to the review, the EU Commission has strengthened its ambition for a greater convergence of data protection standards, including eradicating differences in how governments and national data protection authorities apply data protection law, an expansion of jurisdictions offering equivalent data protection to the EU’s and a revision of

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standard contract clauses (SCCs) to

stronger enforcement powers and

help companies transfer personal data

established a new governance system

around the world more easily.

among those authorities.

Separately, the Commission has

Written into the GDPR was that the EU

outlined its intention to refine data

Commission would carry out a review

protection law and guidance to better

and evaluation of the set of rules two

support digital innovation in areas such

years after application and then every

as AI use and blockchain technology.

four years thereafter.

The General Data Protection Regulation

The Commission’s report in June 2020

(GDPR) was a set of rules introduced to

represented the first assessment and

protect individuals with regard to the

found that GDPR has met most of its

processing of personal data and on the

objectives, including “offering citizens a

free movement of such data.

strong set of enforceable rights and by

In order to create a level playing field for all companies operating in the EU

creating a new European system of governance and enforcement”.

market, the legislation equipped

Published pre-Covid-19, the report

national data protection authorities with

found that GDPR has proven to be

flexible in supporting digital solutions, even in the unforeseen circumstances of the pandemic.

Amongst the key findings and further action outlined in the review, the Commission says that while EU citizens have become more aware of their rights, with some 69 per cent of the EU population over the age of 16 having heard of GDPR, more can be done to help citizens exercise these rights, particularly in relation to the right to data portability.

Data protection rules, the review says, have helped individuals to play a more active role in relation to what is happening with their data in the digital transition. It also points out that the enhanced corrective powers which have been given to data protection authorities are being used but that these authorities are being supported differently within member states.

Human, technical and financial resources needed by national data protection authorities to enforce the rules are largely recognised, with a combined 42 per cent increase in staff and a 49 per cent increase in budget for all national data protection authorities between 2016 and 2019, however, the report points to “stark” differences between member states.

On the performance of data protection authorities, the review says that while there is evidence that data protection authorities are working together in the context of the European Data Protection Board, room for improvement exists. The one-stop-shop governance mechanism, ensuring that a company processing data cross-border “has only one data protection authority as interlocutor” saw 79 final decisions issued in response to 141 draft decisions submitted between May 2018 and December 2019. “More can be done to develop a truly common data protection culture. In particular, the

cooperation agreements with relevant third countries.

As well as publishing the review, the Commission also published a communication identifying 10 legal acts regulating processing of personal data

Pointing to international engagement on free and safe data transfers over the past two years, including with Japan with which the EU now shares the world’s largest area of free and safe data flows, the review says that the Commission will continue to work on adequacy with its partners around the world and is seeking to modernise other mechanisms of data transfer, not least the SCCs. However, the review also outlines an ambition to go further than existing relationships. In stating that “it is time to step up the international cooperation between data protection enforcers”, the review highlights that the Commission aims to open negotiations for the conclusion of mutual assistance and enforcement

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Two years on, it states that businesses are developing a compliance culture and are now increasingly using strong data protection as a competitive advantage.

handling of cross-border cases calls for a more efficient and harmonised approach and an effective use of all tools provided in the GDPR for the data protection authorities to cooperate,” the review stated.

by competent authorities for the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences which should be aligned with the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive.

“The alignment will bring legal certainty and will clarify issues such as the purposes of the personal data processing by the competent authorities and what types of data may be subject to such processing,” the Commission stated.

The Commission’s next evaluation report, which will also review implementation of the actions listed within the inaugural report, is expected for 2024.

Action list for member states to support GDPR application: • complete the alignment of their sectoral laws to the GDPR; • consider limiting the use of specification clauses which might create fragmentation and jeopardise the free flow of data within the EU; • assess whether national law implementing the GDPR is in all circumstances within the margins provided for member state legislation; and • allocate resources to data protection authorities that are sufficient for them to perform their tasks.

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Working from home: Cybersecurity risk

data protection report

cent said that they were using their own personal device, which often lack the same protections or capability for monitoring as work devices.

Furthermore, one-fifth admitted that they had shared or stored work documents on personal devices.

Cybersecurity risks to businesses come in various forms, the most obvious being lost or stolen devices containing sensitive material. At a basic level, this risk has dramatically enhanced given the increased mobility of the workforce.

The short-term security solutions implemented to enable working from home en masse at the beginning of the pandemic have increased the levels of risk to businesses, many of whom are now moving to implement future-proofed solutions.

While remote/home working was far from a new concept when the stay at home restrictions were introduced, the scale of mobilisation required to rapidly equip the majority of a nation’s workforce to work from home was unprecedented.

Something that might have taken one organisation years to pilot, policy up and roll out was necessitated in days if not hours. However, while the agility of many organisations to restructure their business office model has been commended, concerns have also been raised around security vulnerabilities.

As businesses and organisations expanded the breadth of their ‘attack surface’, the culmination of networks and systems used for work, they also enhanced the level of cybersecurity risk.

However, with many implementing fastpaced and short-term remote working solutions in response the pandemic, there is recognition that remote working in some form will remain beyond the

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pandemic and must then be factored into business security plans.

Although current research on security risks to businesses and organisations during the pandemic is far from extensive, a survey carried out on behalf of IT solutions provider DataSolutions offers a glimpse of what risks businesses may be faced currently and into the future.

In December 2020, one-in-10 Irish office workers said that they had been targeted by cybercriminals since they began working from home when the pandemic began, while almost one-third admitted to feeling vulnerable to cybersecurity risks while working from home.

Given the pace of the switch to home working for many, it is unsurprising that as many as 57 per cent of respondents said that their company had not provided additional security training to prepare them for working from home.

Potentially more surprising is that 56 per

A further obvious risk is that in relation to phishing communications.

Vulnerabilities in relation to phishing communications were increased not only because a large cohort of workers were without security systems afforded by the office systems such as firewalls or blacklisted IP addresses but also because cyber criminals sought to exploit Covid-19 related fears.

Google counted more than 18 million malware and phishing emails related to coronavirus on its service everyday in April 2020 alone.

The 2020 Cisco Benchmark Report, which surveys almost 3,000 security leaders globally, highlights how the shift to remote working has changed security priorities. Mobile devices have overtaken user behaviour as the biggest challenge to protecting the mobile workforce, with the report pointing to 52 per cent of respondents stating that mobile devices are now “very or extremely challenging” to defend.

Remote working, to some extent, is set to be a permanent feature of the future of work. The Government’s remote working strategy has outlined a 20 per cent target for the public sector, with expectations that the more agile private sector will also see high uptake of remote working within a hybrid model.

Over a year on from the mass switch to working from home, businesses should be looking at not only mitigating security risks of the present but also delivering solutions for the future to keep them secure.

Cybersecurity experts on your side Due to the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and their agencies are under immense pressure to meet increased service demands, secure national infrastructure and maintain trust in public health measures. ESET and invited experts are joining to discuss the latest research and threat data to tackle the new reality in cybersecurity.

EUROPEAN CYBERSECURITY DAY Towards a Secure Post COVID Future - April 28th 2021, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Register for free at eecd.eset.com

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data protection report

Children front and centre The Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) has published its draft Children Front and Centre: Fundamentals for a Child-Orientated Approach to Data Processing. ‘The Fundamentals’ will introduce data protection principles and measures designed to protect children.

The Fundamentals, which DPC says all organisations collecting and processing children’s data should comply with, have been created “to drive improvements in standards of data processing”. They will “introduce childspecific data protection interpretative principles and recommended measures that will enhance the level of protection afforded to children against the data processing risks posed to them by their

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use of/access to services in both an online and offline world”.

The Fundamentals will also assist those organisations that do process children’s data by clarifying the principles to which they are expected to adhere, which arise from GDPR obligations. The draft document released by the DPC for the purpose of stakeholder consultation which closed on 31 March 2021 outlines 14 principles for organisations to follow.

These are: 1. Floor of protection: the provision of a minimum level, or “floor”, of protection by service providers.

2. Clear-cut consent: that consent given by a child for the processing of their data be “freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous, made by way of a clear statement or affirmative action”.

3. Zero interference: service providers should ensure that their “pursuit of legitimate interests” does not interfere with the best interests of the child.

5. Information in every instance: children are entitled to receive information about the processing of their data “irrespective of the legal basis relied on and even if consent was given by a parent on their behalf to the processing of their personal data”.

6. Child-oriented transparency: information about how data is used must be provided “in a concise, transparent, intelligible and accessible way, using clear and plain language that is comprehensible and suited to the age of the child”.

7. Let children have their say: service providers “shouldn’t forget that children are data subjects in their own right and have rights in relation to their personal data at any age”. The DPC states that a child can exercise these rights at any given time, provided “they have the capacity to do so and it is in their best interests”.

8. Consent doesn’t change childhood: consent obtained from children and/or their parents/guardians should not be used to justify the treatment of them as adults.

9. Your platform, your responsibility: companies who derive revenue from providing or selling services through digital and online technologies are expected to “go the extra mile” to prove that their age verification methods are effective.

10. Don’t shut out child users or downgrade their experience: services that are “directed at, intended for, or likely to be accessed by children” cannot bypass their obligations under the fundamentals by “shutting them out or depriving them of a rich service experience”.

that the best interests of the child must always be the primary consideration in all decisions relating to the processing of their personal data.”

data protection report

4. Know your audience: service providers should take steps to identify their users and ensure that their child-specific services have child-specific data protection measures in place.

“The core message of the fundamentals is

Helen Dixon, Commissioner for Data Protection 11. Minimum user ages aren’t an excuse: user age thresholds are not a reason for organisations to ignore controller obligations under GDPR where underage users are concerned.

12. Prohibition on profiling: service providers “should not profile children and/or carry out automated decision making in relation to children” or use their personal data for marketing/advertising purposes “due to their particular vulnerability and susceptibility to behavioural advertising” unless it can be clearly demonstrated that it is in the best interests of the child to do so.

13. Do a DPIA: providers should undertake a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) in order to minimise data protection risks to their service and to the children.

The “principle of the best interests of the child” is expected to be a key aspect of any DPIA and to take precedence over the commercial interests of the provider.

14. Bake it in: service providers that consistently process children’s data must have high levels of data protection “baked in” across the services they provide.

Writing in her foreword to the Fundamentals, the Commissioner for Data Protection, Helen Dixon said: “About a quarter of Ireland’s population are children, all of whose data is processed every day online and offline, in educational, health, recreational and sporting, social services and commercial contexts. It is with this in mind that the DPC has produced this guidance to set out the standards that all organisations should follow when collecting and processing children’s data. The core message of the Fundamentals is that the best interests

of the child must always be the primary consideration in all decisions relating to the processing of their personal data.”

The move to lay down principles by which companies must abide with regard to children’s data follows on from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office’s Age Appropriate Design Code, published in August 2020. The DPC has noted that its Fundamentals differ from those of their UK counterparts in that the UK document focuses on privacy-bydesign features that must be engineered into services used by children, whereas the DPC fundamentals take on a broad-based approach. The DPC has otherwise stated that its Fundamentals are “entirely consistent” with the UK’s code.

The Fundamentals include a list of recommended actions for online service providers, although it is stressed that “there is no one-size-fits-all solution to data protection by design and default”.

These recommendations include: ensuring the strictest privacy settings are applied to services likely to be accessed by children; ensuring that child users have meaningful choice in a mixed-audience setting; minimising the amount of data collected from children in the first place; not systematically sharing a child’s data with third parties without clear parental knowledge; turning off geolocation by default for children unless the service provided is dependent upon it; turning off profiling identifiers, techniques and settings; avoiding the use of nudge techniques that encourage children to provide unnecessary information; and the provision of layered, child-friendly information that is available to children throughout the user experience.

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data protection report

Schrems II In July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued its long-awaited decision in the Data Protection Commission v Facebook Ireland case. The decision invalidated the European Commission’s previous adequacy decision for the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and will have a significant impact on personal data transfers.

The decision, colloquially known as Schrems II as it is the second legal challenge by the Austrian activist Max Schrems, ruled that “the Privacy Shield does not provide adequate protection” and the CJEU affirmed that it had found “for a second time now that there is a clash between EU privacy law and US surveillance law”.

In the first Schrems decision in 2015, the Court invalidated the Safe Harbour framework that had governed EU-US personal data flows; Schrems II has now struck down Safe Harbour’s data protection-enhanced successor, Privacy Shield. The CJEU specifically

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invalidated Decision 2016/1250, the European Commission’s 2016 decision that Privacy Shield was adequate to enable data transfers under US law.

The decision also contradicts three years’ worth of annual reports from the Commission affirming the stance of their 2016 decision.

The Commission had in the past raised its own issues with the Privacy Shield, for instance it had consistently argued that a permanent ombudsman should be appointed to fill the role of tribunal as specified within Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

With the Court now ruling that Privacy Shield is insufficient to govern the data sharing between the EU and the US, over 5,300 participants will be severely affected. Two main reasons were cited by the CJEU in their decision, pertaining to the all-encompassing nature of US surveillance and the lack of action EU citizens can take against the US if they are adversely affected.

Firstly, the Court found that US surveillance programmes are not limited to strictly necessary data, despite their assessment by the Commission, thus meaning that they do not meet the requirements of Article 52 of the EU

Charter. Secondly, the Court ruled that EU data subjects lack actionable judicial redress with regard to US surveillance, thus not satisfying the demands of Article 47 of the Charter.

The CJEU also issued a further ruling that will significantly affect how

privacy rights once it had transferred his data to the United States, where it could be analysed by US intelligence agencies. Given that Facebook’s EU headquarters are in Dublin, it then fell to Ireland’s DPC to prosecute. The DPC is now charged with action on the guidance provided by the CJEU.

“While noting the Court’s reference to the fact that a supervisory authority would not suspend data transfers while an adequacy decision – such as Privacy Shield – was in force, the DPC acknowledges the central that it, together with its fellow supervisory authorities across the EU, must play

companies establish compliance with EU data protection rules. The Court ruled Commission Decision 2010/87, focused on standard contractual clauses (SCCs), to be valid. This ruling means that personal data transferred subject to said contractual obligations between data controllers and protectors is still sufficiently protected.

SCCs are thus still considered a valid method to ensure data protection, but the CJEU’s overall ruling does certainly create the question of the utility of SCCs as a means to govern data sharing, a question the Data Protection Commission (DPC) raised in its reaction to the decision. Divergent opinions also emerged among tech companies, with some saying that it was unclear if SCCs would meet data protection standards given the Schrems II ruling, while others rushed to reassure clients that data transfers were still possible.

The entire case began when Schrems alleged that Facebook had violated his

In a statement released after the CJEU ruling, the DPC said it “welcomes” the decision. “The Court has endorsed the DPC’s position, it has also ruled that the SCCs transfer mechanism used to transfer data to countries worldwide is, in principle, valid, although it is clear that, in practice, the application of the SCCs transfer mechanism to transfers of personal data to the United States is now questionable,” the DPC said.

data protection report

“Firstly, the Court found that US surveillance programmes are not limited to strictly necessary data, despite their assessment by the Commission, thus meaning that they do not meet the requirements of Article 52 of the EU Charter. Secondly, the Court ruled that EU data subjects lack actionable judicial redress with regard to US surveillance, thus not satisfying the demands of Article 47 of the Charter.”

across the EU.” In September 2020, the DPC sent Facebook a preliminary order to halt the transfer of EU citizens’ data to the US, with a fine of 4 per cent of annual revenue to be imposed if conditions are not met. Facebook’s Vice President of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg, responding on a Facebook blog, acknowledged that data protections laws are changing, but stated that more legal clarity was needed and advocated a revision of Privacy Shield.

“These [reform] efforts will need to recognise that EU member states and the US are both democracies that share common values and the rule of law, are deeply culturally, socially and commercially interconnected, and have very similar data surveillance powers and practices,” Clegg wrote.

The European Data Protection Board issued recommendations for firms dealing with transfers. There were six recommendations: know your transfers; identify the transfer tools you are relying on; assess whether the Article 46 GDPR transfer tool you are relying on is effective in light of all circumstances of the transfer; adopt supplementary measures; procedural steps if supplementary measures have been

“This is an issue that will require further and careful examination, not least because assessments will need to be made on a case-by-case basis. As well as providing clarity on points of substance, today’s judgement also contains important statements of position relating to matters of process, to include the allocation of responsibility between data controllers and national supervisory authorities when it comes to ensuring that the rights of EU citizens are protected in the context of EU/US data transfers.

identified; and re-evaluate at appropriate levels.

Further repercussions of trans-Atlantic intelligence services and surveillance could arise from a push to place European intelligence services beyond court jurisdiction. EU member states, led by France, are now seeking to insert a national security exemption in the pending ePrivacy Regulation, which would exclude third parties such as the US.

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data protection report

Data Protection Commission: Annual Report for 2020

Source: Data Protection Commission 2020 Annual Report

• Prosecutions concluded against six

In February 2021, the Data Protection Commission published its annual report for 2020. Key figures which emerged include: entities in respect of offences under the E-Privacy Regulations

• Enforcement Notices were served on seven

organisations for non-compliance in relation to the use

of cookies and tracking technologies in December 2020

10,151 cases handled (a 9% increase on 2019)

6,628 valid data security breaches notified

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statutory inquiries on hand (56 domestic inquiries and 27 crossborder inquiries) as of 31 December 2020

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4,660

4,476

GDPR complaints received

complaints concluded

€450,000

354

fine issued to Twitter International Company in December 2020

147

new complaints investigated under S.I. No. 336 of 2011 in respect of various forms of electronic direct marketing

cross-border

processing complaints received through the One-Stop-Shop

570

new Data Protection Officer notifications (with a total of 2,166 at year end)

eLearning and eTraining report

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Minister Norma Foley TD: Digital teaching, learning and assessment There has been great progress in recent weeks with the return of our entire school community to in-school learning. Minister for Education Norma Foley TD writes.

The phased approach to returning to inschool learning has been made possible with the support and work of everyone in school communities, and by the progress made in curbing the levels of Covid-19 in the community.

In early 2020, education systems around the world were faced with an unprecedented challenge following mass school closures as part of public health efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. More than 100 million learners, educators, education and training staff globally were affected. To ensure the continuity of teaching, learning and assessment, digital technologies were used on a large and unprecedented scale particularly in the remote environment.

Challenges I want to acknowledge the challenges faced by teachers and school leaders

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with the sudden move to a remote learning environment. You delivered a balanced and manageable programme, ensured that learners were not overwhelmed by information and supported the most vulnerable children and young people and for this I thank you.

The use of digital technologies in teaching and learning is not a new concept in the Irish education system.

A number of government strategies and initiatives over the last two decades have encouraged and promoted the effective use of digital technologies in teaching and learning. Significant progress has been made under the current Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 – Enhancing Teaching, Learning and Assessment.

The focus of this strategy is on the effective use of digital technologies in teaching and learning, assessment and

in leadership and management. The strategy has been underpinned by a €210 million investment through an infrastructure grant for schools. The implementation of the strategy in schools is supported by a Digital Learning Framework and comprehensive digital learning planning guidelines. This is backed up by extensive continuous professional development (CPD), resources and supports for teachers and school leaders.

Initial research and surveys conducted on the experiences during the pandemic indicate that some schools found the transition to online learning somewhat easier. Many of those schools were familiar with online learning platforms and adapted quickly to providing learner feedback on work submitted digitally. For others, their capacity to provide continuity of

learning was impeded by poor broadband connectivity in some home environments and the lack of digital devices for both teacher and learners and alternative methods of delivery had to be deployed.

The Department provided schools with a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a Covid19 context. This included the following requirements for schools: •

regular engagement with pupils/students;

•

a blend of guided and independent learning tasks/experiences;

•

appropriate and engaging learning opportunities;

•

learning tasks;

•

two-way feedback between home and school; and

•

support for pupils/students with special educational needs.

Professional development All schools are required to have a communication and learning platform in place. Schools can select the platform that best suits their own needs.

Extensive support and guidance on the use of many of the most commonly used platforms is provided by the Department’s support service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), and its technology in education team at www.pdsttechnologyineducation.ie.

The continued professional development of teachers and their upskilling on the effective use of digital

technologies will continue to be a key priority for the Department and its teacher support service, PDST. The Inspectorate also provided an advisory service to schools to support the delivery of remote learning and to provide assistance to school leaders in particular during school closures.

A dedicated PDST portal on remote learning includes information on popular communication and learning platforms, digital tools and resources, video conferencing, webinars to support and inspire teachers to identify good practice and a dedicated online course for teachers for remote learning. In general the two most applicable blended learning models as identified

by PDST are the enriched virtual model and the flipped classroom model.

The PDST leadership team is also available to support school leaders in leading remote teaching and learning process through school support, national programmes and localised networks. Also with regard to training, the Centre for School Leadership developed an online module in terms of mentoring newly appointment principals and as well as for professional learning for mentors and 1:1 coaching.

Online safety Along with the many benefits for our learners in using technology to access education, participation in the online environment can expose our children and young people to online risks. While schools have a key role in educating children about online safety, internet safety does not lie solely within the remit of the school environment.

Providing an effective response to online safety requires collaboration

eLearning and eTraining report

Moving swiftly to alleviate some of the immediate challenges, €100 million in grant funding was issued to schools during 2020 to improve ICT infrastructure and to support teaching and learning using digital technologies.

Schools were advised that this funding could be prioritised to assist them in addressing their ICT needs arising out of the Covid-19 environment, including the purchase of digital devices to loan to students and teachers, software, essential learning platforms and other ICT solutions as determined by the needs of the individual school.

“I want to acknowledge the challenges faced by teachers and school leaders with the sudden move to a remote learning environment.” between many stakeholders including government, parents, educators, industry and individuals themselves.

The Department continues to make available extensive training and curricular supports and resources to assist schools in the development of policies and practices on the safe use of the internet and on the prevention of bullying and harassment using the internet. The Webwise programme is a key educational resource in this area: www.webwise.ie.

Digital technology is a tool to be employed by teachers to enhance and support teaching and learning it will never replace the teacher in the teaching process. Regular engagement with pupils and students supplemented by digital technologies, will continue to be important elements of the education provided by teachers.

Digital strategy The current digital strategy for schools expires at the end of this school year and I was pleased to recently announce the consultation process, as we work to develop the new strategy. It will build on the progress to date and the learnings from the impact of Covid-19 and online learning.

The consultation framework is designed to be wide-ranging and effective, to ensure that a broad variety of views and ideas are considered in developing the new strategy. It is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/ and I encourage educators, parents and all those interested to have their say in this important area over the coming weeks.

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eLearning and eTraining report

Creating the right cloud experience

We have seen a rapid acceleration of digital transformation over the last 12 months, and the pandemic has acted as a catalyst to accelerate many transformation projects. The most common one was the rapid shift to support a remote or hybrid workforce to deliver services long-term.

We have also seen organisations thrive as they adapted their business model to enable them to operate and meet their customer needs throughout the various stages of restrictions.

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In the early stages of these transformations, immediate decisions had to be made and services quickly provided so the organisation could operate, however these decisions need to be evaluated again as the economic environment changes.

How do we do it?

Cloud has been many organisations’ default position for a few years now, and while it’s definitely part of that digital

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transformation journey, organisations need to understand their true requirements or it can lead to inefficiencies, unnecessary expense and can also degrade user experiences.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and it can be difficult to know where to start.

• Public cloud

Before we go much further, it’s helpful to create a common baseline for context.

We may all be familiar with the term cloud, but what do we actually mean when we refer to it? If we look at the different types of cloud and what they entail, it helps gain a better understanding of what might suit each organisation’s needs:

• Private cloud

Computing services offered by a third party by which scalable and elastic ITenabled capabilities are delivered asa-service using internet technologies.

Use cases include off-site data storage, online office applications and software development.

Infrastructure, software, and services combined to deliver the cloud experience within a private network. In this scenario, the organisation has more control over it and increased security. Located in a data centre operated by, or on the behalf of, your organisation.

• Hybrid cloud Combines private cloud with one or more public cloud services to work together. Offers agility and flexibility, supporting a remote workforce.

• Multi cloud

eLearning and eTraining report

Uses multiple cloud services from different providers to ensure the best service for each workload. Can be cost effective, easily scalable, and agile.

We must also consider the fact that all of these options reside within a data centre, local or remote, yet in the majority of cases, we interact with our customers, employees or citizens out in the community. That is why today organisations need to consider the end point as part of the overall mix of service delivery.

The Edge: what is it?

As the expectations and requirements of customers evolve, we need to be able to facilitate fast decision-making, so we can exceed these expectations. Recent improvements in connectivity outside the data centre now mean that we can distribute compute and data to deliver more effective outcomes.

Instead of operating from large, centralised data centres, Edge computing operates from a more distributed model, with small centres of data springing up closer to the end user to support immediate low latency insights and decision-making, therefore enhancing the customer experience.

Edge will definitely play a role in many organisations’ services mix. The question for every organisation will be how and where?

With this expanded thinking and keeping in mind that 70 per cent of workloads are currently not suitable for public cloud, it is crucial to understand your

• Who are your customers?

(Customers, citizens, workforce.)

Taking action We have seen organisations jump to cloud without proper consideration and understanding of their requirement and

• Where are your users? Your organisation doesn’t stop at your cloud edge, how do you interact with them?

the upstream and downstream impacts

• What are the workloads and applications used? It’s important that they sit where they are best placed.

For example, does the workload require fast scalability for peaks in demand, something the public cloud providers excel in, whereas if you have services or workloads that need to be closer to the user or the process, then private cloud will deliver the low latency from your private data centre.

help you understand what the correct

• What skills do you have today, and what skills will you need in the future?

of these changes on the organisation and their customers. It is therefore very important to involve a partner who can mix looks like for your circumstances and can help drive a successful cloud strategy by providing the insights needed to achieve the most efficient, cost-effective, and beneficial cloud environment, specific to your requirements. HPE has a vast breadth of knowledge and experience in advising organisations on creating the right mix of cloud, appropriate for their business objectives.

• What organisational or cultural changes will this transformation require, to be successful?

We understand that cloud is a

Getting the right mix to support your organisation will ensure you have created the best foundation that will enable an agile and scalable environment that is cost effective, efficient and secure, offering a breadth of services to support the skills of your staff and deliver the requirements of your customers.

more information, or if you’re

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It is for these reasons that our view of hybrid cloud needs to adapt to factor in the importance of the Edge requirement.

At HPE we believe that hybrid cloud is a way to architect and operate IT that takes advantage of cloud capabilities, cost, performance and agility available on-premises, on public and private cloud, and at edge locations. Hybrid cloud is not simply using public cloud and private cloud for your workloads. It is cloud everywhere.

organisation’s requirements before taking your next step. Areas to consider include:

continuous journey, rather than a destination. Contact Davin Cody for interested in getting assistance with your cloud journey.

Davin Cody Chief Technology Officer HPE davin@hpe.com

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eLearning and eTraining report

Digital: Resetting education and training The European Commission is aiming to reset education and training across all member states in ambitious plan to be finalised by 2022.

Preparation for the digital age, in the form of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), has been identified by the European Commission as critical to developing a fairer and more sustainable Europe.

Much of the strategy’s ambitions are not new and the core components of the Commission’s previous two-year strategy, including better use of digital technology, development on competencies and skills and improvement through better data analysis remain. However, core to the new strategy is that adoption of learnings brought about in response to the pandemic.

The Commission launched a public consultation of its new action plan in June 2020, outlining two strategic priorities in the form of plans to “foster the development of a high-performing digital education eco-system” and “enhance digital skills and

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competencies for the digital transformation”.

The EU Commission adopted the Action Plan for Digital Education at the end of September 2020 in response to the Covid-19 crisis, however, the expansion of the length of the plan to seven years from its predecessor has signalled an intention to not only address the disparities in digital education highlighted by the pandemic but also to put in place a strategic and longer-term approach to digital education and training.

The seven-year period will enable the plan to better align with the programme period of the EU and leverage various funding instruments such as Erasmus +, Horizon Europe, the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

UNESCO estimates that more than 1.6 billion learners across the globe (91 per cent of the world’s school population) had their learning affected by the first

wave of the pandemic. However, while there was impact on a broad scale, undoubtedly the pandemic also served to exacerbate inequalities in educational opportunities. The EU Commission has recognised a greater responsibility to increase access to digital learning for every child, to enable them to fulfil their potential.

2019 Eurostat figures estimate that access to broadband varies significantly across EU member states ranging from 74 per cent of households for the lowest-income quartile to 97 per cent in the highest-income quartile.

Meanwhile, while this figure is likely to have increased in response to the pandemic, an OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey put just 39 per cent of educators in the EU as well or very well prepared for using digital technologies in their daily work, with the figure varying significantly across member states.

However, according to the EU Commission, experiences from the pandemic show that education and training systems and institutions that had previously invested in their digital capacity were better prepared to adapt teaching approaches, keep learners engaged, and continue the education and training process.

The Commission has set out a range of actions in relation to the Plan’s two strategic priorities. In the context of its ambition to foster the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem, the Commission will launch a strategic dialogue with member states in preparation for its proposal for EU Council recommendation on the enabling factors for successful digital education by 2022. Specifically, the Commission will seek a Council recommendation for online and distance learning for primary and secondary education, with a focus on an EU-wide common understanding of how to make digital learning inclusive and engaging by the end of 2021.

The Commission is proposing the development of a European Digital Education Framework which it hopes will build on cultural and creative diversity. This will be aided by a feasibility study on a potential platform to share certified online resources and connect with existing education platforms across the EU. Interestingly, the plan recognises that digital education and the transformation of education and training must not be solely student focused. Erasmus Teacher Academies are being proposed to support digital pedagogy and expertise in the use of digital tools for teachers. Additionally, an online selfassessment tool for self-reflection on effective learning through innovative educational technologies is to be rolled out for teachers.

Finally, the Plan points to action in the well discussed area of AI and ethics.

The Commission has signalled its intentions to develop ethical guidelines on AI and data use in teaching and learning for educators.

Enhancing digital skills and competences for the digital transformation The second priority of the plan will see the Commission develop common guidelines for teachers and educational staff to not only foster digital literacy through education and training but also to tackle disinformation through work with a wide range of stakeholders from parents to media and tech companies.

The Commission also recognises the requirement to update the European Digital Competence Framework to include AI and data-related skills and to support the AI learning resources for education institutions.

Interestingly, the Commission is proposing the creation of a European Digital Skills Certificate to be recognised and accepted by governments, employers, and others across Europe. Below this, the

eLearning and eTraining report

Fostering the development of a highperforming digital education ecosystem

“The Commission is proposing the creation of a European Digital Skills Certificate to be recognised and accepted by governments, employers, and others across Europe.”

Commission has set a target for student digital competence of under 15 per cent by 2030 for 13- to 14-year-old students who underperform in computer and information literacy.

Cooperation and exchange think tank Included in the action plan is the creation of a new European Digital Education Hub which will seek to link national and regional digital initiatives and actors, while also supporting cross sector collaboration and new models for exchange of digital learning content, seeking to address issues such as common standards, interoperability, accessibility and quality-assurance.

The Commission says that the hub will serve as a think-tank, supporting the development of policy and practice and monitor the development of digital education in Europe.

EU reasons for action

74%-94% Broadband access varies across member states and is lowest in households of low income

1 in 5 young people fail to reach a basic level of digital skills across the EU

39% of teachers in the EU pre-Covid feel well prepared for using digital technologies in their daily work

60% of Digital Education Action Plan respondents had not used distance and remote learning pre-pandemic 63

eLearning and eTraining report

HEAnet: helping Ireland’s students to stay connected “HEAnet connects students, staff and researchers nationally but we also offer them connectivity to Europe and globally via GÉANT, the pan-European association of NRENs, and I mention that because that’s where the eduroam initiative is coordinated from within Europe,” Byrne says.

Ronan Byrne, Interim CEO and Chief Technology Officer, HEAnet

HEAnet Interim CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Ronan Byrne, talks to eolas about expanding the eduroam service beyond the confines of the college campus and partnering with both the public and the private sectors to assist thirdlevel students studying remotely during a pandemic.

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HEAnet is Ireland’s national research and education network (NREN). It is a not-for-profit entity, owned and funded by the education sector whose role is to deliver connectivity and ICT services to all publicly funded universities, institutes of technology and other colleges, in addition to all of Ireland’s 4,000 schools.

One notable stand-out service offering during these pandemic times is HEAnet’s management of the eduroam service, the free Wi-Fi service available at publicly funded Irish third-level campuses. eduroam will be a very familiar service to any students to have graduated in the past 10 years. eduroam, short for education roaming, is a Wi-Fi service set identifier (SSID) that

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is broadcast over a Wi-Fi network. The service is available to students, staff and researchers from participating HEIs. Similar to the way a mobile device immediately connects to a known home Wi-Fi network when its owner enters the entrance hall, a student’s phone automatically connects to eduroam as they walk onto a campus, or any other location where eduroam is available. eduroam is preconfigured on the student’s device, meaning there is no reconfiguration needed, or indeed no cost to use the service, as they roam from one location to another. The service is managed nationally by HEAnet, and its fellow NRENs in their respective countries around the globe.

“The ambition of our latest connectivity initiative, eduroam Everywhere, is to extend eduroam coverage beyond the college campus to other public infrastructure and public buildings, but also to private commercial infrastructure such as retail outlets and conference centres. There is a big challenge to address in making quality broadband available for every higher education learner in the country. We wish to make eduroam available nearer to people’s remote location and help them to gain access to the internet and thus enable access to the materials they need to continue their education.

“The advent of Covid-19, and the restrictions on campus attendance, has served as a real-world catalyst for the need to expand eduroam availability.

We’ve received excellent support from Minister Simon Harris in making other public infrastructure providers more aware of the service,” Byrne says.

“The Minister has enabled us to develop partnerships with other public infrastructure providers and agencies across the wider public sector, including the county councils, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), and also the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). We’ve had great engagement with the county councils across the country, with eduroam now available in many public libraries. We continue to add new libraries to the national eduroam map as we speak, with the eduroam service

available inside but also outside the library building using external Wi-Fi antennae. Additionally, we are planning to make eduroam available in public spaces such as town centres and parks.

While a key pillar of the eduroam expansion strategy is to leverage existing public infrastructure, Byrne is keen to stress that HEAnet is also actively seeking private sector collaborators.

“We have already connected the student accommodation in Tralee, the Convention Centre Dublin and the conference suite at Croke Park which has been hosting a cohort of RCSI students. Likewise, we anticipate that Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork will come on stream shortly,” Byrne says. “The CHQ retail outlet in the IFSC is also connected. We continue to target coffee shops, restaurants, and anywhere that lends to convenient connectivity for students, even if that’s just a short visit to upload an assignment, for example, or to download educational content on the go. Each of these measures are significant when you’re competing for broadband at home, or are experiencing high mobile data tariffs, or you simply do not have coverage at your location.”

However, Byrne recognises that the expansion of eduroam availability will not solve all of the connectivity problems experienced by Ireland’s students during this pandemic chapter. HEAnet pursue other initiatives to assist students including the operation of the HEAnet online store, which offers discounted laptops, broadband deals and software components for third-level students.

HEAnet also manage centralised procurement of ICT services for the sector, a feature procurement from last year being the expedited bulk order of laptops for disadvantaged students prior to academic term commencement in late summer 2020. “eduroam Everywhere is an ambitious project but is not a silver bullet for the connectivity challenge,” Byrne says.

“The availability of devices is also an issue and we have been working with various stakeholders on this since this time last year. An aggregated procurement opportunity arose last year with the advent of the July stimulus provision coming via Minister Harris’ department. Against a backdrop of unprecedented global demand for laptop components, we aggregated a bulk order of 16,700 laptops for disadvantaged students from across a

breadth of education institutions. This was a great illustration of a collective effort by the many educational institutions involved, coupled with great support by the suppliers too, notably Dell, Microsoft, and Intel.”

“The merit of aggregating ICT orders may well persist beyond Covid times, as I think there are benefits to doing these things collectively and more efficiently.

It’s a classic example of the HEAnet purpose, as a shared service provider for the sector. We work on behalf of our clients and together with our clients, leveraging our collective strengths in a trusted way.”

Collaboration has been key to the success of HEAnet since its inception and this will be key to its future success, as Byrne concludes: “We will continue to work closely with our clients, with the Department of Education, and with the newly formed Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to develop and leverage the national asset that is HEAnet. It is essential that we continue to develop this national resource, to foster high value collaborations across the sector, and to further enable the digital ambitions of the sector, and Ireland generally.”

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With the support of the Department of Transport, a pilot scheme on some Dublin Bus routes is now also in operation. Trialling eduroam across transport types is also a current priority for the eduroam Everywhere project.

“We are exploring all good eduroam location candidates beyond the college campuses, and we are actively encouraging good suggestions from the commercial market. We need support to achieve our goals and we are keen to work with any organisations that wish to include their public Wi-Fi in the eduroam service.” Byrne explains, adding: “The project objective is to make eduroam as ubiquitous as we can for the benefit of students. It’s about leveraging public

and private infrastructure that’s already in place, particularly to ameliorate connectivity issues during the pandemic, but we see the benefit continuing beyond that. Blended learning is likely to persist into the future with a balance of on-campus attendance complemented by some remote learning aspect.”

eLearning and eTraining report

“Working with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the OGCIO, we plan to make eduroam available at Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and we anticipate that these will come online in the very near future. As the objective of the NBP is to target areas of the country with lesser broadband service, there is a natural fit for eduroam to be available at these geographic locations.”

T: 01 660 9040 E: info@heanet.ie W: www.heanet.ie Twitter: @HEAnet

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eLearning and eTraining report

While it is difficult to measure the impact the switch to remote learning has had on children and young people, one evident trend is that those who entered the pandemic with the fewest academic opportunities are on track to exit with the greatest learning loss.

Described as a global experiment, remote education, necessitated by the pandemic, has taken many forms as nations sought to manage the spread of the virus within their own restrictions.

Pinpointing the outcomes of remote learning for children and young people has proven difficult when considering the many variables, not least the different lengths of school closures, different delivery methods and differing levels of accessibility.

While it is obvious that remote learning has brought benefits in relation to access to education that would not have existed had schools simply remained closed, the overwhelming indication from research is that remote learning remains a poor substitute for being back in the classroom and that students have paid a heavy price in lost learning.

Many countries, including Ireland, are still deliberating on the best pathway to return all students back to classroom and so an efficient evaluation of the full impact of remote education will require

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fuller analysis in the future. However, a common theme emerging from current research is a divide in relation to remote education outcomes.

In February 2021, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) offered some insight into the divide when it published data in relation to the impact of school closures on students’ learning and social development, informed by input of more than 1,600 parents.

The data sought to capture opinions on the different outcomes for different age groups within education. It suggests that the negative impact of school closures is less prevalent when moving down the sliding scale of age groups, for example, almost half of parents with a child in fifth or sixth year secondary education reported a major negative impact on their learning, compared to just over a third for the whole of secondary education. These figures fell further when assessing the impact of school closures on primary school children, where almost 15 per cent reported a major negative impact.

Looking at it from another perspective, the data outlines that only 9 per cent of parents with a child in fifth or sixth year reported a positive effect of remote education on their child’s learning and this figure fell significantly further for children in junior cycle secondary education, where the rate was just 1.5 per cent.

Disadvantage However, research carried out outside of Ireland would suggest the need for closer analysis, not just of the outcomes for children and young people of different ages, but also the impact on the different levels of disadvantage.

A report by McKinsey & Company has sought to look into the cost of remote working on pupils, with a particular focus on vulnerable students. Unlike the CSO data, the McKinsey report surveyed teachers, recognising their unique viewpoint in “deciphering the long-term impact of this protracted learning experiment”.

Ireland: Impact of enforced school closures on student's learning by school cycle, February 2021

Secondary school

eLearning and eTraining report

Primary school

0%

10% Major negative

UNESCO estimates that by mid-April 2020, 1.6 billion children were no longer being taught in a physical classroom and while it is recognised that many nations used different timelines in relation to school attendance restrictions and that within that there were various models and experiences of remote learning, the broad consensus was that remote learning is a poor substitute for being in the classroom.

Recognising the value of face-to-face learning, amidst the pandemic, The World Health Organization released guidelines which states that school closures should be “considered only if there is no other alternative”.

A trend recognised as a result of teacher feedback from various nations is that while remote learning has improved as schools adopt best practices, it remains difficult for students who struggle with issues such as learning challenges, isolation or lack of resource.

“Teachers in schools where more than 80 per cent of students live in households under the poverty line reported an average of 2.5 months of learning loss, compared with a reported loss of 1.6 months in schools where more than 80 per cent of students live in households above the poverty line,” the report stated.

Although different countries reported different experiences of the effectiveness of instruction once

20%

30%

40%

Moderate negative

50%

60%

Mild negative

70% No impact

80% Positive

90% Source: CSO

Global: Student engagement with remote learning by share below poverty line % of students 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 <20%

>80%

100%

Average

McKinsey teacher sentiment survey: 28 October-17 November 2020

classes went online, one of the most telling trends is an almost universal outcome that teachers in private and wealthy schools are more likely to report effective remote learning, access, and engagement.

In a score out of 10, of the teachers surveyed, those who taught in public schools gave remote learning an average global score of 4.8, which compares to a 6.2 average rating by those who teach in private schools, where it is assumed there is better access to learning tools.

This disadvantage trend is analysed further in assessing the scale of poverty within public schools. Teachers working in high-poverty schools flagged an ineffectiveness of virtual classrooms,

rating it just 3.5 out of 10, a finding which feeds into concerns that the pandemic has exacerbated educational inequalities. Teachers in wealthy and private schools reported a much higher rate of students logging in and completing assignments, linked to higher levels of reporting that their students were more likely to report that their students were well equipped with internet access and devices for remote learning.

The report adds: “The full impact of this unprecedented global shift to remote learning will likely play out for years to come. For students who have lacked access to the tools and teachers they need to succeed academically, the results could be devastating.”

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eLearning and eTraining report

UCD Professional Academy: How Upskilling Can Help Your Organisation Retain Staff

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Aaron McKenna, Managing Director of UCD Professional Academy

Antonio Palacios, Head of Product at UCD Professional Academy

A key issue that organisations across Ireland and the world are facing is employee retention. Turnover rates are quantified in great detail by some sources, but in times of deep, transformational change, when businesses and HR departments are making substantial coordinated efforts to change the culture of the organisation, turnover erodes these efforts in ways that are hard to quantify but frustratingly tangible.

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In both the private and public sector, the effects of staff turnover are exacerbated by younger entrants to the job market, who may be prone to leaving a role after a short amount of time, rather than the lifelong career which had previously been associated with the public sector in particular.

Aaron McKenna, Managing Director of UCD Professional Academy, says that investing in your workforce via training is one way to get a win-win, showing your team that you are willing to invest in them whilst also increasing their skills to achieve in their roles. The pandemic has had a two-tier impact on employment trends. While headline unemployment figures have been high, this isn’t the case across the board and the competition for talent remains high in certain sectors. Recruiters are approaching staff with tempting remuneration packages and promises of career development and organisations understand that losing key staff at a time of major organisational change such as this would be doubly difficult given the knowledge capital built up over the past year in particular.

As technology evolves at a rapid rate, skills shortages are sure to follow in its wake. According to Antonio Palacios, Head of Product at UCD Professional Academy, it’s no longer enough to source specialised roles, now those roles have to come “with tech”: business analysis with tech, financial expertise with tech, marketing qualifications with tech. Even in small businesses, the potential combinations grow and quickly lead to the question: Should we map out all the possible learning paths our employees can potentially take (and perhaps in the process inadvertently limit development growth avenues), or is it time to empower them to make their own choices from a broader set of solutions?

The lack of certain skills within the Irish landscape can drive people to seek opportunities elsewhere, where those possessing shortage skills in fields like IT and data analytics could be headhunted to join opposing companies or organisations. When employees are encouraged to upskill into these fields, they’re a lot more likely to remain with the employers who helped them get there. Acquiring these skills is an ideal way for employees to move upwards in a company, as well as in a lateral way, to explore other opportunities. In addition, as a large number of organisations move towards a more digitally driven model in the wake of the

In addition to all the obvious staff retention benefits of offering courses and qualifications to employees, a huge factor that organisations need to be thinking about all the time is employee wellness and engagement. With many employees reporting lack of engagement and interest in their roles being exacerbated by the ongoing Covid-19 situation and remote work, it is more imperative than ever to encourage and facilitate employees in their personal growth and development.

One advantage of providing access to courses that lead to professional diplomas is instant recognition beyond the confines of the organisation. On successful completion of a professional diploma, employees earn that accreditation, one they can proudly display on their LinkedIn profile and at work. Celebrating and demonstrating learning achievements can be a key component of a larger talent development strategy that provides new opportunities, clear career progression paths and turns key employees into change agents that bring new skills and initiatives to the organisation.

Although there is still much uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and the ability of previously mighty sectors like tourism and hospitality to return to normal, one thing is already clear: management training and management style are still one of the main drivers of employee turnover. It is not a matter of if, but when these businesses start hiring again, and as they begin to ramp up to pre-pandemic levels, they will not be able to afford unwanted turnover. As manager training increases, employee turnover intentions decrease. The time to create the right management culture to quickly build teams that perform and remain committed to their employers is now, before the hiring process starts.

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More and more organisations are looking toward the benefit of continuous learning for retaining staff. Staff training and upskilling is becoming a must rather than a “nice-to-have” in the modern world, so whether organisations are looking towards online courses, sponsoring further education or training on technical skills, there are a number of different approaches available, all of which are likely to lead to improved levels of staff retention. Over the past year, UCD Professional Academy has enrolled over 5,500 students, of which the vast majority were sponsored by their employer, who in many cases went on to enrol additional students based on positive feedback and increased levels

There are many reasons why people seek alternative employment opportunities; these range from general dissatisfaction to looking to increase earnings, but one of the biggest factors influencing people on an outward trajectory from a company is lack of room to grow and progress. When employees have access to resources including outside courses, you create an environment where people can see themselves acquiring the skills to progress, which motivates them to do so. In cases like this, organisations are able to promote from within rather than look externally to fill more senior roles, which not only boosts employee morale, but allows organisations to give these roles to people who already hold the business knowledge and context.

pandemic, IT and other digital skills will become even more valuable. An ideal way to ensure that employees are retained, is by offering them the chance to gain these skills through training, courses, and professional diplomas.

eLearning and eTraining report

The negative impacts of high staff turnover rates are wide-reaching, encompassing not only the high cost of replacing long-term staff, but also the loss of both soft- and hard-skills, knowledge gaps, reputational damage and a negative impact on remaining staff. The average time taken to recruit a new staff member can range from one to four months, with the Adare Human Resource HR Barometer finding the average cost of replacing a staff member coming in at around €14,000 in recent years, much more than the cost of offering learning and development to current employees.

of employee retention. Clients like the HSE Finance and Health & Wellbeing Departments, Skillnet Ireland, Concern Worldwide and Microsoft all choose to upskill their employees with UCD Professional Academy within the past year.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how UCD Professional Academy can benefit your organisation, you can get in touch using the details below. professional.academy@ucd.ie www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/eolas

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eLearning and eTraining report

EDUCATION 4.0

The evolution of education to meet the needs of a new world of work has been kickstarted by the necessitated response to the pandemic, writes David Whelan.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, its impact on the labour market and the efficiencies which can be driven by increased artificial intelligence, virtual reality and big data analytics have been a feature of future economic strategies for some time. However, while much attention focusses on the changes which will be brought about in industry, analysis of how the education system must adapt to prepare for Industry 4.0 is relatively new.

Industry 4.0 is a concept of evolution rather than a defined moment or an

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exact period of implementation, but a host of research all points to a transformed, smarter labour market by 2040. The vast majority of this change is expected to be driven by automation.

Research by McKinsey suggests that around 60 per cent of occupations could see around one third of their activities automated.

Education 4.0 is a concept in which schools, higher education facilities and universities adapt their traditional methods to prepare students for the future world of work. Importantly, the

concept envelopes not just school leavers but also adult learners, seeking to up- or re-skill.

However, many have assessed that current education delivery, especially higher education, will need to revolutionise rather than just adapt from their traditional methods if economies are to take full advantage of changing industry.

Importantly, the Education 4.0 concept involves not just meeting the changing needs of industry but also integrating evolving technology to enhance student

Away from simply preparing students for the world of work of the future, Education 4.0 will also involve detailed planning around course delivery. For example, what will be the role of teachers if AI, VR and other technologies are immersed in the education experience? How personalised can and should learning within these institutions become? How will assessment methods change to incorporate digital experimental learning? And how should campuses be re-designed to incorporate smart technology?

In Ireland, the journey to Higher Education 4.0 has already begun. In January, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris TD, announced €12.4 million for IT Sligo towards its initiation of Education 4.0. experience and drive greater efficiencies in staff time and investments in estate and infrastructure.

The traditional methods of education were disrupted by the mass transition to remote teaching in 2020 in response to the pandemic. Although education methods have remained traditional, they have not remained static. Previous introductions of technology such as computers and later a more usergenerated internet (Education 2.0 and 3.0) have seen delivery methods of education diversify and undoubtedly the building blocks of Education 4.0 have been evolving. The scaling of technologies associated with Industry 4.0 on top of these building blocks offers huge potential.

While most education institutions remained focused on transitioning

Announcing funding for a number of higher education institutions Human Capital Initiative, the Minister said: “This global pandemic has reinforced the need for us all to be agile and diverse.

Crucially though it requires us to develop new skills and equip the next generation with the critical importance to the economy and the workplace of the future.”

IT Sligo is held up as an exemplar of online learning having transitioned from online course delivery to five students in 2002 to over 10,000 students accessing 140 courses by 2020.

It would be wrong however, to suggest that challenges to implementing Education 4.0 do not exist. The primary challenge is one currently being recognised in relation to remote

learning, digital disadvantage. Although technology is evolving, the costs and accessibility of these technologies, once available at scale, remain unclear.

Analysis of the past year has taught us that the negative outcomes of remote learning tend to be compounded for those already experiencing disadvantage through, for example, computer access. This digital divide could be widened further if Education 4.0 comes with accessibility barriers.

eLearning and eTraining report

classroom learning online, these efforts represent the first step in a shift to more permanent blended learning. The 2019 Jisc Digital Experience Insights Survey offers a look at the changing mindset of higher education students to digital education. Over three-quarters of those surveyed said that digital education allowed them to more easily fit learning into life, while a similar amount found it enabled them to be more independent in their learning.

Probably more interesting is the shift in mindset over just one year. In 2018, 32 per cent of university students said that they wanted more digital technologies in their course but by 2019, this figure had risen to 44 per cent.

Another major challenge is that of connectivity. Industry 4.0 predicts super-fast broadband connections across the globe, however, in Ireland in 2021, the variety of connectivity experiences in differing parts of the island are evident. Again, any inequalities in connectivity could provide an unlevel playing field in education delivery.

Delivery will require a cultural as well as a technology shift. While individually tailored and delivered education has its opportunities, it also challenges the pre-existing strongholds of inclusivity and belonging which comes with traditional classroom learning in the student experience.

Those who will be expected to deliver these new teaching models have also raised concerns about the potential shift in their competencies. Covid-19 has offered an initial insight into the levels of digital upskilling that may be required as education evolves but subject mastery remains core.

However, as education evolves alongside disruptive technology, more will likely be required of teachers in terms of design and facilitation of courses.

Education’s response to the pandemic has shown both the advantages and challenges associated with remote learning and the greater integration of technology into traditional methods of education. Industry 4.0 is set to change the landscape of the future of work and while those technologies associated with it remain some way away from being rolled out at scale, in order for economies to recognise the full benefits, education must be ahead of implementation.

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How Ireland’s oldest educational and legal institution is at the forefront of digital learning

eLearning and eTraining report

King's Inns. “For us, it's not about revolutionising how we run courses, it's about maintaining equality of access and optimising the learning experience, whether that's in person or online.”

Focus on the learner

The past 12 months have witnessed unprecedented change in the way we work, live and study. Renate Ní Uigín and Kathy McLaughlin, the Librarian and Learning Technologist at Ireland’s renowned law school, King’s Inns, give us an insight into how the oldest institution of professional legal education in Ireland has been at the forefront of digital learning, using technology to make learning more accessible.

Working and studying online brings many challenges, not just how we use technology to stay connected with our colleagues and classmates but also how we process business information using various technology solutions. This includes how education and training centres share course materials and process personal data while continuing to meet the relevant domestic and EU legislative requirements.

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Although the institution was founded in 1541, King's Inns (The Honorable Society of King's Inns) is still renowned for professional legal education and training. As well as training future and qualified barristers, the School extends its reach to a diverse community of people from non-legal backgrounds offering a range of accessible part-time courses in specialist areas of the law.

Technology as an enabler Kathy McLaughlin, Learning Technologist with King's Inns, explains 72

how digital technology enhances the learning experience: “At King's Inns, our focus is on using technology to make learning easier and more accessible.

Many people will have heard of the importance of bringing learning to people, rather than people to learning, but that's exactly what the technology we use here at King's Inns enables us to do.”

Whether through the use of lecture capture software to record lecture content for consumption by the learner in their own time, through the delivery of live group learning sessions using videoconferencing software, or by making learning materials, including course manuals and lectures, available online via our virtual learning environment, King's Inns can deliver learning to students at a time, place and, importantly, a pace that suits them. Such flexibility in the learning provision mainly serves individuals who need to fit their study around existing work commitments or those who live at a distance from

The range and availability of educational technology solutions have grown exponentially over the past number of years. While King's Inns staff continue to keep abreast of the latest offerings in technology-enhanced learning, they are always cognisant of the importance of choosing technology that adds value to the learning experience. The learning experience remains central when planning and developing courses and implementing digital solutions. “It's important to ensure that any digital solutions we utilise have a proven benefit to learning and, crucially, that they will be easy for our learners to use and navigate. Technology should never be something that our learners need worry about,” adds Kathy.

Flexibility Technology-enhanced learning has also allowed King's Inns to provide flexibility in its educational delivery. Many of the Advanced Diploma courses at King's Inns offer classes either early in the morning, in the evenings or at weekends. Lectures on courses such as Data Protection Law, Social Media and Media Law, Applied Employment Law, Public Procurement Law, Law and Education, Planning and Environmental Law, and Medical Law, all use videorecording technology to record sessions for those unable to attend the scheduled live classes. These courses are designed with busy schedules in mind.

Through all these courses, submission of assignments and coursework is made online rather than in person. King's Inns Librarian, Renate Ní Uigin, remarks that King's Inns also uses technology-based study support tools for its learners, including online revision notes to accompany recorded lectures and video guides to assist students in navigating the range of digital resources. Students have access to the online legal resources subscribed to by King's Inns for their course duration, facilitating

access to cases, journal articles, and legislation. E-book versions of several legal texts are available, with publishers continually updating their e-book offerings in response to a growing market.

Increasing the reach

Alongside its degree of Barrister-at-Law course and Diploma in Legal Studies, King's Inns provides many other highly regarded courses with a broad crosssector appeal. The use of technology allows King's Inns to accommodate those who wish to take part in such courses whilst also working in full or part-time employment. By delivering their courses online, including Corporate, White Collar and Regulatory Crime, Quasi-Judicial Decision Making, and Immigration and Asylum Law, King's Inns has provided an opportunity for professionals to enhance their legal knowledge and make valuable professional connections, regardless of where in the country they are located.

Innovation King's Inns have successfully used technology, including video capture and video conferencing software, for several years, either to facilitate viewing remote

attendance at lectures on our Diploma in Legal Studies or to run small group sessions remotely on our Advanced Diploma in Law and Education. This experience was invaluable when they, like many other organisations, had to move all their activities entirely online in March 2020. They were well-positioned to expand the use of existing technology across all courses and complete the academic year successfully. This was partly due to the technology they employ; “We are very aware that some technologies can overwhelm the learner, so the platforms we currently use, including Zoom, Microsoft Office and Moodle, can be navigated with confidence by our students. All courses can be completed successfully without requiring a high level of technical expertise or a particular skillset,” says Renate.

Kathy McLaughlin, Learning Technologist

Anyone interested in enhancing their career and learning more about the law, please visit the King's Inns website, kingsinns.ie/education. King’s Inns is very proud of its courses, its teaching teams and its diverse network of graduates, and believes that many people will find at least one of its courses useful for their continuing professional development.

King's Inns Henrietta Street Dublin 1, Ireland DO1 KF59 W: kingsinns.ie

About King's Inns Based between Henrietta Street and Constitution Hill in Dublin 1, King's Inns is an independent educational institution, renowned for professional legal education and training. As well as training future and qualified barristers, the School extends its reach to a diverse community of people from non– legal backgrounds offering a range of accessible part-time courses in specialist areas of the law.

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Renate believes that “one of the prime benefits of digital learning is that it is not defined by geographical boundaries”.

“Currently, we have students attending remotely from all over the country and further afield. In addition, our Advanced Diplomas are designed to take into account the needs of participants who are in full-time employment, as the sessions are scheduled either for early mornings, evenings or weekends.”

Renate Ní Uigín, Librarian

eLearning and eTraining report

Communications technology is critical in the delivery of learning at King's Inns.

This has become even more evident over the past year when face to face contact waned, but the need for learner engagement and connection continued to grow. Thanks to the use of technology such as video conferencing for 'virtual coffee chats' and online discussion forums for interaction in the user's own time, King's Inns fosters the peer-to-peer engagement and collaboration that is so important in the learning sphere.

Technology also provides students with the opportunity to connect with legal and industry experts on King's Inns courses, with live online Q&A sessions and panel discussions enabling students to engage with leaders in their fields.

With courses taught by expert law practitioners, King's Inns students include leaders, advocates, innovators, and game-changers, from industries across Ireland and abroad. The School excels in promoting the use of the Irish language in the law.

For more information, please visit kingsinns.ie.

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Digitalised or online guidance provision: What is it? eLearning and eTraining report

From March 2020, the adjustment to providing eLearning and eTraining has focused the attention of educators, policy makers, practitioners, teachers, students, and parents alike. With the delivery of education online, all other support services provided throughout the education sector were required to “go online”.

As a result, the provision of Career Guidance and Guidance Counselling within post-primary schools and the Further Education and Training (FET) sector was required to change delivery practices to online provision also, but what would this look like? How could the traditional classroom-based career guidance classes or group based adult guidance sessions and the confidential one-to-one guidance counselling sessions be delivered via online platforms?

Interestingly, it has not sounded the death knell of quality guidance provision.

Indeed, the opposite is the case.

Guidance provision in the education sector is adapting to using online provision as another tool within the guidance toolkit for such quality provision.

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So, what is online guidance, how is it provided and how does it relate to e-learning and e-training?

In reality, guidance (otherwise referred to as career guidance, guidance counselling or career development) has been provided online for many years in Ireland. Websites such as qualifax.ie and careersportal.ie are well known by anyone who has researched higher education courses or career information in the last 15-20 years. More recently,

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fetchcourses.ie and apprenticeship.ie, springboard.ie, jobsireland.ie among others, provide clear information on what education, training or employment opportunities are available across different sectors and for different target groups. In March, the Gov.ie website portal ‘The Right Course’1 aimed to provide one reference point for ease of access to all these sites. But this is just one element of guidance; ensuring access to up-to-date quality information on education, training and employment options and does not include the myriad of private sector employment and recruitment websites.

To understand how guidance is provided online, it is important to understand what is meant by “guidance”. For too long, there has been continued misunderstanding that “guidance” is about filling out college application forms in schools for post-school career and education plans. For many adults, whose career trajectories included moving from school to the local university or institute of technology and into specific careers, they may not have had any experience of job loss or career change considerations and therefore have not required or accessed guidance services as an adult. Perhaps their experience of “career guidance” in schools, was not positive? So how can such professionals now understand that changes in career guidance or guidance

www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/f205a-the-right-course/ www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/2227 www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/4193_en.pdf

counselling provision have developed in line with all other developments within the education, training, and employment sectors? Informed by academic research and international policy documents particularly since 2000, guidance delivery has changed and pivoting to deliver online is just another example of how all professions develop in response to the needs of their clients, students, and stakeholders.

In 2019, just prior to the global pandemic, a joint publication of international organisations Cedefop, OECD, EU Commission, ILO, ETF and UNESCO2 provided an updated definition of guidance.

In follow up to this joint publication in 2019, to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on guidance provision, Cedefop, OECD, EU Commission, ILO, ETF and UNESCO conducted a global survey of guidance practitioners and stakeholders in 2020.

The subsequent report Career guidance policy and practice in the pandemic: results of a joint international survey – June to August 20203 indicated that globally guidance services have considered providing wider access to more marginalised communities, while also remembering that not everyone has access to internet services and noted that…

Definition of Guidance, 2019

eLearning and eTraining report

Career guidance describes the services which help people of any age, to manage their careers and to make the educational, training and occupational choices that are right for them. It helps people to reflect on their ambitions, interests, qualifications, skills and talents – and to relate this knowledge about who they are to who they might become within the labour market.

Career guidance involves a range of connected activities, including provision of careers information, personalised guidance/counselling, skills assessment, engaging with the world of work and the teaching of decision-making and career management skills. Career guidance is delivered face-to-face, by telephone and online.

…greater use of social media was reported, as well as the development of online resources to replace face-to-face provision…

Since 2017, the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE), with the support of the Department of Education has supported the implementation of the Whole School Guidance Framework4, providing guidelines on the provision of whole school guidance, which also involves the development of the student’s own competences of Developing Myself, Developing my 4.

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Of note, however, the Adult Education Guidance Services (AEGS)6 provided by

the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) nationally, have developed an online presence over many years, using websites, social media and oldfashioned telephone and text contact to provide access to adults to impartial, quality guidance provision. Notably, NCGE provided a continuous professional development webinar for guidance practitioners of the AEGS in 2015 on ‘Telephone and Remote Platform Approaches to Career Development’.

Delivering group guidance sessions and one-to-one guidance counselling supports to adults, AEGS services have continued to respond to adult and FET guidance needs across the 16 ETB regions. Here, guidance professionals and practitioners remain clear that guidance services must remain integrated and impartial, working closely with and referring to other support services such as personal counselling and recruitment/admissions services.

Working closely with INTREO offices locally, AEGS ensure that unemployed adults are fully aware of their education, training, upskilling and career options.

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…changes in practice were designed to make career guidance more accessible to users. In this way, and if delivered in ways to ensure equity of access, innovation represents a positive development in the provision of guidance...

Learning and Developing my Career Path. This Framework initiates the guidance process in Junior Cycle, through guidance related learning in class settings, to support young people to develop their own career management skills including personal development skills of confidence and self-understanding and career research (e.g, discerning appropriate information, accessed online and elsewhere) and encourages them to explore all their career interests from a younger age.

Augmented by psychometric tests of aptitudes and abilities (many of which are online), administered by appropriately qualified staff and providing access to a one-to-one personal guidance counselling session with the professionally qualified guidance counsellor, ensures that students have time and space to consider their own personal circumstances, the research information they have gathered and their own education, training, and careers plans.

Delivering this whole school guidance service online became a priority at the outset of school closures. NCGE supported the development of Department of Education Continuity of Guidance Counselling Guidelines5 for schools providing online support for students and published resources and Support Information for schools and FET guidance practitioners to inform digitalised guidance provision to students and clients.

Furthermore, e-learning and e-training is crucial for continuous professional development for guidance counsellors and practitioners. In this regard, NCGE delivered webinars for guidance counsellors in schools and the AEGS, developed guidelines and provided resources for digitalised online practice including using use of various social 4 media platforms to deliver guidance

www.ncge.ie/resource/ncge-whole-school-guidance-framework www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Post-Primary-School-Policies/Policies/continuity-of-guidance-counselling-guidelines-for-schools-providing-online-supportfor-students.pdf www.ncge.ie/ncge/adult-educational-guidance-services

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eLearning and eTraining report

NCGE Resources supporting online digitalised guidance provision, available at www.ncge.ie/resources/post-primary/digital-guidance www.ncge.ie/resources/FET/digital-guidance

services. From March 2020 to March 2021 over 1,000 individual guidance counsellors, practitioners and stakeholders have attended at least one of 25 webinars, reflecting the appetite for developing digitalised guidance skills.

In addition, the three universities in Ireland (Maynooth University, Dublin City University and University of Limerick) providing qualifications in guidance are ensuring that current students of guidance counselling are developing and utilising ICT skills to learn, complete assignments and deliver guidance. This reflects the Department of Education Programme Recognition Framework7 which provides guidelines for the training of Guidance counsellors, which indeed bodes well for continued inclusion of online guidance service delivery into the future.

Ensuring access to impartial information and guidance supports individuals to make decisions on careers and education transitions. The EU Commission has revised and redeveloped the Europass.eu8 portfolio portal to documents skills, qualifications, and work-related experiences.

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In the UK, the innovative development

by Dr Deirdre Hughes and associates of CiCi the chatbot as a ‘career chat facility’ using “human and digital resources”9 marks an interesting departure in ensuring wider access to initial career guidance services and provides… “a personalised, guided career journey experience for adults… available 24 hours, seven days per week to support your career journey, choices, and decisions along the way”.

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In 2019, the Department of Education published the Indecon Review Report of Career Guidance10 which recommended the development of a national userfriendly centralised careers guidance portal, to provide multi-channel, blended career guidance supports, including online tools with telephone and internet access to experienced guidance practitioners. Currently discussions continue between the two government departments in the education sector (i.e., Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science) on the implementation of the Indecon Review Report.

As Director of NCGE, I am heartened by the commitment of guidance counsellors and practitioners, schools, institution management and stakeholders to continue who include digitalised guidance within guidance practice. Our next step is ensuring ease of access to all individuals to impartial, up-to-date information on all education, training, and employment options, through one career guidance online portal, with the backing of an online, telephone or textbased chat facility with an appropriately qualified guidance practitioner, to help them to consider upskilling, reskilling, job search and/or career change. This will be the guidance online contribution to the personal and economic recovery from this horrendous global pandemic.

Jennifer McKenzie, Director, National Centre for Guidance in Education (Ireland) E: director@ncge.ie

Jennifer McKenzie (BA, MA(Psych), HDCG).

As Director of NCGE, an agency of the Irish Department of Education (DoE), Jennifer leads the vision and strategy of NCGE to inform policy in the field of guidance and to support/develop guidance practice in all areas of education and the Further Education and Training (FET) Sector.

As part of her role, Jennifer works closely with colleagues in the EU Commission and is a Steering Group member of the Cedefop CareersNet expert network for lifelong guidance and careers education.

Jennifer holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and a Higher Diploma in Career Guidance from University College Dublin and is currently studying for her Education Doctorate in Queen’s University Belfast.

www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/Programme-Recognition-Framework-Guidance-Counselling.pdf www.europa.eu/europass/en www.dmhassociates.org/careerchat. www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/indecon-review-of-career-guidance.pdf

Emergency remote learning statistics The full impact of emergency remote learning experience upon the trajectory of eLearning remains to be seen. eolas considers some of the data currently available.

eLearning and eTraining report

The annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey 2020 was published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in November 2020.

representing a seven per cent increase on 2019; 2. 25 per cent of internet users reported ‘using online learning material other than a complete online course’, representing

In mid-March 2021, all schools, pre-schools and further and higher education institutions closed for the remainder of the academic year. To ensure continuity of teaching and learning, all schools were asked to provide online resources or lessons, where possible, using online learning platforms.

a four per cent increase on 2019; and 3. 18 per cent of internet users reported ‘doing an online course’, an increase of five per cent on 2019.

Meanwhile, Education Indicators for Ireland, a Department of

The CSO’s ICT Household Survey 2020 (based on data collection for the full two quarters of Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 2020) produced three key findings for online learning:

Education report published in late December 2020, indicates a

1. 21 per cent of internet users reported communicating with instructors or students using educational websites/portals,

indicate that higher education enrolments increased from 6,015

growing trend towards remote learning within higher education even in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures in 2015 to 9,207 in 2018.

Individuals who conducted online learning activities in the last three months, 2019 and 2020 (%) 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Undertaking an online course

Using online learning material other than an online course 2019

A Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) survey of 1,036 its members at second level, as well as the further education and training sectors was completed in March 2021. Key findings include: • 93 per cent of respondents noticed disengagement by some of their students as a result of the move to emergency remote teaching and learning; • 76 per cent of respondents believe that emergency remote learning had a disproportionately negative effect on students from disadvantaged backgrounds;

Communicating with instructors or students using educational

2020

• 86 per cent of respondents believe that additional supports should be introduced for 2021/22 to support disadvantaged students; •

5 per cent of respondents said that student engagement with emergency remote learning had improved in 2021 when compared with 2020; and

• 89 per cent of respondents said that preparation, provision and work associated with remote lessons required much more time (64 per cent) or more time (25 per cent) than face-to-face teaching.

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E-learning driving business success

(L-R) Sven Spollen-Behrens, Director SFA, and Paul Healy, Chief Executive Skillnet Ireland, are pictured with Sonya Murphy-Lyons, founder of Mezzo Music Academy, who participated in MentorsWork.

One of Ireland’s biggest strengths is its skilled and agile workforce. But as technology, new ways of working, climate change and global competition reshape the landscape, investing in this asset is vital. Embracing the revolution in online learning has opened up a world of opportunity for Irish businesses to develop their workforce.

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“Unprecedented” is a word which was been frequently used to discuss the challenges Irish businesses have faced in the past 12 months. However, amidst the challenges, the past year has also yielded opportunity, particularly in the digitisation of learning and skills development.

Embracing online When Covid-19 emerged, Skillnet Ireland immediately engaged with its industry partners and established a strategy to bolster businesses 78

throughout the crisis and prepare them for recovery. By examining and redesigning existing support models, a range of targeted digital learning initiatives were created across all 73 Skillnet Business Networks, which could see businesses through the crisis and beyond, and support the Government response to the pandemic. Skillnet Ireland has also sought to leverage digital learning to go further, developing specialised virtual programmes including the new MentorsWork, Skills Connect and Climate Ready initiatives.

Digital learning has always been a key

component of Skillnet Ireland’s model.

However, like much of the world, the organisation saw its digital delivery rapidly accelerated in 2020 as skills demand from businesses soared and the classroom model became an impossibility.

Tracey Donnery, Executive Director Skillnet Ireland said: “Ensuring Irish businesses are successful is at the very heart of what we do. Business leaders and their teams were facing a completely new landscape and were seeking enterprise-led upskilling across many areas. Together with our networks, we made use of our expertise in digital skills development to create new programmes and support the workforce in an agile, responsive way.”

The pivoting to virtual delivery has enabled Skillnet Ireland, along with its industry partners, to support over 18,000 Irish businesses in 2020 and tackle rising skills demands including digital and specialised technology skills, ecommerce, financial management, healthcare supports, medtech, manufacturing, supply chain and

logistics, managing remote working, and agri-food production.

Driving competitiveness

A strong appetite from businesses paired with flexible online delivery has been fundamental to the programme’s success according to Donnery: “Small businesses needed fast, focused support. Embracing digital learning allowed us to bring that support directly to businesses, pairing them with expert mentors for one-to-one guidance online and offering a suite of other virtual supports they can engage with on their own schedule for minimal disruption and maximum impact.”

MentorsWork is on track to support over 1,000 businesses by late 2021, with the online learning model delivering strong engagement levels for this traditionally hard to reach segment.

Meeting talent demand

One example of the work underway is the Future in Tech programme from Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet.

Supported by a host of technology companies, it offers seven certified Tech Skills Pathways to help non-tech jobseekers rapidly develop new digital skills and access job opportunities in the tech sector. Delivered fully online, the programme also incorporates online

(L-R) Minister Simon Harris, Tracey Donnery, Minister Eamon Ryan and Paul Healy are pictured at the launch of Climate Ready, an initiative to equip Irish businesses with green skills.

mentoring with more than 40 industry mentors supporting pods of four to six participants throughout. Having helped hundreds of trainees establish a new career within the technology sector to date, the programme demonstrates the potential of e-learning to develop healthy pipelines of new talent for Ireland’s economy.

Most recently, Skillnet Ireland has launched Climate Ready, a long-term initiative to equip Irish businesses with the skills to manage climate change.

Developed to support Government’s Climate Action Plan and the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill, it aims to equip businesses with the practical skills and insights they need to respond to challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. Virtual learning, via the Climate Ready Academy, will form a cornerstone of the offering. Aiming to support over 1,100 companies in its first year, the Climate Ready Academy already offers online programmes including a Sustainability Pass and the Energy Leaders Programme.

The digital learning horizon Digital learning has proved its value, most especially for the business sector.

Key to its future is the ongoing focus on innovation and quality assurance. One area Skillnet Ireland believes will pay dividends for workforce development is the adoption of digital badges and micro credentials, an emerging field that offers short lead-in times, flexibility in learning, and skill provision in new areas.

In 2021, Skillnet Ireland published A Micro-Credential Roadmap: Currency, Cohesion and Consistency, examining how micro-credentials can contribute to upskilling demands from industry.

Conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Digital Learning (NIDL) and the Irish Institute of Digital Business in Dublin City University (DCU), and five Skillnet Business Networks, the research indicated a strong appetite from employers and several projects are currently underway to examine how the future workforce will adapt to new ways of learning including the use of micro-credentials and digital badges.

Looking ahead, Donnery says: “As the world of work changes, embracing new and creative approaches to workforce development and accreditation is vital.

Ongoing development with new technologies including augmented and virtual reality will ensure continuing professional development becomes more accessible and engaging for each of us.”

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Another digital learning initiative that has achieved notable success is Skills Connect, an initiative aimed at helping workers severely impacted by the pandemic to quickly reskill and secure new roles within their sector or undertake conversion courses to avail of opportunities in new sectors. The Skills Connect programmes have focused on sectors where there is employment potential and the demand for talent is high, including technology, agri-food, medtech, cyber security, wind energy, logistics, energy efficiency and digital marketing.

eLearning and eTraining report

In 2019, Future Jobs Ireland outlined the need to encourage higher numbers of SME owners/managers to engage in upskilling to address the productivity gap between SMEs and larger companies. In response, in 2020 Skillnet Ireland created MentorsWork in partnership with the Small Firms Association. Focused on building SME owners and managers capacity to navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19 and future business recovery, the programme offers bespoke one-to-one virtual mentoring support to participants, allow them to sustain their business and plan for growth.

As the economy rebuilds, the e-learning revolution for businesses has taken root.

Offering ample benefits for businesses, it has the potential to reshape the face of workforce learning as more and more businesses discover and recognise its value.

For more information on Skillnet Ireland visit www.skillnetireland.ie

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The Right Course: Online training portal launched eLearning and eTraining report

and their teams. It will be great at showcasing the diversity of upskilling supports available from formal accredited programmes, apprenticeships to practical work-based learning from all the agencies,” he added.

Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme Included within the July Jobs Stimulus, the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme provides employers with a financial incentive to recruit apprentices.

This support incorporates all existing national apprenticeship programmes as well as any new programmes launched in 2020.

Credit: Merrion Street

A new online training portal has been launched and additional capital funding for those seeking to upskill or train has been announced by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Launched in January 2021, The Right Course, an online portal for those seeking to retrain or upskill is promoted as a “one stop shop for businesses, employees or unemployed persons”.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD outlines: “This online portal offers people a clear picture of what is on offer, how they can access it and the supports available to people also.”

Aimed equally at employers, employees and unemployed people, The Right Course details further education, training and higher education opportunities, alongside information for those in receipt of a social welfare payment. The portal also outlines the range of upskilling options offered by Skillnet Ireland. These options include enterprise-led business supports, targeted upskilling for 80

employees, free online training programmes and virtual job placements.

At the portal’s launch, the Further and Higher Education Minister acknowledged the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic in exposing Ireland’s skills shortages.

Ensuring that people and businesses are equipped with the right skills to grow is essential to the post-pandemic recovery, he contends.

“If you are unemployed temporarily as a result of Covid-19, now could be the time to do a short course. You can still retain your social welfare payments while undertaking the course. Or, if you are in employment but want to improve your skillset, there are options available to you too,” Minister Harris indicates.

“The new portal will be a valuable tool to help each person identify the most suitable upskilling option for themselves

A grant of €3,000 per new apprentice registered between 1 March and 30 June 2021 is provided to employers, with €2,000 paid upon registering the apprentice and €1,000 in Q3 2021 for each eligible apprentice that has been retained for one year.

Additional funding In late March 2021, Minister Harris and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD announced €20 million of capital funding to expand apprenticeship provision.

“Today’s investment of €20 million, to be provided via SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority (HEA), will fund the delivery of almost 4,000 additional craft apprentice places annually across further and higher education – helping to catch up on the lost provision in 2020, and to support the target increase of 1,450 registrations across all apprenticeships in 2021.This investment reaffirms the Government’s strong commitment to enhancing and expanding the apprenticeship system.

“The Government will shortly consider a new Action Plan for Apprenticeships. It will set out new ways of structuring, funding and promoting apprenticeships, with a target of 10,000 new apprenticeship registrations per year by 2025,” Harris states.

Léargas and Digitalisation: Committed to Connecting During COVID

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McKeown, a teacher at Our Lady of Fatima Special School in Wexford. eTwinning links more than 500,000 primary and post-primary teachers across the continent to work on collaborative projects using information and communication technology.

Glenda’s project was about supporting pupils’ mental health and she found that using the platform “kept us on the right road, the learning continued”.

Transferals like these were a constant reminder of the importance of digital education. Without the right skills and methods, navigating the digital realm can become draining.

As Ireland’s National Agency for European Union programmes like Erasmus+ and eTwinning, Léargas has managed international and national exchange programmes in the adult education, school education, vocational education and training, and youth sectors for more than 30 years.

These exchanges connect people across different communities, counties, and countries, and bring a European dimension to Irish organisations.

It might be natural to assume that Covid-19 would bring this work to a standstill. While restrictions have indeed made international travel a distant memory, Irish participants in European programmes continued to interact with other communities and countries, pursue their project objectives and benefit from engagement with European counterparts, and they did it all online.

"It’s [about] staying connected," says Lisa Downes, a TCA attendee and Youth Worker at St Andrews Resource Centre in Dublin. "We were feeling quite isolated on a European level, local level,

For some, being involved in European programmes before lockdown had already laid the groundwork for a new, online way of working. “If we hadn’t been involved in European projects, we wouldn’t have that digital infrastructure and learning in place, so wouldn’t have been able to connect online," says Sarah Boland, Assistive Technology Facilitator at Saint John of God Community Services. Sarah found that moving SJOG services online was made easier because of the organisation’s previous involvement in Erasmus+ Adult Education Strategic Partnerships, which enhanced digital skills and improved accessibility.

This commitment to support digital transformation among learners, educators, youth workers, young people and organisations remains, and is one of the four key priorities of the new Erasmus+ programme for 2021–2027.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that the adaptive nature of Erasmus+ and those who take part in it will continue to create connection and innovation in education, training and youth work.

Many of us felt our horizons growing narrower under lockdown, and discovered that even virtual travel broadens them.

Programme Support & Development Team: psdt@leargas.ie / eTwinning: etwinning@leargas.ie

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In Léargas, we quickly digitalised complex international events like Transnational Cooperation Activities, which were intended to bring professionals from across Europe to meet face-to-face and work together.

Ultimately, moving this collaborative space online proved hugely important in the midst of the pandemic.

every level. It’s about keeping the conversation [going] and keeping the doors open.”

Last September, in direct response to these challenges, the European Commission funded two new types of Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership projects. Almost €2.5 million was available to organisations in Ireland to support the recovery process, and to build digital and creative readiness in some of the hardest-hit sectors.

W: www.leargas.ie Twitter: www.twitter.com/Leargas Facebook: www.facebook.com/Leargas.ireland LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/leargas/

Similarly, eTwinning, the online community for schools across Europe, “literally came into its own during lockdown”, according to Glenda 81

eLearning and eTraining report

Connect with DCU for a digital edge

As a world leader in digital education for 25 years, DCU has enabled thousands of people living throughout Ireland, and beyond, to upskill and advance their careers by studying fully online through DCU Connected.

DCU has a long history of fully online education well before the Covid-19 pandemic. Did you know that DCU has been offering distance education since 1982? This was the year the National Distance Education Centre was established at DCU and ever since the University has been committed to providing wider access to higher education through flexible learning pathways.

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The term DCU Connected helps to convey that in today’s new digital world students can be connected to DCU wherever they live. Through DCU Connected people with limited time or opportunity to study in-place on a DCU campus, can pursue part-time online study with flexibility that fits their life.

Importantly, DCU Connected programmes make it possible to continue to learn and earn from anywhere, with potential to take you everywhere. We have many stories of students who began their study through DCU Connected when living in Ireland, and as new career opportunities arose were able to stay connected, and complete their DCU degree, from anywhere in the world.

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As one of the world’s top ranked young universities, a DCU degree is internationally recognised and importantly our online programmes have the same status and meet the same high-quality standards as any other DCU qualification. DCU was also named the Sunday Times University of the Year 2021. We offer the only online degree in Psychology that is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), which ensures that the programme meets the highest standards. Moreover, DCU is the only Irish university that applies the internationally recognised Quality Matters (QM) standards to the design and delivery of our online programmes. These standards adopted by the world’s leading online providers, including our US partner Arizona State University, ensure that students can have confidence in the quality of DCU Connected programmes.

Notably, over 85 per cent of our online students ranked the quality of digital learning on their DCU Connected course as good, excellent or best imaginable in the 2018 International Student Digital Experience Tracker Survey.

DCU is known around the world for our innovation and leadership in the design of online education. The National Institute for Digital Learning in DCU hosts a team of experts spread across specialised labs and units each dedicated to innovation in the science, craft and design of learning experiences. Mostly recently we have been helping onboard hundreds of learners new to online learning via our Digital Edge: Essentials for the Online Learner course. We want to bring you on a study journey with us. All you need to do is take the first step.

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Remote learning at a glance eolas engages with teachers and lecturers across the spectrum of first-, second-, and third-level education in Ireland in order to gauge the experience of remote learning and teaching, the greatest challenges for educators and the most significant impacts upon students.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the closures of educational institutions across Ireland, from primary schools to universities, educators and students alike have been forced to reckon with a shift to online and remote learning and teaching that has proved to be a challenge for all involved. Educators typically reported a period of getting to grips with technology, both on their side and the side of the students, during the first lockdown period and a more fluid process during the second lockdown.

“We gave timetables to the kids,” says

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Lisa Howell, a teacher in a Dublin secondary school, explaining how education was organised in her place of work. “The first time we did remote learning, teachers were left to do their own thing, but the second time, we gave the kids timetables so that teachers and students were made accountable. This meant that teachers were teaching classes rather than just assigning work all the time.

“As a year head, I would know that a child in my year had a class at a given time and if they weren’t online, I would be able to ring home and ask why they

were not online. We were finding that the kids would find it too difficult to do all-online all day, so you’d give them a mix. If I had five lessons planned for a week, five 40-minute classes, I might do four online classes and one where I would assign written work. If you assigned them work, you would correct it electronically over Google Classroom.

Some of them found it difficult to type, say if they were working off a phone, so they might take a picture of the work done and send it in to us.”

Siobhán Shovlin, a primary school teacher, also in Dublin, reports similarly,

Gareth Burns, Director of the Turn to Teaching programme in Maynooth University, which aims to improve diversity in the teaching profession, reports that despite “the inequalities that the pandemic has deepened, especially amongst underrepresented groups, the students on Think About Teaching have been fully engaged with high attendance figures for our on-line classes”. “The high level of student engagement is testament to the unbelievable commitment our students demonstrate despite the challenges that the past year had presented for them,” he says.

In terms of challenges and impacts on students, both Howell and Shovlin point to a lack of social interaction among students and the challenges presented by students being confined to homes crowded with their siblings. “The social interaction inside and outside the classroom is a really special element of school life and I am really glad that school has reopened to facilitate the ongoing building of friendships and social development,” Shovlin says.

Detailing the lack of interaction among her students in an online setting, Howell recounts: “I had a computer issue one day and told them I’d be back after I got a new laptop. So, I went and got a new one and was back in maybe three minutes, but there was nobody talking.

They didn’t interact. There would be times when I would say, ‘right, I’ll get off here and leave you all on’, but everybody would get off. There was no interaction. That will be a major impact for them, that they don’t have this social interaction with each other.”

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that following the learning curve of the first lockdown, the second period had proved more productive. “Overall, it has been a positive experience and we all understand why it was necessary,” she says. “I was much more prepared this time than last March and had a good idea of what worked well and what students enjoyed. It was nice to work as part of a team and pool together when it came to resources and lesson ideas. It was nice to provide different learning opportunities and variety to our students, for example, we made pancakes for ‘pancake Tuesday’, dressed up as book characters and had a book themed quiz for World Book Day and held a quiz to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge.”

“It was also challenging for children who were sharing devices with other family members who may have had scheduled video calls with their teacher too. The routine of school is great for everyone and the flexibility of remote learning could be tricky as the standard school hours are not there to provide the same structure to our learning day.”

Primary teacher, Siobhán Shovlin Shauna Gilligan, Burns’s colleague in Maynooth University’s Turn to Teaching found “the absence of shared kinaesthetic learning” to be the biggest impact of remote learning, an inability to be “in a room with a group, ‘reading’ the room and the people”. Gilligan’s Turn to Teaching colleague Pádhraic O’Hanrahan found getting students to engage in an online environment to be a challenge, that there was “a lot more anxiety from a student to unmute their mic and pose a question to the class”.

Learning from homes where bedrooms and resources are shared also caused disruption, as both Howell and Shovlin observed. “You have some kids who might live in crowded houses and they can’t engage because they can’t turn on their mics because they have siblings in the house making noise,” Howell says.

“They’re not able to engage in the same

way as a child who has a bedroom to themselves.”

Shovlin agrees: “It was also challenging for children who were sharing devices with other family members who may have had scheduled video calls with their teacher too. The routine of school is great for everyone and the flexibility of remote learning could be tricky as the standard school hours are not there to provide the same structure to our learning day.”

A lack of routine for schoolchildren was also of particular concern to Shovlin and Howell. Howell expresses concern that the disconnect of digital schooling allows children to disengage without feeling consequences: “The children don’t get the same structure they get from going to school. They have to motivate themselves to get up out of their beds too, they don’t have a teacher there to get them going. If they skip a

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take from this time,” Gilligan says. “I think it can only be a good thing that so many teachers were exposed to some new forms of teaching,” O’Hanrahan concurs. “It can sometimes take a pandemic to get people to change their habits. I think when things go back to

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‘normal’ people will incorporate some of the new methods they found to benefit their teaching.”

O’Hanrahan also sees lessons in the monitoring of student welfare: “During remote learning, there has been a bigger onus on the students to structure their day and organise their work. This

“Despite the inequalities that the pandemic has deepened, especially amongst underrepresented groups, the students on Think About Teaching have been fully engaged with high attendance figures for our on-line classes. The high level of student engagement is testament to the unbelievable commitment our students demonstrate despite the challenges that the past year had presented for them.” Gareth Burns

can be liberating for some but scary for others. To help alleviate this, the Think about Teaching programme have applied an end of week check-in with the students where they can discuss their week and help keep some students on track. These kinds of activities would be great to continue.”

Howell noticed a deficiency within students that may not have been noticed otherwise. “We all assume that children are IT literate because they can use phones and Xboxes; they’re not IT literate. They might be able to use a phone or an Xbox, but they can’t use Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Some don’t know how to send an email. There

class, they don’t see it as skipping school. They just see it as them not getting up and tuning on the computer, so it’s not the same consequence as mitching off school.”

social interaction in school and how important each and every one of our interactions are including paired work, group discussions and class projects,” Shovlin says.

were plenty of times I had to go online

With regard to how the teaching was done, Howell cites Google Classroom as her most used tool, Gilligan mentions tools such as Mentimeter, Padlet, Kahoot, Moodle and Microsoft Teams; her colleague O’Hanrahan also mentions Moodle and a departmentprovided Wacom tablet “that became my “virtual blackboard” and a way to convey my mathematical ideas to the students in real time”.

“I will be so grateful for daily interactions with colleagues, students and being able to support as required. There are so many lovely projects and initiatives which schools can take part in and participation in such programmes become such a part of school life and as a teacher I am really glad to be able to explore such learning opportunities again.”

by students and cooperation among

As hopes for a return to some form of normalcy rise with increasing numbers of vaccinated people, thoughts will turn to a return to “normal” schooling and those involved see lessons to be learned for that return from this ordeal.

“We have learned the importance of

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Both Gilligan and O’Hanrahan see an opportunity to change the way educators teach and relate to their students.

“Keeping sessions learner and task focused rather than learning-outcome focused and using flipped classroom methods as well as ensuring learners have agency in the process is what I will

and share my screen and show a child how to send an email,” she says.

Concluding, she sees hope for an improvement in both feedback received students facilitated by the tools used throughout this period: “I would have always used Google Classroom but now I feel like my students get better feedback. When I would take up a copy, there would be a small margin where I could write in a note, but now I can type whole, long suggestions about what the student could try instead, where examples are needed etc. I don’t think we would have gotten to that without this. All of the teachers being forced to use it also allowed teachers to swap advice on how best to use things like Classroom and I don’t think that would have happened otherwise.”

Freedom to innovate

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Freedom to innovate

Minister of State Ossian Smyth TD (right) with Paul Quinn, Chief Procurement Officer, Office of Government Procurement.

Ireland’s eGovernment policy: Minister of State Ossian Smyth TD As the Government prepares the successor to the eGovernment Strategy 2017–2020, Ciarán Galway speaks with Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth TD. eGovernment, as defined by the OECD, is “the use of information and communications technologies, and particularly the internet, to achieve better government”. In other words, eGovernment is less about the technology and more about making the delivery of public services more efficient, user-orientated and transparent.

“The public, at this stage, expect that the services that they receive from the Government will be as good and as convenient as the services that they obtain commercially,” Minister Smyth says, adding: “This process has been accelerated by the pandemic and, by necessity, many people have been using online services who would otherwise not have done so.”

These services are being developed to meet citizen expectations through the

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use of familiar controls and operations.

For example, while motor tax renewal was available online via basic HTML, now this interface is moving towards video and webchat. “It is a more up-todate and normalised way of providing a service that meets expectations.

Similarly, the Covid Tracker App looks like any commercial app. It’s intuitive and looks similar to and is as good as any commercial application,” Smyth indicates.

Overall, the digital function of government is split across five departments: • the Digital Single Market is the responsibility of Minister of State for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Trade Promotion, Robert Troy TD; • cybersecurity and communications

networks are the responsibility of Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD; • the regulation of social media is the responsibility of Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD; • a coordinating digital government function is the responsibility of the Department of the Taoiseach; and • eGovernment is the responsibility of Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth TD, within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Appointed to his current portfolio in July 2020, Ossian Smyth is a computer science graduate and was first elected to

Freedom to innovate the Dáil in February 2020. In his role as Minister of State, he is responsible for ICT policy and “ensuring that everything is in line to facilitate the delivery of digital services to the public”.

MyGovID Identifying the MyGovID e-ID system as the single most important component of his work, Smyth outlines: “It is very important that the Government can digitally authenticate the public. For example, if you consider healthcare and Covid management, it requires that you keep track of who has had a vaccine, which dose they have had, and that you can locate them for the second dose.

This requires a common identity framework. Really, my focus is going to be on extending the e-ID system, making it stronger and offering more services online.”

MyGovID is a joint initiative, undertaken

by Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Social Protection, the rationale of which is to provide Irish citizens with a safe and secure single site to access digital public services. It is intended to establish a more joined up approach to government with sharing between public bodies. In February 2021, the initiative reached a significant milestone of 1,000,000 verified MyGovID accounts and over 2,500,000 in total (including basic MyGovID accounts).

Asserting the importance of ensuring compliance with the EU’s standard for interoperability of national ID systems, the Minister also recognises the requirement for MyGovID to be fully legal and ethically acceptable to the public. “It is absolutely critical that the public understands that what we are doing is right, proportionate and that we are delivering the services that they want.

People want their privacy respected, but they also want convenience.

“The very basic proposition to people is, ‘do you want to have to use a different

Re-emphasising the catalytic impact of the Covid crisis, Smyth notes: “Many people went online during the pandemic.

We doubled the number of people who have MyGovID accounts over the course of a year, which is a big deal, and we’re going to go further still.”

Limited digital services However, the eGovernment Minister is conscious that while Ireland has a significant proportion of the population signed up to MyGovID accounts, it is lagging in the range of public services which are being delivered digitally.

“I will be ensuring that a much broader range of services is made available. I would say very clearly to anyone in the public sector who is developing a new service aimed at the public and requires the public log in that it should be using MyGovID as the authentication system.

You should not be setting up a system for 500,000 Irish people that tells them to choose a new username and password when they already have one that works on our existing system. I want to see MyGovID by default,” he insists.

Open Data Open Data is a major component of the Public Service ICT Strategy and wider public service reform. As per the sixth EU Open Data Maturity Report published in December 2020, Ireland continues to be ranked among the Open Data ‘trend setters’. Ranked fourth in Europe (behind Denmark, Spain and France), Ireland scored 94 per cent across the four metrics: policy; impact; portal; and quality.

Acknowledging this, the eGovernment Minister indicates that “there is more to do” and highlights the “strains and challenges were shown up during the pandemic”. As an example, he points to the challenge of acquiring accurate data from the General Register Office, within the Department of Social Protection, relating to the number Covid-related deaths.

“In Ireland, a death can be registered within three months, which is not ideal when attempting to record how many people died last week,” Smyth says, adding: “The policy question is: ‘Are things getting worse or are they getting better? Did our policy change work?’ If you’re only getting data as vital and basic as whether someone is alive or not, three months after their death, you have clearly got a problem.”

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“My specific area [of responsibility] is the online delivery of government services to the public, but also it is about ensuring that the public sector is doing everything online internally,” he explains. Smyth is also responsible for open data. “The idea is clear now that the data feeds into the policy. You have that cyclic input and there is public demand for it.”

username and password for every part of the Government when you go to access a service?’ The clear message we have had from the public is no. People want to have one account which can be used to get a tax refund or apply for a welfare payment. I am working on that,” he states.

The Minister is cognisant of the fundamental importance of datainformed government policy decisions in securing public support. “From that perspective, one of the things that is changing is that when a government department is producing data, it should be open by default and the department should be considering how its dashboard should be presented to the public. If you produce open data that is available for people to understand, you can then get buy-in from the public for the policy decisions that are based on that data.”

Public Service Data Catalogue Discussing the impact of the Public Service Data Catalogue as a component of Public Service Data Strategy 20192023, the eGovernment Minister acknowledges the contribution of local government and describes its rationale as being to facilitate greater transparency for citizens in relation to public service data, as well as a more joined-up and efficient public service.

Launched in February 2021, the Public Service Data Catalogue provides descriptive information on over 1,100 datasets across close to 100 public bodies, including their purpose and whether they contain personal or sensitive data.

“One of the frequent criticisms of all governments is that they are not joinedup. This is apparent when two departments collaborate on a project; they often find that they are using a different set of identifiers for datasets which identify the same objects.

“Having the Public Sector Data Catalogue is vital and fits in with the requirements of the new EU Open Data Directive which provides that a collection of datasets must be published freely by every government in the EU.” 4 89

Freedom to innovate

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“Many people went online during the pandemic. We doubled the number of people who have MyGovID accounts over the course of a year, which is a big deal, and we’re going to go further still.”

Berlin Declaration A successor to the 2017 Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment, the Berlin Declaration on Digital Society and Valuebased Digital Government was signed by EU member states in December 2020.

The Berlin Declaration is intended to increase digital participation and inclusion by ensuring that digital transformation in the public sector is informed by a series of agreed principles and associated policy actions.

These principles are: • validity and respect of fundamental rights and democratic values; • social participation and digital inclusion; • empowerment and digital literacy; • trust and security in digital government interactions; • digital sovereignty and interoperability; • human-centred systems and innovative technologies in the public sector; and • a resilient and sustainable digital society.

Upon signing the agreement, Smyth remarked: “It is important that we enable all of our people to engage digitally with public and other services and ensure that no one who wants to participate is left behind.

“During the pandemic, a lot of people were forced to try something for the first time, such as making a video call to an elderly relative or something similar. That option is available to a lot of people.

However, we are never going to stop people from picking up their pension in a post office. You can provide someone with a bank card, but they may still

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prefer to pick it up in cash. There is no policy change on that. We have to be inclusive, and we have to ensure that people are not left behind.”

Climate agenda In particular, the eGovernment Minister and Green Party TD welcomed the Berlin Declaration’s inclusion of the ambition that European digital transformation must closely align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal.

The Declaration states: “The digital transformation in Europe needs to be closely aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement as well as the goals of the European Green Deal. With reference to the current work on Council Conclusions on Digitalisation for the Benefit of the Environment, we need to ensure that a sustainable digital transformation serves our citizens and businesses on an individual level as well as our society as a whole, while at the same time safeguarding the preservation of our natural foundations of life.”

Similarly, the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan contains three priority areas for development across the EU in the context of a massive investment led post-pandemic recovery.

Those three areas are: green transition; digital transition; and retraining.

“There is a paradox with the green recovery because if you are building lots of windfarms and you are investing in transition to electric vehicles and retrofitted homes. That is a lot of economic activity and there are a lot of

emissions associated with that.

“Many of the new technologies require training and much of that training will now take place online. That connects digitalisation and the green recovery. For example, as an engineer, you can log into a wind turbine to service it. Anything in the green sphere requires a lot of ICT, information dissemination, and monitoring and sensing technology,” Smyth maintains.

Vision Concluding, Minister Smyth outlines his ambition for eGovernment in Ireland, indicating that citizens should be enabled to “readily and rapidly access their government services with very little hassle”. Highlighting the work undertaken by the Passport Service to deliver Passport Online as archetypal, the Minister re-emphasises the importance of public trust “when citizens supply information, that the Government is not using that information for purposes other than those intended”.

Overall, he intends to deliver: “A trustworthy, reliable, convenient and broad system that is as good as any other country in Europe and that saves people time and money, while being efficient for the State to run.

Simultaneously, providing that no one is left behind, whether culturally or physically incapable of obtaining their services online, there will always be a human option if they need it. That’s the vision for the future.”

Freedom to innovate

Public sector 20 per cent remote working target

In January 2021, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, published Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy, with the aim of making remote working a permanent option for life after the pandemic.

The strategy acknowledges that the pandemic has accelerated a practice which “might have taken decades had it been planned” and points to economic, spatial, environmental, cultural, and societal change which could be brought about as a result of increased remote working.

The strategy acknowledges demand for remote work beyond that necessitated by the pandemic. NUI Galway research recorded an increase in the desire for remote working opportunities over the period of the pandemic and in October 2020 research found that 94 per cent of participants would like to work remotely post-pandemic.

One of the main actions of the strategy is to mandate for home and remote working to be the norm for 20 per cent of public sector employment. The action is one of many underpinning conditions within the Government’s three pillar approach to increased remote working, namely: the creation of a conducive environment; developing and leveraging remote work infrastructure; and building a remote work policy and guidance framework.

Other key actions included in the strategy relate to:

• reviewing the treatment of remote working for the purposes of tax and expenditure in the next budget; • mapping and investing in a network of remote working hubs across Ireland; • legislating for the right to request remote working; • developing a code of practice for the right to disconnect; and • accelerating the provision of highspeed broadband to all parts of Ireland.

The key actions are designed to not only harness the potential of increased remote working but also to mitigate against some of the recognised downsides that the practice could bring.

The 2016 census recorded an 11 per cent increase in the number of people commuting and a rise of 8 per cent in the number of people commuting by car.

Research previously commissioned by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment estimated that one individual’s commute time to Dublin for work had an estimated economic cost of around 4,000. The strategy recognises the potential for increased remote working to aid the Government’s ambitions to reduce transport carbon emissions.

Another potential advantage is increased labour market participation, included but not limited to workers with disabilities or older workers, while the strategy highlights benefits associated with

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The Government has signalled its intention to ensure remote working is a permanent feature in the Irish workforce post-pandemic, including outlining plans to mandate for 20 per cent of public sector employment to work remotely. improved work/life balance and childcare flexibility for parents.

One of the most recognised potential benefits is accommodation flexibility, relieving some of the pressures in cities, where demand has driven up rent and house prices. NUI Galway research indicates that 7 per cent of people it talked to had already relocated as a result of their experiences of remote working during the pandemic and a further 40 per cent indicated they would or may consider a move.

However, the strategy also recognises that an increase in remote working is not without its challenges. The potential for increased isolation, loneliness and stress is a significant concern in relation to remote workers, as is employer feedback that suggests remote working could lead to an innovation deficit due to less collaboration. There is a recognition that less commuting could have adverse impacts to businesses and local economies designed to complement traditional commuter patterns, while reduced visibility could have negative impacts on career progression ambitions and gender equality in the workplace.

Launching the strategy, Varadkar said: “The requirement to work from home where possible, for reasons of public health, has demonstrated how viable home, remote and blended working can be. Post-pandemic, I want remote working to be part of a whole new world of work and this new government strategy sets out how we will enable it.”

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Freedom to innovate

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The cloud is transforming public services: Ireland is poised to lead by example It is similar, in effect, to flipping a switch in your home to turn on the lights. You don’t have to wrestle with the machinery or infrastructure that generates the electricity, much like users of cloud computing no longer need to expend time, money, or resources on server rooms and hardware.

So just why is the cloud, besides its inherent agility, so synonymous with effective public services? We have learnt in AWS, from working with governments around the globe, that the hallmark of a well-delivered service often includes at least four separate factors, all of which are intrinsic features of cloud computing.

The way public services are being delivered, all over the world, is rapidly changing, writes Mark Finlay, Head of Public Sector Ireland at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

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As people make greater use of the internet and smart devices, they want governments to provide better digital services. Covid-19 has only served to accelerate this trend, with a greater expectation than ever that State bodies should be able to operate remotely and at speed. Ireland is no different. The vast majority of Irish people are digitally connected, technologically savvy, and fully comfortable in online environments.

The country’s well-earned status as a global technology hub is also feeding the growing appetite for innovation in the delivery of public services.

This has not been lost on the Irish Government, who have made the better use of new technologies a headline objective. Key official texts, including the 2017 eGovernment Strategy, Our Public Service 2020 and the current Programme for Government, all stress the need to accelerate the digital 92

delivery of services. The recent new innovation strategy, Making Innovation Real, recognises too that new digital solutions must be provided to meet both the expectations and needs of the public.

Cloud computing is key to this burgeoning national and global digital transformation. That’s because the flexibility it provides is fundamental to the responsive and nimble services that people now expect from Government.

As the cloud allows for the on-demand delivery of dynamic IT resources over the internet, State bodies using it no longer have to worry about managing cumbersome and expensive data centres. Instead, they simply access the digital tools they require on an asneeded basis, meaning they can focus on services and outcomes rather than the hardware underpinning them.

The first is elasticity, meaning that the service in question can withstand surges in demand, whether unforeseen or not. If it can’t, systems fail and citizens become frustrated and disaffected. The use of AWS by UCAS, the UK equivalent of the CAO, demonstrates how the cloud helps public authorities to manage demand peaks. Once a year, when it releases ALevel results in August, the UCAS website experiences a massive influx of traffic. AWS allows UCAS to scale up to accommodate that demand and then scale back down to normal loads afterwards, while paying only for what it needs.

The second factor is security and privacy. People care (and rightly so) about how their data is treated by public bodies. If they feel their personal details are not secure, they can quickly lose trust in the public services that utilise them. The cloud though provides the necessary, and reassuring, safeguards that citizens demand. As security is our top priority in AWS, we invest hundreds of millions of dollars every year in firstclass protections. The public services that rely on us therefore benefit from that massive economy of scale and the security it affords. This is a central reason why so many institutions are transitioning to AWS. In 2019, for example, Grand River Hospital, a major

Freedom to innovate

The third element is innovation. The best delivered public services are often those that use new tools to improve every-day outcomes for people. This quality is actually one of the most exciting things about cloud computing; it allows public bodies access to cuttingedge technologies, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, without the need to invest in costly super computers. The experience of Transport for NSW (TfNSW), an Australian Government Agency responsible for improving public transport, brings that to life. In 2018, TfNSW began using AWS machinelearning to transition from historicallybased analytics to a forward-looking model with predictive capability. The power of those cloud services now means that TfNSW is better able to predict passenger numbers across its entire transport network, thereby improving the experience of all who use it.

Some of the most forward-thinking governments across the world, including

“As security is our top priority in AWS, we invest hundreds of millions of dollars every year in firstclass protections. The public services that rely on us therefore benefit from that massive economy of scale and the security it affords.”

Singapore, Norway, Australia, and Canada, have already recognised these inter-connections between the cloud and first-rate public services. They are now putting the cloud to good use and reaping its benefits.

Ireland is more than ready to catch the crest of that wave. It has a progressive government cloud-first strategy, adopted in 2019, that encourages public sector bodies to maximise cloud opportunities.

It has extensive cloud infrastructure already in place, developed by companies like AWS, ready to be leveraged. And it has the requisite acumen across the public sector to bring big ideas, like wide-scale cloud adoption, fully to fruition.

The use of the cloud in some recent Irish Government projects, such as the Covid smartphone app, which is run on AWS, provides just a glimpse of its wider potential. The full array of possibilities that the cloud opens up across so many different policy and operational areas is really almost

endless. Moving to it, and leaving antiquated computing behind, is also more straightforward than it might seem. AWS has extensive global experience of working with public bodies — including over 7,500 government agencies, 14,000 academic institutions, and 35,000 nonprofits — to make that transition as smooth as possible. And the end result is almost always the same: money is saved, outcomes are improved, and citizens are better served.

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The final factor is the least tangible: aspiration. To be sure, the priority for many people is that governments do the simple things well, but they increasingly want them to think big too and to try achieve goals that were technologically out-of-reach only a decade or two ago.

This is where the cloud comes in, it opens up new horizons in what is possible. Take, for example, AWS data analytics tools that are helping make breakthroughs in how medical conditions are identified and diagnosed.

SkinVision, an international start-up, uses AWS to help identify skin cancer (the most common form of cancer in Ireland). Its free-to-download app, regulated by the EU as a medical device, allows people to scan moles and skin lesions in their own homes. The images are then assessed by machine learning-based algorithms. This is quickening diagnosis, expediting treatment, and saving lives.

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Canadian hospital in the State of Ontario, turned to AWS to house its highly sensitive patient data. The hospital needed to safely store confidential information but also in such a way that it was accessible, as necessary, to the patients concerned under Canadian law. Using the cloud made that possible.

If you want to learn more about how the AWS Cloud can help your organisation to innovate and digitally transform, please contact the Irish AWS Public Sector team.

E: aws-publicsector-ireland@amazon.com

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Transforming the future of digital public services Government of Ireland CIO, Barry Lowry, discusses the importance of delivering the building blocks of transformation and the Covid-19 pandemic’s catalytic impact on the use of digital services.

In December 2019, the Government issued a public commitment to making digital transformation a priority for the year ahead. Usefully, the Government’s statement also included extensive detail and outlined four major principles of this transformation, namely: 1. appointment of a board member responsible for digitalisation in each department; 2. to ensure the most frequently used services are used digitally rather than simply being available online; 3. to ensure that all digital services have

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the same look and feel, are understandable and easy to use, and use available infrastructure as building blocks; and

which the Government has been utilising for some time now.

Progress to date, he asserts, has been underpinned by the driving principle of

4. to ensure that all services are developed in line with best practice, for example, transformational, userdriven, mobile-centric and accessible by all.

enabling people to use government

Responding to a question posed on whether Ireland is ready to transform its digital public services, Lowry says he believes so and points to the digital foundations for digital transformation

of MyGovID from a base of fewer than

services at the time and place of their choosing and a central plank of that principle has been the delivery of MyGovID. Highlighting the growth in use 10,000 accounts five years ago, Lowry indicates that a milestone of over one million verified users was surpassed in February 2021.

Freedom to innovate The Government’s CIO believes that the pandemic has accelerated uptake of MyGovID accounts and attributed to 29 million logins to online government services to date.

Additionally, the Government is in the process of enacting the Data Sharing and Governance Act, signed into law in March 2019, and the Data Governance Board will meet in early 2021. Alongside the Public Service Data Strategy 20192023, which sets out a detailed vision to deliver a more coherent whole-ofGovernment approach to how data is used and managed within the public service, Lowry contends that Ireland is more advanced than any other country in Europe in relation to data and is worthy of its rating as the best in terms of open data.

Discussing the Government’s progress in digital transformation, Lowry states that digital government is something quite different from the previous process of the move from analogue government to egovernment. “E-government is when we took bits of our analogue model and computerised it, whereas digital government is something quite different, where we reimagine services because digital is now available,” he says.

“That’s a space which we are now moving into. We are starting to consult and involve customers more, through various means such as workshops, to really get an understanding of their journeys before we design our digital services.”

By way of example, Lowry points to a partnership between his department and Trinity Business School, where the Department asks 120 digital marketing master’s students to navigate and report on life events, such as entering the higher-level undergraduate education system, navigating the small claims court, registering a business in Ireland, or applying for Irish citizenship.

Outlining how recommendations then inform improvements to the services, Lowry adds: “What is really interesting is that not only are we getting feedback from the generation which is using digital and mobile digital the most but that it is with a group with digital marketing expertise. Additionally, 80 per cent of the students are non-indigenous. At a time when our population is moving towards 20 per cent non-indigenous, it is critical that our digital services meet the demands of all, not just those native to the country.”

public services but for the private sector

Lowry identifies the Covid Tracker app, developed in response to the pandemic, as the “perfect example” of how digital government should work. A user-centred approach to development, ranging from how the app looked to the features embedded within it, alongside utilisation of local SMEs, multi-nationals and internal capability has delivered what is widely regarded as a global exemplar for an app of its nature.

relating to AI supported apps to enable

“I think it is a very good example of how government needs to be rather than how we used to be,” states Lowry.

are doing is transparent and will meet the

Looking towards the future, Lowry believes that the Government should never be satisfied with its performance in relation to digital government but alludes to many positive developments.

deliver offline services better too

The OECD references the concept of ‘Government as a Platform’, which relates to government setting out the standards and approaches to the use of data, and this is intended not just for all

government services.

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Another major component of digitalisation has been Gov.ie, the portal from which all government services are presented and something which Lowry describes as “absolutely critical” throughout the pandemic as the go-toplace for information for citizens on available services.

“Transparency is another major part of what we are doing and everything we do, including the Covid Tracker app.

We work with the Data Protection Commissioner in advance where possible to ensure that what we are doing is transparent and will meet the requirements of GDPR.” also.

Lowry suggests that this approach is a major component of the current workstream and points to e-Credentials, a current programme looking at how citizens can use their government verified credentials for personal use, as a prime example.

Another important element is inclusivity and Lowry points to a further example of ongoing work with a start-up company citizens, whose first language is not English, to better access government services.

He elaborates: “Transparency is another major part of what we are doing and everything we do, including the Covid Tracker app. We work with the Data Protection Commissioner in advance where possible to ensure that what we needs of GDPR. “All of this gives us an opportunity to because we appreciate that we are not likely to, in the near future or even in the medium-term, get to a situation where 100 per cent of people are using digital

“I believe for those who can’t, we can use the freed-up capacity to deliver a much better service,” he concludes.

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eInvoicing: Smart collaboration to drive adoption among suppliers From EU research projects to AI and Blockchain initiatives, IT Sligo’s collaborations with public bodies and business are helping to deliver innovative eInvoicing implementations across the public sector.

Padraig Harte, Lecturer in Computing at IT Sligo, outlines the role his organisation has had in Ireland’s eInvoicing journey, some of the initiatives that are underway and the importance of an education and supports based approach to increasing supplier uptake of eInvoicing going forward.

Agency or the supplier,” recalls Harte.

Subsequently, a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on eInvoicing was established by the EU Commission, which resulted in an eInvoice standard. It was approved through EU National Standards Bodies, and the NSAI in Ireland, and became the only accepted eInvoice standard for the EU.

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While legislation and the national approach are key drivers for establishing an eInvoicing capability within the public sector, academia is also playing an important role in the digital transformation of invoice processing in public procurement. Over the last 10 years, IT Sligo have built up an extensive body of knowledge and expertise in the area of electronic invoicing (eInvoicing). This includes research and development work and collaborations with technology, policy, public administration and business stakeholders, both in Ireland and across Europe.

“We first became involved in eInvoicing in 2012, providing research support and coordination for a pilot electronic invoicing project for the Irish Government. That pilot successfully proved that suppliers could send invoices electronically to Irish Government agencies irrespective of the formats used by the Government

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Since April 2020, all public bodies must be able to receive and process electronic invoices in accordance with the European Directive (2014/55/EU) and the European standard for eInvoicing in public procurement. The implementation of the Directive in Ireland was led by the Office of Government Procurement which established the eInvoicing Ireland Programme to facilitate and enable public bodies to make the necessary provisions to meet their legal obligations.

The eInvoicing standard, Directive and the availability of EU funding facilitated public bodies to collaborate in order to establish their eInvoicing capability. With their expertise in this field, IT Sligo coordinated several important public sector CEF Digital eInvoicing projects in both Ireland and other EU States.

One such project was with the Department of Education and Skills’ Education Shared Business Services function (ESBS). This project upgraded the ESBS’ existing eInvoice processing system to support the European eInvoicing standard (EN) and promoted the uptake of eInvoicing across SMEs in

Ireland. The project helped both large organisations and SMEs to adopt eInvoicing and send them to ESBS, thereby minimising administrative and cost overheads. The project also interfaced purchase card bank-produced files for processing via the eInvoicing system. This has proven to be a very successful European standard compliant eInvoicing initiative in the public service with a significant number of suppliers on-boarded and increasing volumes of eInvoices now being processed by ESBS. Another agency with centralised responsibility for coordinating invoice processing for their sector is the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). In excess of one million invoices are processed annually across 31 local authority’s. IT Sligo coordinated a project, in collaboration with the LGMA, to establish a central eInvoicing gateway for three local authority’s.

Suppliers can now submit eInvoices, via the national Peppol-based approach, to the LGMA’s eInvoicing exchange gateway which integrates with each local authority’s ERP system. eInvoices are automatically received and validated for compliance with the European standard.

Local requirements are also validated, such as the existence of mandatory information that might be required for processing the invoice as ready for payment. This approach and the lessons learned during the project is being used to roll out eInvoicing within the other 28 local authorities.

Another ongoing project is the eInvoicing

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for Communities project which uses a community-based model. The Tubbercurry area in Sligo is involved and they are Ireland’s first smart community who are focused on how local citizens and businesses can use technology, including eInvoicing, to enhance the way they interact with public bodies to transform their community in significant and positive ways. There is also work ongoing to explore the potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to further improve the invoice processing, provide data analytics and to help detect and prevent fraud. One of IT Sligo’s projects involves using an AI machine learning system to identify, and divert into an exception workflow, invoices that are liable for Withholding Tax while another is focused on the automation of invoice processing.

In addition to establishing and promoting the use of digital, “these projects have generated valuable insights into how to encourage the adoption of eInvoicing among suppliers. Our research and the learnings from these projects point to the need for the public sector to take a cohesive national approach and to take proactive measures to educate and assist their suppliers on eInvoicing in terms of how it works, the benefits and the options available to get setup,” explains Harte.

To help address this, IT Sligo developed an innovative massive open online course (MOOC) that deals specifically with eInvoicing, covering these areas and certifying participants who complete the course.

Office of Government Procurement eInvoicing supports for Public Bodies To facilitate public bodies in reaching compliance with the eInvoicing Directive, the Office of Government Procurement

The eInvoicing service providers on the Framework connect public bodies to the Peppol network and offer solutions and services to enable basic compliance with the Directive as well as a more fully integrated approach to eInvoicing, facilitating ‘straight-through processing’. eInvoicing and straight-through

processing helps businesses pay and receive money faster and more efficiently.

Oonagh Hackett, Assistant Principal eInvoicing Ireland Programme Office of Government Procurement Office of Government Procurement, 3A Mayor Street Upper Dublin 1, D01 PF72 E: einvoicing@ogp.gov.ie

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While the European Directive, the national approach and the OGP’s Framework for procuring eInvoicing services have been key to building the roadmap for the eInvoicing journey in Ireland, Harte believes “that the eInvoicing standard and a common National and European approach are gaining momentum and will be key in transitioning eInvoicing from being an innovative development to become the predominate method for invoice processing in both public and private sectors”.

established a National Framework Agreement for the provision of eInvoicing and Peppol networking services to the public sector in Ireland.

Please log onto www.ogp.gov.ie/einvoicing or contact: einvoicing@ogp.gov.ie

Accessing the Framework For anyone looking to access the OGP eInvoicing Framework, please log onto the OGP Buyer Zone via www.ogp.gov.ie and select/ search as follows: Category: Managed Services Keyword: ‘PEPPOL’ or ‘eInvoicing systems’ OGP Clients must register to gain access to the Buyer zone available to all public service buyers accessing live contracts/frameworks.

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European Digital Green Certificate on track for summer 2021 In April 2021, EU ambassadors agreed a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a Digital Green Certificate, also known as a Covid passport, as the EU looks to digitally “facilitate the safe free movement of citizens within the EU during the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The legal framework of the Digital Green Certificate is made up of two legislative proposals, the first concerning EU citizens and their families and the second concerning third-country nationals legally residing in an EU member state. Going by these proposals, it will be possible to use the certificate across all EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

After the European Commission presented the proposals for regulations in March, EU ambassadors approved the establishment and mandate of an ad-hoc working party in order to accelerate the matter as a priority. With the negotiation principles now agreed after several working party meetings, the European Parliament is expected to adopt its position by the end of April, with interinstitutional negotiations beginning soon after. Member states have agreed that the framework should be ready for summer 2021.

Five key amendments were introduced by the European Council to the legislative texts: • a reference to the fact that the Digital Green Certificate will not be a precondition for people to exercise free movement and is not a travel

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document “in order to stress the principle of non-discrimination, in particular towards non-vaccinated persons”; • a new article on the international dimension governing certificates issued to EU citizens and thirdcountry EU residents; • data protection provisions have been strengthened, “in particular on the basis of the joint opinion of the European Data Protection Supervision and the European Data Protection Board”; and • a transitional provision to ensure that member states can continue to use the systems currently in place during a six-week period after the entry into force of the main regulation until the framework is fully operational; and • the text of the draft allows Ireland and other member states to mutually accept certificates issued to thirdcountry nationals based on reciprocity.

National authorities will be in charge of issuing the certificate, which could be provided by institutions such as hospitals, test centres or health authorities. The certificate will act as

digital proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, returned a negative test, or recovered from Covid19. It will be accepted in EU member states to ensure that restrictions currently in place can be lifted in a coordinated manner. Member states who choose to continue to require certificate holders to quarantine or test upon their arrival must notify the Commission and the other member states to justify their decision.

From a technical standpoint, the certificate will contain a QR code with a digital signature to protect it against falsification; to check the certificate the code will be scanned, and the signature verified. Each issuing body has its own digital signature, with each of these to be stored in a database in their country. The European Commission will build a gateway, through which all certificate signatures can be verified across the EU. The personal data embedded in the digital signature is not necessary for its verification and thus will not pass through the gateway with the rest of the digital signature. The Commission has also pledged to help member states to develop as software to check these QR codes.

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Harnessing the power of data with emerging technologies AI reference architectures that make it easy to deploy and consume in a safe and secure manner, allowing organisations to spend less time on the technology and more time on the outcomes; time that can be spent supporting staff to understand how AI can support and enhance their roles, replacing repetitive tasks that take valuable time away from their core duties thereby opening up new working opportunities.

George Maybury, Public Sector Director, Dell Technologies

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The “data deluge” thrives with an explosion of data that continues to be created as more and more organisations accelerate their digital transformation.

The challenge faced is how to create value from this digital gold, writes John O’Donoghue, Emerging Technologies Consultant, and Ryan Heynes, Healthcare Leader, Dell Technologies Ireland.

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Today, many organisations are beginning to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) tools to provide interesting insights into their data, with the goal of developing new products and services, solving problems faster, and attracting new customers.

adoption of AI including data management, ethical bias and, of course, security. Not to mention overcoming the resistance of staff to utilise where there are concerns that the AI solution may reduce staff numbers in the future.

Organisations must consider the layers of complexity which come with the

Operational and ethical issues aside, Dell Technologies continues to develop

“Ireland continues to have a shortage of skills in AI,” says John O’Donoghue, Emerging Technology lead for Dell Technologies, “and it’s vital that we continue to develop skills and prepare students for future work environments.”

A collaboration between Dell Technologies and Munster Technological University has been underway for some time, to develop a system to train the next generation of data scientists as part of the universities master’s degree in AI. However, this shortage in skills is not limited to Ireland, and governments across the globe need to look deeper into how they develop new talent in the field of AI in order to support greater adoption of this technology into public services. AI has the potential to drive more efficiency and better-quality public services, but adopting the technology involves a cultural shift in how we think about data.

A critical need for Ireland is to appoint a Minister for Data, whose responsibility would span how citizens data can be securely managed across departments to deliver better quality services for everyone. There are many legitimate concerns being raised about the inappropriate use of data by governmental bodies. Safeguarding the data and its use is paramount in providing assurance to citizens that their

data will not be accessed without their consent or used for any purpose other than that which it was originally collected for.

Utilising emerging technologies has enabled governments to move from reacting to events, to proactively preparing for or avoiding them completely. Public departments are now starting to collaborate to create new improved services and experiences for citizens. Healthcare services are working across all public service departments to create a holistic view of care provision, moving from the sickness model of treating an illness to a wellness model where they are proactively avoiding it in the first place.

Beyond data being created within healthcare providers, people are now creating their own healthcare data through the growth in wearable lifestyle devices such as fitness watches. Users have the option to share this data as part of their wider patient data profile, which can give additional context to the overall picture of their health and lifestyle.

The potential to utilise this data to improve the patient experience and improve the general health of all citizen needs to be a priority of governments globally. With the development of new medical devices, wearables and environmental data streams, which are collecting data in real-time, our core focus needs to be on driving data and messaging standards to ensure we can use this data effectively.

Ryan Heynes, Healthcare Leader, Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies are currently developing an artificial intelligence Digital Health Twin, in collaboration with the University of Limerick Cancer Network (ULCaN) and the HSE, which has been established as part of the network of Living Labs. The use of AI will enable a new profiling of cancer tissue using digital pathology, advanced AI and machine learning to create a digital twin to determine how patients will respond to treatment and the best pathway of care.

The digital twin is a developing simulated environment of a physical object/being to test potential scenarios.

To create a digital twin to evaluate cancer treatments, multiple data sources are required, starting with digital pathology images and then merging this data with medical record information, genomic data and other environmental sources which use AI to paint a complete picture. With the advanced analysis of this data, researchers and data scientists can then develop predictive models of how patients will respond to cancer treatment and develop a personalised treatment plan with the goal of better patient outcomes and improved utilisation of public services.

key to the development of this project, drawing skills from across several domains. ULCaN has established a team of researchers across multiple disciplines and leveraged the skills of Dell Technologies and the HSE to enable the program.

Governments and organisations across all industries must prepare for a future where machine learning, deep learning and high-performance data analytics are commonplace to stay competitive.

Harnessing the power of AI with high performance computing is closer than you think and within reach for organisations that are ready to take the next step forward on their digital transformation journey.

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Ryan Heynes, Healthcare lead for Dell Technologies says: “AI is rapidly becoming a critical tool in healthcare across a number of areas. We see AI used in decision support, to help make faster and more accurate diagnosis of diseases. It’s used widely in planning and logistics to optimise pathways of care and treatment, and of course it’s being used to speed up genomic sequencing, driving down the cost and time of personalised treatment.”

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Healthcare services are a prime example of how data can be misused, albeit in the patient’s best interest in most cases. There has been a lot of scrutiny about the use of patient data over the years, but with the emergence of the Covid 19 pandemic, we have seen a mind shift in how data can and should be used to support improvements in patient care.

John O’Donoghue Emerging Technologies Consultant Dell Technologies Ireland j_odonoghue@dell.com Ryan Heynes Healthcare Leader Dell Technologies Ireland Ryan_Heynes@dell.com

The collaboration across industry, research and government bodies was

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Mobile policing: Building a smarter organisation Tim Willoughby, Head of Digital Services and Innovation at An Garda Síochána discusses the importance of user-led mobile policing and the accelerating impact of the pandemic on building a smarter organisation.

Albert Einstein famously stated: “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it”.

It’s an approach that resonates with An Garda Síochána’s Head of Digital Services and Innovation, Tim Willoughby, who highlights his understanding that failure to understand a problem will ensure that elements of the problem “will remain well beyond the solution’s inability to solve it”.

Addressing and understanding problems before delivering solutions is a principle which Willoughby brought into his current role and to the organisation, from his background as a civil engineer.

Similarly, Willoughby recognises the importance of bringing diversity of opinion to digital innovation, stressing the importance of avoiding the common pitfall of groupthink in problem solving.

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Using one of his first endeavours in the role as an example, Willoughby highlights the ‘mobility project’ which has seen An Garda Síochána utilise smartphones as a platform for change.

Willoughby’s team has dedicated significant time to working with diverse innovation groups to define problem statements in mobile technology for the organisation and, from the outset, the Head of Digital Services and Innovation has incorporated frontline gardaí into his team.

alongside other principles such as agile working; solution aware prototyping; feedback loops; real time piloting; and team diversity and open standards.

Highlighting a further major switch, Willoughby says, historically, An Garda Síochána’s held firm to its reliance on proofs for concept but have moved to a minimal viable product approach.

Agile

Explaining the approach, he says: “If you think the same, you get the same results, so you need to start thinking differently and the only way to do that is to create different teams than that which you currently have.”

Outlining the reason for an agile approach, Willoughby points to the benefits of short sprints compared to long development cycles, rapid prototyping to address user acceptance, and better business engagement in a siloed organisation, as examples of greater efficiency.

Frontline/end user engagement is a central plank of An Garda Síochána’s approach to innovation in digital mobility,

Another advantage he alludes to is the minimisation of the training process required when integrating new

Freedom to innovate Strapline

technology through user-led design.

As well as end user input, the Head of Digital Services and Innovation also highlights inclusion of data stakeholders in the design of mobility technology.

Explaining the process, Willoughby says: “If you think of a garda at the side of the road they are checking for things like tax, insurance or vehicle roadworthiness.

They are doing that with data which is not ours but belongs to various stakeholders. So, we put an awful lot of onus on those stakeholders coming to our workshops to look at the end-to-end process and put in place greater responsibility on data reliability.”

A major project undertaken by Willoughby and is team was collaboration with users to deliver a set of principles required of any project.

The most prominent principle to emerge from the process was that of ‘once and done’, meaning that gardaí have the ability to start and finish something at the side of the road. Willoughby explains that this principle is now central to all design. One example he illustrates is the use of an application which enables a speed gun to automatically issues tickets for a ‘once and done’ approach.

Willoughby says that of the roughly 670 different offences monitored by An Garda Síochána, 600 are now once and done in nature.

Other principles to emerge include mobile first, or a recognition that technology that does not work on-the-go is of little use; public self-service to improve engagement with the public; and evidence-based policing, ensuring that the necessary evidence to do the job is available.

Core to the latter principle is the need for quality data capture. Willoughby explains: “We have to ensure that the data capture that we undertake is of a high quality. In each app that we have developed, we omit physical data entry, meaning that the information available on the frontline is already readily

“Because of all the familiarisation we had done with making the applications right for the end user we were confident in posting the handsets out, allowing staff to self-enrol and complete online training.” available, within the system, for greater efficiency. It’s vital then that that information is of a high quality.”

Síochána’s whole suite of applications

Pandemic

organisation’s call centre staff in their

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“With an agile approach you have less training because the applications which you are building are designed by users for users. That means that when they receive them, the core focus is on familiarisation rather than training because staff are so familiar with the business process,” explains Willoughby.

via mobile devices. The monitors are now being used by all of the own homes and have facilitated new

Discussing how An Garda Síochána’s approach to mobile policing was impacted by the pandemic, Willoughby points to a pre-existing availability of roughly 70 people in the organisation able to work from home concurrently, mainly comprising senior staff with a need for access to back-end systems.

working environments for guards to

“Where we started from was questioning how we could increase the pools of technology so that our front-end users could work from home. In recognising that our training college was to cease, we dismantled our training environment and scavenged the servers to put into virtual pools to dramatically increase our virtual desktop infrastructure and facilitate greater levels of homeworking,” he says.

employee.

“We had also originally rolled out around 1,200 handheld devices to our frontline and our challenge was how we would increase that rollout. Because of all the familiarisation we had done with making the applications right for the end user we were confident in posting the handsets out, allowing staff to self-enrol and complete online training.”

Explaining how the user-centred approach to application development has been core to current delivery, the Head of Digital Services and Innovation points to the purchasing and rollout of docking monitors, which support USBC and allow the running of An Garda

bubble in their respective teams.

As a result of Covid-19, the organisation has changed its desktop policy and mobile device strategy to ensure that technology rollout is better suited to the needs rather than the rank of the

Challenges One of the major challenges facing greater delivery of mobile policing was that of connectivity and numerous stations which are, as Willoughby describes, “at the edge of the network” and not served well by broadband.

Mobile repeaters and an amplifier inside such stations have facilitated gardaí located in these stations to utilise their mobile devices in the same manner. A similar set up is being used within cars, boosting the mobile signal for guards around the country meaning that their vehicles can now effectively serve as stations.

Concluding, Willoughby re-emphasises the contribution that frontline feedback has made to the delivery of the ambition to build a smarter organisation. “With the right technology, information-led policing is actually making a difference,” he summarises.

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Many consumers won’t feel comfortable shopping on high street until Covid is better controlled The .IE Tipping Point report, Irish e-commerce and digital business in the Covid vaccine era, is the second report analysing consumer and SME digital government report

behaviour and attitudes since the pandemic, writes David Curtin, CEO of .IE, the company that manages .ie domains, the preferred online identity for business in Ireland.

While vaccines offer Ireland a way out of lockdown, until a critical mass is reached and the population is immunised, our economy and society are set to remain in a state of flux. This flux is accelerating major trends in ecommerce and digitalisation. Behaviours and ways of working that boost sales, cut costs or increase convenience are likely to become permanently ingrained.

Key findings The vaccine era but no return to normal While vaccines have laid down a path back to normality, all government and medical advice suggests that economic restrictions and social distancing requirements are likely to remain in place until at least the end of 2021.

Consumers seem to be mostly on the same page. 55 per cent believe that life in 2021 will be mostly the same as life in 2020 or even more restricted.

The Covid consumer

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The way Irish consumers spend online and in-store is changing. 68 per cent of Irish consumers said they spent more online in 2020 than they did in 2019. A sizeable 42 per cent say they will do most of their shopping in physical, bricks-and-mortar stores in 2021, despite the current restrictions, down from 48 per cent in 2020. Greater numbers say they will shop only for necessities in-store but buy most other products online (43 per cent vs 41 per cent) or do most of their shopping online (15 per cent vs 11 per cent).

These changes reflect the current state of the pandemic. The longer compulsory online shopping continues, the more entrenched it will become in consumer behaviour.

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While consumers are keen to support local businesses during the pandemic (this number has risen from 67 per cent to 74 per cent among majority SME shoppers) international businesses continue to prove attractive. Cheaper prices, better product ranges and superior online storefronts were key factors driving behaviours among those that have done most of their shopping with international businesses.

However, consumer behaviour still implies competitive advantages for Irish SMEs. Solidarity and patriotism aside, many consumers think Irish businesses are faster and more reliable, more trustworthy

(which jumped to 48 per cent, up from 41 per cent) and have better order tracking and delivery. With investment in a modern, e-commerce website, Irish SMEs can also win over consumers who are simply seeking a straightforward and convenient online experience.

The Covid SME An increasing proportion of businesses recognise that a digital channel is key to their survival while the pandemic continues. 30 per cent of SMEs now claim to sell their products via an online store, up from 25 per cent in 2020.

Those SMEs with an online store have benefited from consumers spending more online. 86 per cent say they have experienced an increase in sales or sales enquiries from their online store since the pandemic began.

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The number of Irish SMEs that have invested in their online presence has grown remarkably: 55 per cent have invested since the beginning of the pandemic, up from just 21 per cent in 2020. Because of this investment, 78 per cent of SMEs say they have been able to sustain pre-Covid levels of business or are busier than before, up from 46 per cent in the summer of 2020.

It is therefore unsurprising that most fully intend to continue investing in their online presence in 2021. 61 per cent believe that their online presence will be more important to their business this year than last.

E: marketing@weare.ie W: www.weare.ie

Insights Here and now: Local and global factors that are currently influencing consumer behaviour and Irish e-commerce.

1.

2.

Play to your strengths Multinationals with globalised supply chains can be more competitive on price and range. However, Irish SMEs still have competitive USPs, such as trust and reliability. They need to focus on perfecting these advantages, for example, with personalised customer communications or faster delivery services, so that shopping local continuously generates benefits and value-adds for their customers.

Brexit: advantage Ireland?

The UK’s withdrawal from the EU may provide local businesses with some advantages which SMEs should seek to exploit. Because many Irish SMEs ship goods entirely within Ireland, they can pass on cost benefits to consumers, who will not have to pay unforeseen customs charges. Delivery from within Ireland is also faster. Future trends: Short- and medium-term trends with the potential to shape the future of digital Ireland.

4.

Omni-channel is preferred Consumers are spending more online and intend to keep doing so.

Their in-store shopping routines have changed over the last year, and many now favour visiting shops at a certain time of the week, when they view them as safer or less crowded.

This may help to accelerate a long-observed trend that suggests consumers now prefer to buy necessities online during the week, the ‘midweek convenience’, and save discretionary purchases for the weekend ‘experience’. If this behaviour becomes more apparent, bricks-and-mortar SMEs that have invested in an online store since lockdown will have a major advantage over their offline competitors after the pandemic.

5.

Virtual service delivery Services are still purchased only infrequently online by consumers.

This may be because many Irish professional services firms have not yet invested in the tools or methods required to make the consumer experience useful and seamless. Service providers should therefore begin by undertaking an internal assessment of their use and deployment of technology, and whether it is fit for purpose.

6.

No way back From a digital perspective, it is clear that the pandemic is having an accelerant effect. What we view as Ireland’s digitalisation tipping point may, therefore, be an accelerating downward spiral for those who fail to adapt as e-commerce and online interaction become the default. Local authorities and national decision-makers must consider these factors if their digital development plans are to be effective and relevant.

Research was conducted in January 2021 by Core Research with 1,000 Irish consumers and 500 retail and customer-facing professional services SMEs. The .IE Tipping Point Report was prepared in partnership with Digital Business Ireland.

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3.

Buying Irish isn’t enough More consumers who reported doing the majority of their online shopping with Irish SMEs said they did so out of a desire to help local businesses through the pandemic. However, crisis solidarity is not enough for a stable e-commerce strategy. Irish SMEs seeking to sustain sales through their online store can only retain their customers by consistently improving the online customer experience.

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Freedom to innovate

IRELAND REMAINS SIXTH IN DESI RANKINGS Ireland has ranked sixth out of the 27 EU member states plus the UK in the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Ireland has been the fastest growing member state over the last five years according to the index.

Despite its status as the fastest growing member state, Ireland has remained largely unmoved in its overall ranking. After ranking eighth in 2016 and 2017, sixth in 2018, and seventh in 2019, Ireland has returned to sixth in the rankings for 2020, the last year of the DESI being measured across 28 member states

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as the UK has now left the EU. Ireland sits behind Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Malta. The index is broadly broken down into five sections.

INTEGRATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

For the third year in a row, Ireland has ranked first in the integration of digital technology, having ranked second in 2016 and 2017. When this section is further broken down into seven subsections, Ireland outperforms the EU average in all but one: electronic information sharing, which only 28 per cent of Irish enterprises partake in, compared to an EU average of 38 per cent.

Aside from that, enterprises in Ireland outperform the European average in social media use (44 per cent versus 25 per cent), big data use (20 per cent versus 12 per cent), and cloud use (33 per cent versus 18 per cent). Irish SMEs also outperform the European average in their three subsectors: selling online (35 per cent versus 18 per cent); e-Commerce turnover (29 per cent versus 11 per cent); and selling online cross-border (18 per cent versus 8 per cent).

The European Investment Bank stated that, in terms of financing for SMEs adapting to digital technologies, existing financial channels are “currently sufficient, but there was scope for making better use of them”. It had also noted that, in Ireland, there was a “a lack of overall policy coordination and strategies” in this regard, although the five-year Industry 4.0 strategy does seek to address this.

USE OF INTERNET SERVICES

Ireland ranks eighth in the EU for use of internet services, its second highest ranking section. The rank of eighth continues Ireland’s ascendancy in this section, progressing from 12th in 2019 and 14th in 2018.

Ireland ranks ahead of the EU average in all but three subsections: percentages of internet users using the internet for music, video and games (80 per cent versus 81 per cent) or video calls (50 per cent versus 60 per cent) or for selling goods online (21 per cent versus 23 per cent).

Ireland’s rate of individuals who have never used the internet is the same as the EU average: 9 per cent. Ireland ranks ahead of the EU average in internet users, 88 per cent versus 85 per cent, and in percentages of internet users who access new video on demand, social networks, online courses, banking and shopping online.

DESI scores 2018–2020 69.1 62.1

39.9 35.9

2018

44.7 42.5

50.1 45.7

2019

Connectivity

53

54.2 47.6

56.4 49.3

47.9

50 51.8

55.4 55

2018

2019

2020

Human capital

2018

2019

2020

Use of internet services Ireland

106

63.4

EU

2018

80.6

78.1 71.2

67

72

61.8

58

37.8

2020

74.3

39.8

2019

41.4

2020

Integration of digital technology

2018

2019

2020

Digital public services

Freedom to innovate

DIGITAL PUBLIC SERVICES

Ireland ranks ninth in digital public services, a one-place drop from 2019. Despite this drop, Ireland’s index score has risen in the same time period from 78.1 to 80.6. Of the five subsections, Ireland ranks ahead of the EU average in three (eGovernment users, digital public services for business and open data) and behind the average in two (pre-filled forms and online service completion).

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The DESI account of digital public services in Ireland calls the adaptation of the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019 “an important step” in the pursuit of Ireland’s digital governance goals.

HUMAN CAPITAL

Ireland ranks 11th in the human capital section, unmoved from its 2018 and 2019 positions. Overall, Ireland scores above the EU average with an index score of 56.4 compared to the EU’s 49.3.

In the six subsections, Ireland ranks ahead of the EU average in four: percentage of individuals with above basic digital skills; ICT specialists as a percentage of total employment; female ICT specialists as a percentage of total female employment; and ICT specialists as a percentage of graduates.

Ireland ranks behind the EU average in percentages of individuals with at least basic skills in both digital and software.

Perhaps most interesting in this section is that, despite the deficit in those with basic digital and software skills, Ireland’s rate of ICT graduates as part of all graduates (7.3 per cent) is more than double that of the EU’s average (3.6 per cent).

CONNECTIVITY

Ireland’s worst ranking in the index is in connectivity, where it ranks 23rd, a fall of one place from 2019. Despite its low ranking, Ireland ranks ahead of the EU average in four of the eight subsections: fast broadband coverage; 4G coverage; mobile broadband take-up; and 5G readiness.

Ireland is beneath the average in overall fixed broadband take-up; take-up of fixed broadband of at least 100Mbps; fixed very high capacity network; and broadband price index. In each of these subsections, Ireland has recorded increases from 2018 and 2019 levels. The rollout of the National Broadband Plan, which has begun, is said to be key to making up the ground in this area.

OVERVIEW

Overall digital transformation “continues to be one of the core economic policy issues in Ireland”. The launch of the Industry 4.0 strategy, the €300 million Human Capital Initiative and the National Broadband Plan are all cited by the European Commission’s report as measures by which Ireland’s drive to digitisation will be progressed.

Digital Economy and Society Index 8,000 7,000 6,000

3,000 2,000 1,000

lan Sw d ed De en nm Ne a the rk rla nd s Ma lta Ire lan d Es Un ite ton d K ia ing do m Be l g ium Lu xe mb ou rg Sp a Ge in rm an y Au str ia Eu Lithu rop an i ea nU a nio n Fra nc Slo e ve ni Cz a ec hia La tv Po ia rtu ga Cro l ati Hu a ng ar Slo y va kia Po lan d Cy pru s Ita l Ro y ma nia Gre ec Bu e lga ria

0 Fin

Weighted score

5,000 4,000

Connectivity

Human capital

Use of internet

Integration of digital technology

Digital public services 107

Source: EU Commission, Digital Scoreboard

A user-centric approach to digital transformation for the Courts

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solutions can improve the user experience, and allow us to deliver services that are easier, quicker and more cost efficient for all users, we will seek to implement them.”

The Courts Service was firmly in modernisation development mode when the pandemic hit, fortunately exploratory work in the area of remote courts had already commenced, enabling quick mobilisation of a remote court environment for suitable cases and matters. In their first year, remote courts have facilitated tens of thousands of matters across nearly all courts, with the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal using them most prolifically. The result, reduced numbers attending court during the pandemic which supported the Courts Service Covid-19 safety management programme. Video-linked appearances with the Irish Prison Service have increased by 10,000 approximately in the past 12 months, helping to reduce prisoner movement and keep Covid out of the prisons.

Angela Denning, CEO, Courts Service, signing the Our Public Service Declaration on Innovation committing the Courts Service to use innovation as a key enabler in the delivery of public services.

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With 4,400 remote court sessions and over 16,350 videolink appearances in 12 months, it sounds as though the Courts Service is well on track to achieving its ambitious modernisation goals. However, they are only scratching the surface according to Angela Denning, CEO of the Courts Service. Denning explains how the Courts Service is placing the user at the centre of its modernisation plans to digitise court systems, processes and services, to achieve its longterm vision for a world-class justice system in Ireland.

The Courts Service is a statutorily independent state agency, providing frontline services to facilitate the administration and management of the Courts in Ireland. A large organisation, the Courts Service comprises 1,100 staff working across a nationwide network of offices and court venues, providing services in civil, criminal and family law to court users daily. The Courts Service facilitates approximately 445,000

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criminal matters, 233,000 civil matters, and 20,150 domestic violence applications through the Superior, Circuit and District Courts annually. Paper intensive, the plan to digitise such extensive operations is no mean feat.

However, Denning is unphased: “We’re placing the user at the centre of our Modernisation Programme, which will realise our long-term strategic vision of a world-class justice system. Where digital

Supporting the Courts Service’s ambitious plans and recognising how technology has helped to keep courts open and safe during the pandemic, the Government in Budget 2021 allocated over €2.2 million to upgrade courtroom technology. By the end of this year more than 100 courtrooms will have been tech enabled increasing the opportunities for evidence to be given remotely in suitable cases by witnesses including social workers, scientists from Forensic Science Ireland and members of An Garda Síochána. Although remote courts might be here to stay, having been cited

by Sylvia Thompson in her Irish Times feature on 14 March 2021 as one of “16 sweet ideas to improve our country postpandemic”, Denning remains user focused: “We now have much more informed users who have real-life experience of remote courts, we now need to listen to them and their feedback before we decide on solutions for the longer term, a project we’ve already started. Based on initial feedback, our experience to date and that of the judiciary, I would envisage a future of ‘hybrid courts’. A mix of physical and digital courts that would be suitable, to

Source: COLLINS

meet the varying needs of our diverse range of users.”

Denning continues by referencing Chief Justice Bridget McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court who describes the modernising effect of the pandemic on their Courts as well in terms of “not being the disruption we wanted, but it might have been the disruption courts needed to accelerate change in a way that can produce a justice system that’s more accessible, transparent and efficient”.

In addition to robust Civil and Family Law and Organisational Reform Programmes, encouraging an innovative approach will support modernisation across the Courts Service. Denning explains: “This month sees the launch of our Innovation Strategy complete with innovation pathways, networkers and advocates who will champion sparks of creativity across the organisation to full business case proposals.”

The ICT Strategy will be followed by a data strategy setting out the Courts Service approach to leveraging the value of data to streamline operations, and to

Chief Justice Frank Clarke hearing a Supreme Court case through the remote court facility on the Pexip platform in 2020.

A technology enabled courtroom in the Criminal Courts of Justice, Dublin, 2021.

inform and improve timely and insightful decision making, while enshrining good data protection practices throughout the organisation. Both strategies will reflect the Government’s digital and data approach. Similar strategies are anticipated from other justice sector agencies who are also working to ambitious reform agendas. In full recognition of wider digital reforms planned across the justice sector and the fact that users tend to come into contact with one or more agencies as they journey across the justice system, the Courts Service is keen to collaborate with key partners across the sector.

Denning explains: “Users come into contact with a number of different agencies as they experience the justice system, and they want to be able to transition smoothly from one interaction and one organisation to the next. As users become increasingly more digital savvy, they will expect a more efficient approach to data entry and will not expect to have to enter their data more than once to be in ‘the system’. We therefore need a joined-up approach

across the justice sector without compromising the protection of people’s data rights whilst also ensuring maximum trust and transparency. The Courts Service is keen to continue to collaborate with our key partners to help users to navigate the wider digital reforms planned across the justice sector: to realise a digital vision for the future of the Courts which supports the user experience.”

For more information on the Courts Service visit www.courts.ie

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At the building capability and capacity stage of its Modernisation Programme the Courts Service is introducing several strategies this year across the areas of communications, people and organisation development, estates and energy and ICT. The ICT Strategy will be key to the digital transformation of the Courts as it will set out how the Courts Service plans to develop its IT infrastructure and applications capability to support modernisation and the longterm vision.

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The appetite for innovation demonstrated by Courts Service staff during the pandemic is key to how Denning envisages the Modernisation Programme building on the momentum created by the pandemic: “Through rising to the challenges of the pandemic together, we have learned many lessons and implemented new and creative solutions. The introduction of the iAuditor application is a good example of how our staff are open to digital innovation.

Monitoring compliance levels with our Covid-19 safety management protocols on paper was going to be a real challenge across an expansive estate of court rooms and court offices nationwide. Colleagues identified a digital application which allows our network of Covid-19 worker representatives to upload compliance breaches in real-time so that they can be assessed immediately and addressed.”

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Freedom to innovate

Public Service Data Catalogue In February 2021, the Government launched the Public Service Data Catalogue aimed at enhancing the transparency of public service data by publishing a list of datasets held by almost 100 public bodies.

The catalogue is a key element of the Government’s move to deliver a wholeof-government approach to how data is used and managed within the public service, included in the Public Service Data Strategy 2019-2023.

The Strategy built on the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019, which put in place the safe and secure sharing of data across government.

One of the Strategy’s objectives is to increase the reuse of data for the benefit of citizens, businesses and policy makers. Although a simplistic concept

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when set out, a recognisable barrier to the reuse of data by both the public and private sector is the lack of knowledge that relevant datasets exists.

In 2017, the Economist published an article that argued that data was “the new oil” in the context of growing recognition that data collection from digital platforms was a much soughtafter commodity by those designing marketing and communication strategies.

Much attention for the article was focused on the power of rising data monopolies and the need for controls around personal data flows but an often

overlooked element of the article was the benefits it highlighted for organisations around how new technologies and data could help organisations become better decision-makers and increase business intelligence.

In his Technical Paradigms and Digital Eras book, Giacomo Chiesa points out that while ‘data as an asset’ is a much more widely accepted concept today, “organisations, including from the public sector, often fail to govern, manage and value data in the same way as the other assets that are relevant for their success”.

Freedom to innovate

This, he says, undermines the possibility of taking advantage of the opportunities brought by the “digitisation of a huge amount of information that was previously intangible”.

digital government report

The OECD recognises that while data governance is increasingly relevant to data protection practices at a global scale in a more exclusive and explicit fashion, a “strong and unbalanced approach to data overprotection” can reduce the value of data sharing.

Discoverability of data and over protection of data are two distinct issues but both relate to a wider unavailability of data for better efficiencies. The Public Service Data Strategy 2019-2023 recognised that “as proliferation of public service data increases, so too does the challenge of discoverability, which determines the ability of a piece of content, information, or data to be found and accessed”.

A data catalogue, which contains information on data holdings within an organisation, is the main mechanism for making data discoverable.

The launch of the Public Service Data Catalogue in March 2021 is the outworking of a commitment within the Strategy to enable public sector bodies to list and describe their data holdings.

The advantages of the catalogue are numerous in that it not only increases transparency for citizens, presenting a portal for the discovery of datasets and services that are available, but that it also promotes cross-government and internal public sector body data awareness and reuse.

At the time of its launch, the Public Service Data Catalogue was providing information on over 1,200 datasets across almost 100 public sector bodies.

Datasets from public bodies include personal data, business data and data critical to business decisions or service delivery.

Welcoming the catalogue, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, said: “The Catalogue is a key step in providing more data awareness and data transparency with the public. It will show

“It will show people what data their public service holds, why they hold that data and how it is used.”

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD.

people what data their public service holds, why they hold that data and how it is used.

“The catalogue contains a wide range of datasets from across the public service, all in one place. It demonstrates the benefits of joined-up Government, where public bodies work together to deliver a single unified service.”

The Public Service Data Catalogue is intended to present high-level information on key datasets across the public service. It does not list all the datasets across public service organisations.

The catalogue provides only metadata on datasets it records and does not provide

direct access to the datasets it records.

However, many of datasets listed are available for download via the Open Data Portal, data.gov.ie.

Minister of State for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth TD, added: "Data plays a pivotal role in Government – it drives informed decision-making, shapes public policy and is central to the delivery of public services.

“The Public Service Data Catalogue is part of a wider programme of actions and initiatives in the Public Service Data Strategy that aim to make Ireland an exemplar in how it manages data.”

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digital government report

Changing citizen demands: How local authorities are adapting to the digital-first world personalised interactions and increased efficiency,” explains Power.

Annertech is Ireland’s leading opensource digital agency, with its core areas of business being the delivery and maintenance of websites and web applications that are developed using the Drupal platform. They have a strong heritage in helping local authorities to deliver digital transformation and count Limerick City and County Council, Fingal County Council and Cork County Council among their clients.

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We all know that the aim of digital public services is to reduce administrative burdens on businesses and citizens by making interactions with public bodies efficient, more convenient, and less costly.

But in the now digital-first world, most local authorities have had to further up their game to meet the expectations of their citizens, writes Stella Power, Managing Director of Annertech.

In the most recent Public Service ICT Strategy (2015–2020), one of its five pillars is a digital-first approach. This tenet called for the “digitisation of key transactional services and the increased use of ICT to deliver improved efficiency within public bodies and provide new digital services to citizens, businesses and public servants”. However, whether it is due to the precipitation of the pandemic or not, the Government’s vision for a Public Service Digital Strategy has stalled at a time when most 112

transactions and interactions need to be online.

The importance of a digital-first approach for local authorities “Efficient and transparent public services have a direct impact on the quality of our lives. It is the digital-enablement of these services that fosters coherent and user-centric processes, improves the quality of services through flexible and

“What we have found through our work with local authorities is that they all share the same pain points and, by and large, have the same challenges when it comes to bringing services online for their citizens and businesses. Though the Government hasn’t been forthcoming with the next five-year strategy, building on the success of previous local authority projects, we are continuing to help the sector to create innovative digital solutions in the digitalfirst world,” continues Power.

Recently Annertech teamed up with McCann Dublin and Enovation to deliver a new, robust, user-centric digital platform for Dublin City Council (DCC) – here is what the project entailed.

Enabling Ireland’s largest local authority serve its citizenry In keeping with the Irish Government’s ICT Strategy, DCC made the commitment to using digital technologies to fundamentally change the way we live, work, and interact with each other.

Part of this commitment is the delivery of a user-friendly, intuitive website that meets the needs of its citizens.

The challenge The DCC website was showing signs of age and was not fit for purpose. Issues included:

• The information architecture had been altered as services grew, and this had an adverse effect on the overall information architecture; • The website did not perform well on all devices leading to users being unable to locate important information; • Searches were returning unexpected results and were reduced in quality by out-of-date content; and

McCann Dublin, Annertech and Enovation were enlisted to deliver a digital experience that would help their users to access services easily while also helping DCC to become more efficient. This required the following approach.

Our approach Discovery The first step was to understand the scale of the problem, from both internal and external perspectives. McCann conducted on-site customer research where we asked people waiting in the Council’s Wood Quay offices whether they had considered using the website or not and recorded their feedback live.

We also held departmental workshops with DCC employees. We used user personas and data gathered from consumer research to help DCC employees to see the site from the user’s perspective.

Content and editorial support

Deirdre Ní Raghallaigh, Senior Executive Officer, DCC discovery and UX/UI phase, Annertech was charged with the delivery of a digital platform that was secure, highperforming, and easy to use by content editors.

To achieve this, we undertook the following: • Implemented Drupal 8 CMS that allows the Council to have complete control over their content whilst keeping within style guidelines by implementing reusable components; • Created a custom theme which responds to the device being used to ensure visibility of content for all; • Custom-built search interfaces for specific resources and fine-tuned search results ensure users can locate the content they need; • Migrated content from a draft repository; • Worked with the Council to create a custom editing interface which meets their needs for internal workflow and content governance; • Extensive testing and bug resolution — systems testing, UAT and performance; and • Worked with their hosting partner, Enovation, to ensure the site was performant and worked well in the production environment.

Information architecture, wireframing and site design

A new behavioural paradigm has emerged in the past 18 months. Not only do people expect ubiquitous digital

During the workshops, the sitemap was optimised with input from DCC employees. This allowed us to develop an informed information architecture and intelligent, accessible wireframes. We designed all site components, as well as the functional spec of more complex elements such as the location finder and search.

Technical solution

How local authorities can thrive in a digitalfirst world

“What has become apparent from our work with local authority clients is that they are grasping that as customer preferences change, an opportunity exists to simplify the channels they offer to their citizens. Also, as people now use digital channels as their first port of call, local authorities need to come up with innovative ways to digitally interact with their citizens,” says Power.

One means to achieving cost savings when developing your digital platform is learning from other councils and indeed building upon what they have done. We have seen this in the code sharing between Limerick City Council and Fingal County Council that adheres to the Government’s build to share principle.

“As build to share and digital-first are the first two pillars of the Government’s ICT Strategy — and will very likely form the bedrock of any new strategic objectives — it is how local authorities coalesce their knowledge to solve common problems that will then free up time, money and resources to focus on innovation and nuanced ways to further meet the expectations of today’s citizens,” Power concludes.

T: 01 524 0312 E: hello@annertech.com W: www.annertech.com

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The new dublincity.ie site required a lot of content, over 700 pages worth. The majority of it was written by DCC employees who had attended our empathy workshops. Before content went into production, we developed templates for every possible kind of page that outlined what information should go where.

interactions but they now want to transact with organisations on their own terms, expecting convenience and a seamless experience across all touch points. This is no more so than with interfacing with local authorities.

digital government report

• The look, feel and accessibility of the website no longer met the needs of users.

“The site looks and functions well and has received a lot of praise from councillors, staff and users since launch. From the outset, we were very impressed with your approach to the project, the openness to feedback along with the pragmatic attitude to solving problems as they arose.”

Annertech’s Expertise Founded in 2008, Annertech has grown to become the go to Drupal experts in Ireland and work with a range of clients in both the private and public sectors.

They specialise in developing enterprise Drupal solutions for clients, usually where there are complex requirements such as integration with external systems, multilingual functionality, editorial workflows and large-scale content migrations, including projects where performance, scalability and security are of the utmost importance.

After the completion of the extensive 113

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Digital government key indicators digital government report

Individuals using internet for:

eGovernment performance Penetration (%)

Digitisation (%)

Ireland

69

65

EU27+UK

60

72

Interacting with public authorities Ireland 61% EU28 55%

Relative indicators and environment Government characteristics (%)

User characteristics (%)

Digital skills

ICT usage

Quality

Openness

Connectivity

Digital in the private sector

Ireland

56

62

78

84

46

74

EU27+UK

50

58

70

69

52

44

Obtaining information

Downloading official forms Ireland 44% EU28 33%

Key enablers

Growth

Ireland 46% EU28 44%

Digital context characteristics (%)

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Regular business operations (2019)

Sending filled forms Ireland 55% EU28 38%

Moving (2019)

Owning and Starting a driving a car small claims (2019) procedure (2019)

Ireland

Business start-up (2018)

Family life (2018)

Losing and finding a job (2018)

Studying (2018)

EU27+UK average

Key enablers (%)

Ireland EU27+UK

eID

eDocuments

Authentic

Digital post

42

68

57

31

57.4

68.4

56.9

67.3 Source: Eurostat 2019

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Freedom to innovate

User-centricity

Growth

eGovernment indicators:

120 100 80 60 40 20 0

User-centricity

Moving (2019)

Ireland

Ireland 90% EU27+UK 86.5%

Ireland 42% EU27+UK 61.4%

Losing and finding a job (2018)

Studying (2018)

Family life (2018)

Losing and finding a job (2018)

Studying (2018)

Family life (2018)

Losing and finding a job (2018)

Studying (2018)

EU27+UK average

Growth

Moving (2019)

Citizens’ cross-border mobility Ireland 68% EU27+UK 50.8%

Key enablers

Family life (2018)

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Regular business operations (2019)

Owning and Starting a driving a car small claims (2019) procedure (2019)

Ireland

Business start-up (2018)

EU27+UK average

Transparency 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Growth

Business cross-border mobility Ireland 76% EU27+UK 67%

Business start-up (2018)

Cross-border mobility

Transparency Ireland 69% EU27+UK 65.6%

Owning and Starting a driving a car small claims (2019) procedure (2019)

digital government report

Regular business operations (2019)

Regular business operations (2019)

Moving (2019)

Owning and Starting a driving a car small claims (2019) procedure (2019)

Ireland

Business start-up (2018)

EU27+UK average

Source: eGovernment Benchmark report 2020

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Putting Public Sector Front and Centre

Codec's Head of Public Sector Larry Tobin, flanked by his colleagues CFO Fiona Daly and Commercial Director John Roddy, launching Codec's dedicated Public Sector team for Microsoft solutions in Ireland

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a big increase of organisations in both the public and private sectors adopting Cloud technologies. Codec has been helping public sector bodies to take advantage of the many benefits of digital transformation and they have now established of a dedicated Public Sector team. eolas speaks to technology veteran, Larry Tobin, about the challenges faced by Public Sector today and why now was the right time for Codec to set out their stall with this new team.

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Codec is a local Irish Software company (now in its 37th year) with a fantastic reputation amongst many public sector organisations (over 40 in fact) that use a variety of Microsoft technologies for their day to day operations (e.g. Dynamics 365, Azure, SharePoint, Teams and Power Platform).

Larry (who has 40 years’ experience in the ICT sector) joined Codec in 2010 to set up a new Dynamics CRM practice and over the past 10 years, has been instrumental in helping Codec to build the largest Dynamics practice in Ireland, one that was chosen as Dynamics Partner of Year for five years running.

In late 2020, Codec decided it was time to create a new team that would focus solely on the public sector and Larry was appointed to head up the team in January 2021.

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Having previously worked for the LGMA (LGCSB) for 10 years Larry has always had a particular grá for the public sector.

“It’s a great privilege to be asked to head up a team that will be dedicated to helping our public sector to deliver on their digital transformation objectives.

We feel that it is so important that the Irish public sector are aware there is an indigenous (and Microsoft full suite) ICT specialist on their doorstep. With offices in Dublin, Galway and Belfast, Codec has an all-Ireland presence,” he comments.

Codec have seen huge growth over the recent past and FTE staff numbers are currently at 240 and this number is forecasted to increase to 300 by the end of 2021.

Codec are probably best known for helping public sector bodies with their

implementations of Dynamics 365, but Larry’s ambition is to build on their current reputation by helping their customers to take full advantage of the benefits the cloud can offer especially in the areas of Intelligent Automation (RPA, AI, Chatbot) and Azure (Application Modernisation, Windows Virtual Desktop and Data Centre Migration).

As a Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing solutions across the full suite of technologies, Larry suggests that their certifications set them apart from the competition. “We were the first Microsoft Partner in Ireland to achieve the Azure Expert MSP certification. The Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP) program is a new global initiative from Microsoft to highlight and promote only the most capable partners (only 80 partners worldwide have achieved Azure

Delivering Successful Projects in Public Sector “We are the largest Irish Microsoft partner and we are very proud of our reputation for delivering solutions around Microsoft technologies but now is the time to bring a new focus and energy by creating this dedicated public sector team,” says Larry.

Windows Virtual Desktop for Queen’s University “Working with Queen’s University in Belfast, we successfully implemented Windows Virtual Desktop for over 1,500 students and staff. Through Windows Virtual Desktop, students can use any device to have access to the full

• Paternity Leave and their Shorter

The net result for the university’s IT department is that instead of having to provide technical support to a potentially enormous range of platforms and devices, it can work with a vastly simplified system. According to Tobin “Over 130 specialised apps are supported through the system which has also greatly enhanced security because the applications are served remotely from the cloud and data is stored in the cloud. In addition, multi-factor authentication has increased security by ensuring that only those that are allowed can access the data,” he adds.

Power Apps has optimised and

Power Apps in Fáilte Ireland

Working Year option

automated elements of the process to enable quicker turnaround times for applicants and a streamlined approval process, whilst saving the need to print, post, scan and repeat.

Following on from the success of this Power App project, Fáilte’s next step in their Digital Workplace initiative is to empower users to deliver Power Apps solutions directly. Codec have empowered users to develop Power Apps within the organisation by providing them with the necessary tools and training.

Many organisations are discovering the value of Power Apps and the ability to automate previously manual and timeconsuming tasks. One such organisation we worked with recently was Fáilte Ireland where, following their migration to the cloud they identified the need that legacy solutions on older platforms be re-designed and optimised to maximise the range of applications available.

Digital Transformation and the Public Sector

Using Power Apps for the HR department, Fáilte Ireland have enabled an auditable digital sign-off process for existing paper-based processes. This has allowed Human Resources to continue to process and manage applications for a range of services such as:

demonstrates our commitment to

• Maternity Leave

Larry comments: “Digital transformation for public sector organisations can be challenging. Having worked on many such projects, Codec know and understand the complexities involved

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Codec has a fantastic reputation and track record in delivering Dynamics solutions to over 35 public sector bodies (or 15,000 users across public sector bodies) but Codec also has extensive experience in delivering many successful projects using other Microsoft technologies such as Azure, Teams and Power Platform. “With a wealth of experience under our belt, we have been lucky enough to work on some very exciting recent projects within the education and semi-state sectors.”

processing power of the university’s systems remotely.”

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Expert MSP). We have also completed the Windows Virtual Desktop and Cloud Business Application specialisations says Tobin. “This makes us unique and fantastic proof that we are playing ‘senior hurling’ when it comes to the Cloud.”

better than most. In establishing this dedicated Public Sector team, it helping our public sector to deliver transformational solutions.”

Larry Tobin, Head of Public Sector Email: ltobin@codec.ie Phone: 086 774 9881 Web: www.codec.ie

• Parental Leave 117

eolas europe

Tax transparency and multinationals Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD, has been advised to maintain a “principled opposition” to refreshed efforts in the EU to introduce greater tax transparency for multinationals.

Robert Troy TD.

A briefing by officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the Minister of State, seen by the Irish Times, strongly recommended that Troy makes an intervention to oppose the proposed tax changes, with officials pointing to implications for Ireland’s competitiveness and ability to attract FDI.

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The European Commission first launched plans to introduce country-by-country reporting proposals back in 2016 in the wake of the ‘Luxembourg Leaks’ financial scandal of 2014, which uncovered sweetheart tax deals to multinationals and sparked wider international investigations.

The 2015 and 2016 Commission

packages contained tax transparency announcements, including further transparency requirements for companies, such as the public disclosure of certain tax information by multinationals.

Country-by-country reporting essentially means that multinationals with a total

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“Tax transparency is a fundamental principle in any democratic society. It enables policy makers to take informed decisions and to ensure that all economic actors contribute in a fair and equitable manner to the economy of the various countries where they conduct their business.”

Portguese Minister of State for the Economy and Digital Transition, Pedro Siza Vieira.

consolidated group revenue of at least €750 million would be required to publicly report on how much tax they pay and where they pay it.

they conduct their business. Today's debate has opened the way for the proposed directive to move forward as a matter of priority.”

The European Parliament voted on the proposal and passed the file to the EU Council of Ministers in July 2017. Since then, it has remained stuck.

A majority of ministers invited the Portuguese presidency to seek a negotiating mandate with the European Parliament to explore the possibility of a deal for the adoption of the directive.

A core group of member states, including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland have stood opposed to the introduction and essentially stalled its introduction into law.

However, in early 2021, Portugal’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union won broad support from EU countries to move forward with the directive.

On 25 February, an informal video conference of internal market and industry ministers had a public exchange of views on how to take the proposed directive forward.

Following the meeting. Pedro Siza Vieira, Portuguese Minister of State for the Economy and Digital Transition said: “Tax transparency is a fundamental principle in any democratic society. It enables policy makers to take informed decisions and to ensure that all economic actors contribute in a fair and equitable manner to the economy of the various countries where

On 8 March 2021, the JURI-ECON committees’ decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations was announced in plenary (Rule 72).

The Irish Government’s opposition is founded in the belief that tax ministers, rather than competition ministers, who deal with internal market rules, should handle the measure. The progress of the proposal through the EU’s competitiveness council, which is made up of national EU trade and enterprise ministers, means that the law only required a qualified majority to pass.

Approval by finance ministers, however, would require unanimous support and effectively grant those member states opposed to the change a veto.

Speaking during the public session discussion, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD, said that while the Irish Government supports transparency and good governance, they

would prefer to see the measure developed with tax expertise. “Tax experts are best placed to ensure that international efforts to collect income tax from multinational corporations will not be undermined by new measures,” he stated.

According to the Irish Times, the brief sent by departmental officials to Minister Troy also flagged a potential conflict between his opposition to the change while it is being supported by Ireland’s EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness.

The Commission requires its commissioners to represent the whole of the EU when in the joint executive, not national positions.

McGuinness has previously outlined her belief that country-by-country reporting will happen. The Commissioner leads the Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union portfolio, meaning that she will be responsible for bringing into force the taxation proposal.

The Portuguese Minister of State for the Economy and Digital Transition, Siza Vieira, has expressed his hope that “trialogue” talks between EU member states, the European Parliament and the European Commission could see an agreement found before June.

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Irish defamation law ‘a constraint on media freedom’ Ireland’s defamation laws “raise concerns as regards the ability of the press to expose corruption”, the European Commissioner for Justice has stated.

Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs in March and underlined concerns in the EU around the frequent use and high costs of defamation cases in Ireland.

Reynders was in Ireland to discuss the EU Commission’s Rule of Law report, which produced specific country chapters for each member state. It includes analysis on the topics of judicial independence, media plurality and anticorruption measures.

Published in September 2020, the first annual report on the Rule of Law across the European Union is intended to kickstart an inclusive debate on rule of law culture across the EU. Ireland’s defamation laws are amongst the strictest in Europe and there has long been calls for reform of the laws by those who believe that the bar for lawsuits is set too low. Around 80 per cent of all defamation actions in Ireland are brought against the media.

Damages in a defamation case can be extremely expensive and the prospect of such costs, in addition to legal costs,

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means that the majority of libel cases have traditionally been settled before coming to court.

When the Defamation Act 2009 first came into force, it was envisaged that the Minister for Justice would complete a review of its operation within one year, however, despite repeated efforts over the last decade to progress a review, none have been completed.

Responding to a comment by Senator Michael McDowell, who when Minister for Justice in the early 2000s initiated reforms of the defamation law, that Irish defamation law is “a little bit suffocating of investigative journalism”, Reynders added: “The report indicates that frequent defamation legal cases, the high cost of defence and the high damages awarded by the Irish courts are seen as an inducement to self-censorship and a constraint on media freedom.”

The Commissioner says that this “works to the detriment of the fight against corruption”.

Ireland’s Programme for Government has set out an ambition for the Government to review and reform defamation laws,

aiming to “ensure a balanced approach to the right to freedom of expression, the right to protection of good name and reputation, and the right of access to justice”.

Noting that the Government has pledged to reform defamation laws, Reynders said that ensuring a balance between freedom of expressions, the right to the protection of reputation, and the right of access to justice, is very important.

In February 2021, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD, published the Government’s Justice Plan 2021, which included amongst 200 actions to be implemented in the next 12 months, a pledge to review and reform defamation laws.

The plan set out intentions to complete and publish a statutory review of the Defamation Act 2009 by quarter one of 2021 and to prepare a Scheme of Defamation (Amendment) Bill by quarter four.

Rule of Law Reynders opened his address to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on

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European Union Affairs by expressing his gratitude to the legislature and authorities in Ireland for their “strong commitment to upholding the rule of law”.

Setting out the basis for the Rule of Law Report, the Commissioner said: “Respect for the rule of law is key in the Union. Yet, we have seen these years it cannot always be taken for granted.”

On the independence, quality, and efficiency of the justice system in Ireland, the Commissioner welcomed the establishment of an independent Judicial Council at the end of 2019 and pointed to a general perception that the independence of courts and judges “has been consistently high over the last years” in Ireland.

However, the Commissioner pointed to concerns around the controversial Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017, which included the creation of a judicial appointments commission chaired by someone who was not a judge amongst other reforms.

While the Bill was prevented from passing into law before the end of the last government mandate, in December 2020 the Minister for Justice announced that she had secured government approval for the drafting of a Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. The Bill provides for the establishment of a new commission to replace the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board.

Commenting on concerns raised in regard to the previous bill relating to the composition of the judicial appointment commission, Reynders said: “A decrease in the number of candidates to be submitted to the Government for consideration, as well as the application of the procedure to all judicial appointments could limit political discretion.” The Commissioner underlined the importance of reforms to take account of the Council of Europe recommendations and said that the EU Commission was following the creation of a new Bill in Ireland closely.

Reynders pointed to the potential for accountability of judges to be improved through the establishment of the body in charge of disciplinary proceedings

EU Commission Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders.

against judges but added that as the Dáil remains in charge of deciding the removal from office of judges, this could “raise concerns about the politicisation of the process”.

Finally, he stated that the Commission is aware that work is still ongoing on establishing a compensation scheme to award damages in the event of protracted court proceedings, as required by a European Court of Human Rights judgement.

Anti-corruption On the anti-corruption framework, the Commissioner acknowledged the reforms that have been carried out in Ireland, in particular through the Criminal Justice Act 2018, aiming to strengthen the fight against corruption. However, while he recognised the positive development of the Act including several offences relating to corruption, he added that the dual criminality provision “may limit the scope for prosecuting foreign bribery”.

As outlined above, Reynder, under the pillar of media pluralism, set out his belief that the frequent use and high costs of defamation cases raise concerns. However, the Commissioner highlighted “constitutional guarantees and solid regulatory structures” in Ireland around media pluralism.

“These operate within a political culture that avoids intervention in editorial

content of media outlets and prevents conflicts of interests in terms of media ownership,” he stated, adding that steps by the media regulator to update and publish information on media ownership on an annual basis is to be welcomed.

Checks and balance On the last pillar of the report, the Commissioner said that Ireland has an established practice of consultation on draft legislation by the Government and Parliament, and of impact assessments.

“The scrutiny over Private Members’ Bills that pass a certain stage of the legislative process is similarly developed,” he said, adding that the Commission’s understanding that the Human Rights and Equality Commission is “well equipped” to carry out its functions.

However, he said that some concerns had been raised in relation to restrictions on funding possibilities for civil society organisations. Stating the Commission’s understanding that the space for civil society organisations is generally considered open in Ireland, Reynders pointed to some concerns that the current interpretation of the Electoral Act is a constraint on civil society actions.

The Commission is working on the second edition of the report, which is set to be adopted in July of this year.

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Seanad byelections eolas examines the circumstances of the recent Seanad byelection and the mechanisms by which Seanad byelections are decided.

One of the main points of criticism of the Seanad has been its limited electorate, with its 60 seats made up of 43 vocational panel electees, 11 nominations by the Taoiseach, three from the National University of Ireland constituency and another three from the University of Dublin (Trinity College Dublin) constituency. For example, the electorate that elected the 25th Seanad in 2016 numbered just 1,155 people, of which 1,124 voted. As Michael D’Arcy was a member of the Agricultural Panel and Elisha McCallion was a member of the Industrial and Commercial Panel, the byelection triggered by their respective resignations was voted on only by Oireachtas members.

D’Arcy’s resignation came in September 2020, when he decided to resign his

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position in order to become Chief Executive of the Irish Association of Institute Management. This brought to an end D’Arcy’s 17-year career as an elected representative. Having been elected to the Wexford County Council in 2003, D’Arcy was elected to the Dáil in 2007, but lost his seat in 2011. That same year, he was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Administrative Panel.

In 2016, he was once again elected to the Dáil and appointed Minister of State for the Department of Finance, but again lost his seat in 2020, at which point he was again elected to the Seanad, this time for the Agricultural Panel. His resignation just five months later also brought to an end the D’Arcy family’s time as representatives of Wexford. D’Arcy’s father Michael was first elected to the

Dáil in 1977. Just like his son, he would lose and regain his seat, serving as a TD from 1977-87, 1989-92 and 1997-2002.

Between Dáil stints, D’Arcy senior also served as a Senator from 1993-97.

McCallion, on the other hand, resigned her seat from the Industrial and Commercial Panel in October 2020 after it had emerged that three Sinn Féin offices, including McCallion’s former Westminster office, had failed to promptly return Covid-19 small business grants that they had erroneously received from the British Government. The former MP, MLA and Mayor of Derry resigned her seat, accepting that she had been responsible for the bank account and should have acted sooner.

As both of the resigned members had been members of vocational panels, the

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electorate for the byelection consists of Oireachtas members only, giving the election a total electorate of 218: 160 TDs and 58 Senators. In normal circumstances, the 43 vocational panel Senators are elected by an electorate of TDs, outgoing Senators and members of Ireland’s city and county councils.

Nomination is normally restricted to Oireachtas members and designated nominating bodies.

These nominating bodies are civic society organisations and there are 110 in total. Aspiring Senators apply for nominations to a given body for the sector they represent, with the criteria of the amended 1947 Seanad Electoral Panel Members Act allowing the body to then nominate the given candidate. With 110 bodies across five panels, the nominating bodies vary across a wide range, from the Irish Georgian Society, the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Federation of University Teachers to the Chambers of Commerce Ireland and the Construction Industry Federation to charities such as the Irish Kidney Association, Enable Ireland and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland.

However, in this byelection, candidates simply require nine signatures from sitting Oireachtas members, be they TDs or Senators. Ballot papers for the election were issued on 7 April, with polls closing at 11am on 21 April.

Three candidates challenged to replace D’Arcy on the Agricultural Panel, with two former Senators in the mix: Maria Byrne of Fine Gael, a Senator form 2016-20; Angela Feeney of Labour, a Kildare County Councillor; and Ian Marshall, the independent former Senator from 201820.

Marshall himself was elected to the Seanad in 2018 after winning a byelection to fill the vacancy on the Seanad’s Agricultural Panel caused by Denis Landy’s resignation. In doing so, he became the first explicitly unionist member of the Oireachtas since the 1930s. Sinn Féin, instead of running its own candidate, is supporting the candidacy of Marshall, as it did in 2018.

The former president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union and Markethill, Armagh native campaigned against Brexit and came to the attention of southern

Hazel Chu, Lord Mayor of Dublin

politicians through doing so, leading to then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to approach him to run in 2019. Marshall lost his seat in 2020 and had expressed disappointment not to be among new Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s nominations.

Byrne has also served on the Agricultural Panel in the past as a Senator from 201620, when she served with Marshall. Like Marshall, she lost her seat in 2020.

candidate each to honour an informal agreement between the parties. However, Chu announced later in the same month that she would run as an independent candidate which prompted party leader Eamon Ryan to say that he would not vote for her and refuse to confirm that Chu would be allowed to continue as party chair. “I will sit down and talk to my colleagues about that,” Ryan said.

There were are four candidates to replace McCallion on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, again featuring two former Senators: Ciarán Ahern of Labour, an employment lawyer; Hazel Chu, Lord Mayor of Dublin, running as an independent despite her status as Green Party chairperson; Gerry Horkan of Fianna Fáil, a Senator from 2016-20; and Billy Lawless, an independent who was also a Senator from 2016-20.

Nonetheless, Chu secured signatures from six Green Party Oireachtas members and three independents.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this seat race is the candidacy of Chu, Dublin’s Lord Mayor and chairperson of the Green Party. In March 2021, the Green Party executive council and a majority of its Oireachtas members agreed not to run candidates in either of the byelection races, leaving their two larger partners in government to run one

At the time of writing, polling in the byelection had not closed and thus the outcome is unknown. All votes in the election are cast by postal ballot and are counted using the single transferable vote system. Ballots in this case are initially given a value of 1,000 to allow calculation of quotas where all ballots are distributed in the case of a surplus.

Lawless, the businessman, became the first overseas Senator when he was appointed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in 2016. Having been based in Chicago, Lawless is now back in his native Galway and his candidacy is being supported by Sinn Féin.

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Minimum wage workers in Ireland Ireland’s minimum wage employees are more likely to be located in sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, an ESRI study has found.

The findings were part of a comparative analysis of minimum wage across Ireland, compared to other European countries where a minimum wage is operational.

The EU has suggested a Minimum Wage Initiative, proposing a legal instrument to ensure that every worker in the European Union has a fair minimum wage by 2024.

the minimum wage in Ireland will target a relatively small share of workers in lowincome households as minimum wage workers in Ireland are not heavily concentrated in low-income households and are instead spread across the income distribution, including often being in highincome households.

A total of 21 of the 27 EU member states, as well as the UK, currently have a statutory minimum wage. Ireland is second behind Luxembourg in nominal terms, however, falls to seventh in rank when purchasing power standards are applied.

Data for the report was gathered in 2017 and 2018 and it found that Ireland had an almost 10 per cent rate of employees paid the minimum wage. This compares favourably with member states at the highest scale of minimum wage employment, including Portugal (15.6 per cent), Germany (15.1 per cent), Poland (14.8 per cent), Hungary (14.2 per cent) and Spain (14 per cent). The UK’s rate was 13.6 per cent. However, some countries have a much lower minimum wage incidence rate than Ireland such as Belgium (1.7 per cent), Netherlands (2.6 per cent) and Greece (4.5 per cent).

Almost 11.5 per cent of minimum wage workers in Ireland were at risk of poverty pre-pandemic, which is the lowest poverty rate of minimum wage workers among all of the countries analysed by the research.

In the context of the pandemic, the research indicates that minimum wage increases in Ireland may only have a limited impact in trying to alleviate household poverty due to the spread of minimum wage workers across various household income types.

The analysis indicates that increases to

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Like most EU member states, in Ireland, age is a strong predictor of minimum wage status. The ESRI research found that employees in Ireland that are aged above 29 years are between five to eight percentage points less likely to be on the

minimum wage compared to younger employees.

However, minimum wage status is not isolated to younger people alone. In Ireland, 13 per cent of minimum age workers are aged 50 or over, a figure which compares to higher levels of over 25 per cent in the likes of Germany, Estonia, France, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and the UK. Interestingly, Ireland fares well when considering the difference in likelihood of minimum wage employment between genders. Both Ireland and the Netherlands are the only two EU countries not to register significant differences in the likelihood of minimum wage employment between genders. In other member states, women are between one and six percentage points more likely to be on the minimum wage than men, even when controlling for other factors.

In the majority of member states, nonnationals are more likely to be on the minimum wage than nationals. This was the case for nine out of 14 member states for which data was analysed. However, the range between member states was

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Incidence of minimum wage employment across countries (%), EU-SILC 2017 and 2018 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2%

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Note: Based on authors’ calculations using EU-SILC UDB Data for 2017 and 2018, version of 20/03/2020. The incidence of minimum wage employment is defined as the percentage of employees aged 18 to 65 earning on or below 105 per cent of the minimum wage. Source: ESRI

quite significant and were between one percentage point for Belgium compared to nine percentage points in Estonia and Spain. In Ireland, non-nationals are three percentage points more likely to be minimum wage employees than Irish nationals. Around 20 per cent of minimum wage employees in Ireland are nonnationals and at 13 per cent, it has one of the highest shares of non-nationals among all employees.

Another critical factor identified by the research is education. Employees with third-level education in Ireland are eight percentage points less likely to be on the minimum wage compared to those with a secondary or less education. Ireland has the highest-educated workforce among all countries studied and at 46 per cent, Ireland also has the highest percentage of highly educated minimum wage employees.

In terms of economic sectors, just under half (43 per cent) of all minimum wage employees in Ireland are located in the two sectors of wholesale and retail and accommodation and food. The ESRI research found that Ireland’s concentration of minimum wage employees in these sectors was the highest of all countries sampled. The concentration in these two sectors in Ireland is not consistent with analysis of comparative data on all employees, where countries including

Ireland's minimum wage employees aged 18 to 65 by economic sector (%) EU-SILC 2017 & 2018

19%

23%

3%

11% 23%

21% Agriculture and industry

Wholesale and retail

Accommodation and food

Health and social work

Public admin and defence

Other

Source: EU-SILC UDB Data for 2017-2018, version of 20/03/2020

Greece, Spain and Portugal have a higher percentage of employees within these two sectors.

The research suggests that the “disproportionate number” of minimum wage employees in these two sectors when compared to other countries has implications when considering the public health measures in response to the

pandemic, specifically business closures.

“Our analysis suggests that minimum wage workers in Ireland may be more susceptible to negative employment outcomes due to the public health measures compared to minimum wage workers in other countries,” the report states.

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would not be means tested and would not increase or decrease as your income changed. Under Green Party policy, UBI would be paid to all legal, permanent residents of the State. Those under the age of 18 would receive a universal child allowance payment and those reaching retirement age would move to a universal basic income pension payment.

Universal Basic Income The 2020 Programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver a universal basic income (UBI) pilot “in the lifetime of the Government”. An architect of the Green Party’s UBI policy, Neasa Hourigan TD explores the concept which could transform social welfare.

The idea of universal basic income has been gaining significant traction over recent years. Its advocates range from Pope Francis to President Micheal D Higgins and to NGOs such as Social Justice Ireland.1 2 But what is it and what would it do? Well in simplified terms it would comprise a fixed, regular sum of money being paid to every resident in the country. It is seen as a means to tackle the inherent economic inequality in our society and provide those participating in vital societal functions that are often neglected (such as caring for a loved one) with a means to support themselves.

UBI has been a core belief of the Green Party for the last 30 years and the party managed to secure a commitment in the Programme for Government for a UBI pilot during the lifetime of this government. It sits alongside a suite of universal supports that include the

provision of public housing and universal healthcare. Green Party Deputy Leader and Minister for the Arts, Catherine Martin TD, has since been working on extending this pilot to creatives and those working in the arts and this is likely to happen in the near future.

What is universal basic income?

But what is UBI? Why do it and how would it work? Firstly UBI is a wellestablished Green Party policy.3 UBI would operate as a standard payment to every individual that is resident in the State without reference to your means or ability/availability for employment i.e. you would not have to prove that you are ready to work to receive the payment.

You would be able to choose how you spend the payment however you wish. It

The Green Party believes UBI would lead to lower rates of poverty and help ensure that all members of our society enjoy a decent quality of life. It would help to begin the process of decoupling social function from employment. So, whether you are experiencing a phase of unemployment, volunteering, caring for a child or an elderly parent, it would give you a secure income. The concept supports the principles of sustainable development where the right to a humane standard of living is untethered from relentless growth in consumer production.

Would I lose out?

Understandably, with such systemic changes to our social protection system, those on lower incomes may fear they will lose out. And while the introduction of UBI would see the replacement of a number of current social protection payments such as the Old Age Pension, Unemployment Benefit and Children’s Allowance, we seek to ensure a system where everyone is better off under UBI and those receiving additional social protection payments will continue to receive them. As mentioned above, those under the age of 18 would receive a Universal Child Allowance payment and those reaching the retirement age would move automatically to a universal basic income pension payment.

Under the Green Party’s model all Child Dependent allowances would also continue. Other entitlements such as medical cards would not change and the same terms and conditions as currently applied would continue to do so. We would also work with carers and those in receipt of payments such as the Blind Pension to optimise their financial outcomes.

1. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/basic-income-for-all-has-the-covid-crisis-given-us-a-new-economic-model-1.4420419 2. https://www.socialjustice.ie/content/policy-issues/basic-income-and-ubs-key-improving-living-standards-after-covid-19 3. https://neasahourigan.com/docs/Green%20Party%20UBI%20Policy%20October%202019%20%28Final%29%20%28V12%29.pdf 126

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How much does it cost and how would we pay for it?

Under Green Party policy, to pay every resident in Ireland the rates we have proposed would cost about €6.5 billion each year. While this is an estimated cost and will need further investigation as part of any proposed trial, to put this figure into context, the total social protection expenditure in Budget 2021 was €25.1 billion, and €3.1 billion of this was Covid-19 related spending.4 We would help pay for all of this by raising money through a number of different taxes. There have been studies in the United States that have set out to calculate a budget-neutral UBI and the Green Party policy itself provides for the discontinuation of a number of current social protection payments (and almost all means tested payments) which would provide significant savings in the administration of the social protection system.5 6

Has it been tried before?

Yes! UBI pilots have been trialled in a number of countries including Finland, Germany, Kenya and Canada.7 A trial in Finland was conducted over a two-year period with over 2,000 people receiving a payment of €560 a month regardless of whether they were employed, seeking work or not seeking work.8 It found that UBI improved wellbeing, with participants more satisfied with their lives and experienced less mental health strain, depression, sadness and loneliness.9 These trials also found little evidence to substantiate the frequent criticism of UBI by business and employer confederations that unconditional payments would result in labour supply shortages. The evidence of the trials to date have found that payments have little effect on a person's willingness to work.10

What is being done and what happens next?

The Programme for Government 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

“Our new normal recognises that everyone deserves a minimum standard of living and that the State can and should play a role in that.”

Neasa Hourigan TD contained a commitment to have the Low Pay Commission examine UBI and to initiate a pilot within the lifetime of this Government.11 The huge levels of government support that has attempted to sustain the businesses and workers hit hardest by the current Covid-19 pandemic has proved that mass payments are feasible. The Arts Council has proposed to government that the pilot should be aimed at creatives and those working in the arts. This is a group of people who were among the first to be impacted by the pandemic when our art and cultural events were forced to close their doors over a year ago, and unfortunately this is also the group of people likely to be affected long-term.

Minister for the Arts, Catherine Martin TD is now working to introduce a UBI pilot for creatives and those in the arts, and indeed this was independently recommended in the Report of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce last November.12 As Minister Martin recently mentioned in an op-ed, many creatives are freelance and move frequently between selfemployment, PAYE employment and periods of little or no employment at all.13 This fact coupled with the devastating affects the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the creative industry makes this group a useful test for UBI and would help mitigate some of the precariousness of the sector’s future.

To date, Minister Martin has met with the Low Pay Commission to discuss the options for progressing a pilot and her officials are engaging with other relevant government departments including the

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/budgets/budget_2021.html# https://www.aei.org/economics/exploring-a-budget-neutral-ubi/ https://neasahourigan.com/docs/Green%20Party%20UBI%20Policy%20October%20 2019%20%28Final%29%20%28V12%29.pdf https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/19/21112570/universal-basic-incomeubi-map https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/07/finnish-basic-income-pilotimproved-wellbeing-study-finds-coronavirus https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/07/finnish-basic-income-pilotimproved-wellbeing-study-finds-coronavirus

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Finance. Currently we await the Low Pay Commission to complete an examination and analysis of UBI pilots in other countries before progressing to considerations on how best we can develop and implement a UBI pilot within the lifetime of the Government.14

Conclusion Up until now there has been a real resistance to the idea that our current taxation system and economic model could support a UBI system. But the Covid-19 pandemic has refocused the minds of many towards the health, wealth and well-being of our communities and UBI provides an interesting route forward. Through pensions and child allowance we already recognise the value of a universal safety net for everyone. UBI would replace a number of social welfare payments and would be a new way of providing a social safety net.

UBI would help to address poverty and economic inequality, but it would not necessarily promise to eradicate either. In the grander scheme of things, we must move towards a circular economy i.e. a regenerative system in which resource input and waste are minimised by narrowing and closing energy and material loops. UBI is part of the evolution of this system. But during this current Covid-19 pandemic, UBI has never been more important and viable as a policy position.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/basic-income-for-all-has-the-covidcrisis-given-us-a-new-economic-model-1.4420419 https://www.greenparty.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-06-15ProgrammeforGovernment_Corrected-Final-Version.pdf https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/4769e-arts-and-culture-recovery-taskforcereport-published/ https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/universal-basic-income-catherine-martin5385399-Mar2021/ https://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2020-11-19a.49#g51.r

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Electoral reform in focus Welcomed as the “the most significant electoral reform in decades”, the Government’s Electoral Reform Bill has also come in for criticism for lacking ambition.

The publication of the General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020 in January 2021 was broadly welcomed as an evolution of the electoral system in a bid to keep pace with an evolving society.

Primarily, the Bill introduces progress on the Government’s pledge within the Programme for Government to establish an Electoral Commission for Ireland, independent of government and reporting directly to the Oireachtas, by the end of 2021.

The Programme for Government outlined intentions for electoral reform, including the establishment of an Electoral Commission “to provide independent oversight of elections and referendums, to inform the public about elections and referendums, to update and maintain the electoral register, and to conduct elections”.

The Bill also includes provisions to modernise the electoral registration process.

Electoral Commission Proposals for an independent Electoral Commission in Ireland, centralising responsibilities currently distributed among various government departments, statutory agencies, and components of the Oireachtas, are not new. Government mandates of 2011-2016 and 2016-2020

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had also outlined plans for an Electoral Commission, but this was never implemented.

The scheme, submitted for pre-legislative scrutiny to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Local Government on 23 January, if passed into law through the Oireachtas, will see several existing statutory electoral functions, including responsibility for the registration of political parties, the work of the Referendum Commissions, Constituency Commissions and Local Electoral Area Boundary Commissions, passed to the new body.

The Commission is also set to be given responsibility for regulating online advertising during election periods and given oversight of the electoral register.

Additionally, the Commission will take on a public information, research, and advisory role in relation to electoral matters.

Presenting their research to the Oireachtas Committee on Local Government on 2 February, academics Theresa Reidy (UCC), Jane Suiter (DCU), and David Farrell (UCD) pointed to an opportunity for Ireland to be held out as a beacon in establishing an Electoral Commission fit for the 21st Century, but added: “It has taken nearly two decades to get to this point, which is why we believe that perhaps the most concerning aspect of the general scheme is the lack of ambition envisaged for the Commission.”

The academics explained: “The scheme heavily prescribes the structures and functions of the Commission leaving little room for expansion of current election management activities, to allow for its evolution in the decades to come, and the capacity to adapt to electoral integrity challenges of the future.”

Membership of the Commission is set to include a mix of experienced public officials in the electoral system and external experts, selected via a public competitive process.

The academics point to strong detail on what functions the Electoral Commission will take over from existing bodies but points to little information on how the Commission might grow its role in the future.

While the publication of the General Scheme has been welcomed, some criticisms have been levelled at the perceived “lack of ambition” for the Commission.

“In essence, this is a static design for a dynamic environment. The initial design must have more ambition to allow the commission to grow. For us, this is the big missing piece in this document.”

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Other significant reforms included in the Bill are the modernisation of the electoral register, aiming to simplify forms and the registration process, including an online option and a continuously updated rolling register. Additionally, the General Scheme proposes a move to a single, national electoral register and the introduction of provisional registration for 16- to 17-yearolds, which would then activate at 18.

Again, while the reforms have been welcomed, criticism centres on the absence of scope for the Commission itself to influence the approach to registrations. Specifically, academics Reidy, Suiter and Farrell pointed to “very limited” provisions for postal voting. The academics posed the question: “Will the new Electoral Commission be able to contribute to, and expand on the provisions outlined?”

Outlining the general scheme to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage debate, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan TD, described the General Scheme as “ambitious and forward-thinking”.

“We live in an evolving society. With the advent of new technology, changes in living patterns and changes in how we receive information, there has been a need for some time to regulate new media formats and to ensure that our people have transparency surrounding online political advertising, which may influence how we vote,” he said.

“We can also harness new technology to bring about a more secure, accurate and user-friendly electoral register. In addition, it is responsible and prudent to consider how we would run an electoral event with Covid-19 restrictions in place.

We have been working with officials to

make the necessary provisions for this, and it is to be hoped this will not be the case for too long.”

Political advertising Another proposed reform within the Bill is the provision that online paid-for political advertisements commissioned for use during electoral periods will be required to be clearly labelled as such.

Essentially this means that advertisements will display a transparency notice which will require information on who paid for the advertising, details of micro-targeting and the total cost of advertising.

A number of TDs raised concerns that the reforms don’t go far enough in bridging disparities in political advertising online and those of radio and television, where strict restrictions apply.

Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin outlined his belief that the regulation of online advertising appeared to be the “weakest section of the Bill”.

“I have no objection to the proposed provisions, but we have very strict spending limits for elections, which is one of the very progressive parts of our system compared with others. There is consideration of similar spending limits for similar periods with online advertisements and the application of other kinds of restrictions,” he told the committee.

“I cannot buy a variety of terrestrial or broadcasting advertisements during election campaigns, for example, so why is such a low bar approach being taken with online advertisements, given their significance?”

Another concern raised by social media companies is a potential conflict between

Ireland’s online electoral laws and those being implemented within the European Democracy Action Plan, which is seeking to apply new laws to political advertising online.

Speaking at the Joint Committee, Ronan Costello, Senior Manager of Public Policy for Twitter in Europe said that the platform shares the fundamental objective of the Electoral Reform Bill: “to make elections more transparent, to encourage accountability, and to promote an honest and informative civic conversation”.

“We have been witnessing trends to regulate online platforms at a national level by other EU state members and we are concerned that this fragmented approach will complicate any possibility of a more coherent and pan-European regulatory response,” he said.

Costello went on to say that the absence of a coherent set of standards at European level risked any new regulation “building virtual walls between our digital communities”.

Covid-19 Finally, the context of the pandemic has shaped part of the general scheme of the Bill in two key areas. Relating specifically only to where Covid-19 restrictions are in place, the General Scheme proposes an allowance for polling to be held over more than one day. This, the document states would assist not only with social distancing at polling stations but also offer flexibility to postal vote provision for those on the special voters list.

The Electoral Reform Bill is expected to be brought to the Oireachtas in 2021, with the Electoral Commission expected to be in place by 2021.

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AG A L L A M H · I N T E RV I E W:

Vivian Uíbh Eachach

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Labhraíonn Vivian Uíbh Eachach, An PríomhAistritheoir i Rannóg an Aistriúcháin i dTithe an Oireachtais le Odrán de Bhaldraithe faoin nGaeilge, faoin gCaighdeán Oifigiúil agus faoi thodhchaí na Rannóige.

Vivian Uíbh Eachach, Chief Translator in the Oireachtas’s Rannóg an Aistriúcháin, speaks with Odrán Waldron about the Irish language, An Chaighdeán Oifigiúil and the future of the Rannóg.

“Téann stair na seirbhíse aistriúcháin i nDáil Éireann siar go dtí bunú an Stáit agus, go deimhin, níos faide siar fós go dtí an Chéad Dáil,” deireann Uíbh Eachach. “Is é an príomhchuspóir atá ag Rannóg an Aistriúcháin seirbhísí aistriúcháin a chur ar fáil do Thithe an Oireachtais. Toisc gur stát dátheangach í Éire, de réir Bhunreacht na hÉireann, agus gur parlaimint dhátheangach é an tOireachtas, deineadh gach iarracht ó thús an chórais chun a chinntiú go mbeadh na tacaí ar fáil chun go bhféadfadh Tithe an Oireachtais feidhmiú go dátheangach.”

“The history of translation goes back to the founding of the State and the Oireachtas and further back than that, going back to the First Dáil,” Uíbh Eachach says. “The main objective of Rannóg an Aistriúcháin is to provide those translation services to the Oireachtas. Ireland is constitutionally a bilingual state and the Oireachtas is a bilingual parliament, so every effort was made from the start to provide the supports in order to make the Houses functionally bilingual.”

Go bunúsach, sin an cuspóir atá ag an Rannóg agus ceann do na príomhdhualgas atá acu ná Riar na hOibre, páipéar ghnó na dTithe a chur ar fáil gach lá. Is documéid dátheangach é Riar na hOibre agus an cuspóir aige ná go mbeidh daoine in ann gnó na dTithe a dhéanamh trí mheáin an dá theanga oifigiúla.

This is the primary objective of the Rannóg and one of its main responsibilities is the daily translation of Dáil Standing Orders into Riar na hOibre. The Standing Orders are a bilingual document provided with the aim of allowing representatives to carry out the business of the Houses of the Oireachtas in both of the official languages.

“Is é an reachtaíocht a phlé agus a rith an phríomhfheidhm atá ag an Oireachtas agus ag teach reachtach ar bith agus dírítear cuid mhór d’acmhainní na Rannóige ar thiontuithe oifigiúla ar an reachtaíocht sin a chur ar fáil,” a deir Uíbh Eachach. “Ó thús an Stáit, mar sin, bhí acmhainní na Rannóige á ndíriú ar an dá ról sin – seirbhís a thabhairt do na Tithe agus aistriúcháin ar an reachtaíocht a chur ar fáil.”

“The main function of the Oireachtas and any legislative body is legislation and a lot of our resources are focussed on translations of that legislation,” Uíbh Eachach says. “From the beginning of the State, Rannóg resources were spent on those two roles, servicing the Houses and translating legislation.”

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AGALLAMH · INTERVIEW

Chun an tseirbhís sin a chur ar fáil, bhí ar an Rannóg teacht suas le leagan oifigiúil don Ghaeilge, rud nach raibh ann cheana leis an meascán do chanúintí timpeall na tíre agus an teanga faoi chos go hoifigiúil ag Rialtas na Breataine sular bunaíodh Saor Stáit na hÉireann. Deireann Uíbh Eachach: “Bhí ar an Rannóg leagan oifigiúil den Ghaeilge a fhorbairt agus bhí an leagan sin den teanga bunaithe ar na canúintí éagsúla. D’éirigh chomh maith sin leis an Rannóg sa chúram sin gur beartaíodh an leagan oifigiúil sin den Ghaeilge a úsáid sa chóras oideachais agus i ngnóthaí oifigiúla an Stáit agus is mar sin a tháinig ‘An Caighdeán Oifigiúil’ ar an saol.

To provide this service, the Rannóg was forced to come up with an official version of the Irish language, something that had not been done before with the mixture of dialects around the country and the language under official repression by the British Government before the founding of the Irish Free State. Uíbh Eachach says: “We had to develop an official Irish and we did that based on a mixture of the dialects. When that was done, the official version was placed within the education system and official business; it is from there that An Chaighdeán Oifigiúil was born.

“Sa phróiseas a cuireadh ar bun chun An Caighdeán Oifigiúil a sholáthar, díríodh ar an gcóras litrithe a shimpliú. Mar shampla, giorraíodh an foirceann -iughadh mar -iú. Glacadh go forleathan leis na hathruithe sin. Réimse mór eile ar díríodh air is ea an córas gramadaí agus socraíodh ar leagan aontaithe de rialacha gramadaí na Gaeilge a cheapadh agus, arís, cuid de na rialacha a bhí ann a shimpliú. Foilsíodh an Caighdeán Oifigiúil sa bhliain 1958 agus tá sé i bhfeidhm ó shin. Sa bhliain 2013, tugadh stádas reachtúil don Chaighdeán Oifigiúil san Acht um Choimisiún Thithe an Oireachtais (Leasú), 2013. Mínítear san Acht sin cad é an Caighdeán Oifigiúil agus cad chuige é. Ina theannta sin, foráiltear san Acht sin gur cóir athbhreithnithe rialta a dhéanamh ar an gCaighdeán Oifigiúil. Deineadh an chéad athbhreithniú reachtúil ó shin agus bunaíodh Coiste Comhairleach, faoi stiúir Éamonn Ó hÓgáin, chun cuidiú leis an Rannóg sa phróiseas sin. Foilsíodh an chéad leagan athbhreithnithe sa bhliain 2016.”

“A big focus for An Chaighdeán Oifigiúil was the simplification of spelling. For example, names could often finish with -iughadh and that was simplified to -iú and that development had a wide influence. Another big thing was to put together an official grammatical system that was based on a mixture of the dialects again. In 1958, these rules were officially named An Chaighdeán Oifigiúil and An Chaighdeán has been in place since then. In 2013, we laid out what An Chaighdeán Oifgiúil is and the point of it, when to use it and when to renew it. It is now settled that we should review it every 10 years. We did the first of those reviews and founded a Consultative Committee under the direction of Éamonn Ó hÓgáin to help the Rannóg in that process. We published the first updated version 2016.

Le linn an ré leictreonach, tá ról na Rannóige aistrithe freisin, bhunaíodar www.acmhainn.ie chun ábhar na Rannóige a chur ar fáil go héasca agus shocraíodar go mbeadh dlíthe le fáil as Gaeilge ar shuíomh an Oireachtais é féin.

In the electronic era, Rannóg’s role has also changed with the founding of www.acmhainn.ie to provide the Rannóg’s materials easily and it was also settled that the translated laws would be made available on the Oireachtas’s website.

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VIVIAN UÍBH EACHACH

“Tharla forbairt thábhachtach sa bhliain 2003 nuair a ritheadh Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla. Foráladh san Acht sin go bhfoilseofaí an leagan achtaithe d’Acht agus an tiontú oifigiúil ar an Acht go comhuaineach. Cor tábhachtach eile ab ea bunú Choimisiún Thithe an Oireachtais an bhliain dár gcionn, gníomh lenar athraíodh an creat rialaithe agus buiséadaithe le haghaidh Thithe an Oireachtais,” a deir Uíbh Eachach. “Bhí an timpeallacht ina rabhamar ag feidhmiú ag athrú agus bhí dúshláin nua ag baint leis na hathruithe sin ó thaobh modhanna oibre na Rannóige de, go háirithe.

“Things developed in 2003 when Acht na dTeangach Ofigiúila was published. In that Act, it was decreed that the official translation of an Act should be provided at the same time as its publication. Another important step was the founding of the Oireachtas Commission the next year, which changed the shape of the Oireachtas and budgets for the Houses,” Uíbh Eachach says. “The environment in which we were working was changing, and we had a lot of challenges to the way that we did our work.

“Nuair a tháinig an meathlú geilleagair, go tobann bhíomar go léir ag feidhmiú i gcomhthéacs a bhí athraithe go hiomlán ón gcomhthéacs a bhí ann roimhe sin. Bhí airgead agus acmhainní gann, agus bhí todhchaí roinnt de na comhlachtaí Stáit i mbaol, fiú amháin. Tréimhse an-dúshlánach ar fad a bhí ann do na comhlachtaí Stáit agus b’éigean don Rannóg, mar shampla, pleananna a chur le chéile chun go mbeadh bunleibhéal íosta seirbhíse ar fáil. Buíochas le Dia, tá deireadh leis an tréimhse éigeandála sin anois agus tá acmhainní ar fáil athuair.”

“When the recession came, we were quickly learning in a completely different context. Money and resources were scarce, and the future of many State bodies was under threat. Those State companies went into a very challenging period and Rannóg had to put together development plans to secure a base level of services we could provide. Thankfully, we have a bit more control over the economy now and resources are available again.”

I 2018, rinne an comhlacht PwC tuarascáil don Rannóg faoi na seribhísí a bhí á gcur ar fáil acu. Bhí athrú tagtha ar líon na seirbhísí agus fiú amháin ar an gcineál seirbhíse a bhí á gcur ar fáil ag an am. Leis an tuarascáil sin, bhíodar in ann learscáil do na seribhísí a leagaint amach agus a fheiscint. Deir Uíbh Eachach gur tháining dhá rud chun cinn as sin: an chéad cheann ná go raibh riaráiste tar éis fáis maidir le tionscadal oifigiúila a chur ar fáil de dheasca easpa acmhainne. Bhí timpeall 500 dlíth le haistriú ag an Rannóg, agus is as seo a tháinig Rannóg 2024, an stráitéis chun todhchaí na Rannóige a shocrú a d’fhoilsidh an Rannóg i 2019.

In 2018, PwC performed a report into the services being provided by the Rannóg. There had been a change in both the number of services and the services themselves. With the report, the Rannóg was able to map out the services it was then providing. Uíbh Eachach says that the biggest takeaway from the two main findings of the report was that a massive backlog of official projects had been allowed to grow. There were around 500 laws that required translation into Irish and it was from this backlog that Rannóg 2024, a five-year strategy, was published in 2019.

“Bhí ar an Rannóg leagan oifigiúil den Ghaeilge a fhorbairt agus bhí an leagan sin den teanga bunaithe ar na canúintí éagsúla. D’éirigh chomh maith sin leis an Rannóg sa chúram sin gur beartaíodh an leagan oifigiúil sin den Ghaeilge a úsáid sa chóras oideachais agus i ngnóthaí oifigiúla an Stáit agus is mar sin a tháinig ‘An Caighdeán Oifigiúil’ ar an saol.”

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AGALLAMH · INTERVIEW

“An príomhchuspóir atá le Rannóg 2024 ná deireadh a chur leis an riaráiste agus leis na cúiseanna a bhí leis an riaráiste,” a deir Uíbh Eachach. “I rith na gcúig bliana atá i gceist sa straitéis sin, táimid ag iarraidh a chinntiú go gcuirfear deireadh leis an riaráiste agus go mbeimid ag soláthar tiontuithe oifigiúla ar na hAchtanna ar bhonn tráthúil. Ar an tslí sin, ní bheidh aon riaráiste nua ag fás agus ag cur leis an riaráiste a bhí ann. Agus an plean á réiteach, d’fhéachamar go géar ar na hacmhainní a bheadh ag teastáil chun na cuspóirí sin a bhaint amach – idir acmhainní inmheánacha agus tacaí seachtracha.”

“The main objective of Rannóg 2024 is to end the backlog and the reasons for the backlog,” Uíbh Eachach says. “In those five years, we will try to ensure that we are supplying resources to the official projects in a timely manner, that an Act will be translated and available quickly after it is written. That way, there won’t be a new backlog growing. We looked at the resources needed for this and many will be needed, from internal resources to external supports.”

Ceann do na dúshláin ba mhó atá os comhair na Rannóige ná cúrsaí earcaíochta: “Bíonn sé deacair go leor teacht ar dhaoine ar an leibhéal atá uainn. Is dúshlán leanúnach é sin. Bímid ag lorg daoine a bhfuil Gaeilge an-mhaith agus Béarla an-mhaith acu agus tuiscint mhaith acu ar chúrsaí gramadaí. Ní bhíonn sé éasca teacht ar dhaoine a bhfuil na scileanna sin acu, faraor.

Bíonn comórtais earcaíochta ar siúl againn go rialta ach is dúshlán é teacht ar an líon daoine atá uainn. Feachtas earcaíochta eile atá ar siúl ag an Rannóg is ea ateangairí a cheapadh le haghaidh na seirbhíse ateangaireachta a chuireann an Rannóg ar fáil do na Tithe. Faoi láthair, déanann na haistritheoirí an dá chúram – an t-aistriúchán agus an ateangaireacht – ach tá sé i gceist na cúraimí sin a dheighilt óna chéile agus meitheal ateangairí a earcú le haghaidh na hateangaireachta.”

One of the biggest challenges facing the Rannóg is recruitment: “It is hard to get staff on the level required. It is a continuous challenge, obviously we are looking for people with both Irish and English of a high spoken level, but also of a high grammatical level. Unfortunately, it is not very easy to come upon these people at the minute. We have constant recruitment drives and will have more, but it is a challenge to find these people. Another recruitment campaign we have is for the interpretation service Rannóg provides. At the minute, the translators do both translating and interpreting and it is our plan to separate those two responsibilities and to put together a working group of interpreters.”

Ceann de na réimsí nua freagrachta atá ar an Rannóg is ea bainistiú a dhéanamh ar Straitéis na Gaeilge san Oireachtas – straitéis chun cur leis an dátheangachas san eagraíocht – agus ar an Scéim Teanga, a bhfuil dualgas reachtúil ar an Oireachtas ina leith.

New responsibilities have been bestowed upon the Rannóg at the same time, with it now being tasked with the management of a bilingual strategy. Under the Coimisinéir Teanga, public bodies are now required to have their own bilingual strategies in place.

The Rannóg is responsible for the management and development of the Oireachtas’s scheme.

“Tá ar gach comhlacht Stáit atá ina chomhlacht ainmnithe de réir Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla scéim teanga a bheith acu agus is comhlacht ainmnithe de réir an Achta Seirbhís Thithe an Oireachtais,” a deireann Uíbh Eachach. “Baineann oibleagáid reachtúil leis na gealltanais sa Scéim Teanga ach dírítear leis an Straitéis ar chuspóirí breise a bhaint amach. Is é an mórchuspóir atá leis an Straitéis ná an dátheangachas a chur chun cinn sa tSeirbhís d’fhonn í a fhorbairt ina heagraíocht a fheidhmíonn go dátheangach. Is próiseas é sin a thógfaidh tamall ach tá tús maith déanta againn.”

“Every State body that is named in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla has to have a language scheme,” Uíbh Eachach says. “The commitments in the Language Scheme have a statutory obligation but the Strategy aims to achieve additional objectives.

The aim we have laid out in our strategy is that we will be working towards becoming a functional bilingual organisation, that is an organisation that is able to operate in either language in all the services we provide. That is a process that will take time, but the organisation has been done and we have made a good start.”

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New wellbeing metrics for Ireland performance, countries such as New Zealand, the UK, the Netherlands and Canada have produced wellbeing indicators that are used in tandem with macroeconomic statistics.

Under the A Better Quality of Life for All mission in the 2020 Programme for Government (PfG), the coalition parties acknowledged a “need to supplement our existing economic measurements”.

Existing metrics of economic performance fail to consider damage to the environment, voluntary work, equality of opportunity, distribution of wealth and income while exclusively valuing public expenditure “on the basis of the inputs used, not the outcomes achieved”.

Subsequently, the Government has committed to developing a set of indicators to broaden the context for policy making, including “a set of wellbeing indices to create a well-rounded, holistic view of how our society is faring” and “a balanced scorecard for different areas of public policy”. Rather than replace existing economic tools, these indices are intended to complement them and inform the development of spending reforms and wider government budgeting.

In February 2021, the Government announced an agreed approach to the development of an overarching Wellbeing Framework for Ireland. The Framework is intended to create a “well-rounded, holistic view of how our society is performing, alongside the existing economic measurement tools” and will inform policymaking across government.

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Led by the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, alongside a working group incorporating a range of government departments, the Central Statistics Office and the National Economic and Social Council, the initial phase will be completed in summer 2021 with overall the development anticipated to progress over several years.

As well as furthering the findings of Wellbeing and the Measurement of Broader Living Standards in Ireland, a Department of Finance research paper, the development of Ireland’s Well-being Framework will utilise the OECD Framework for Measuring Well-being and Progress an exemplar.

Examining the evolution of wellbeing measurements internationally and investigating options for introducing a wellbeing measurement in Ireland, Wellbeing and the Measurement of Broader Living Standards in Ireland recognises that economic statistics alone cannot “accurately reflect the wellbeing of a population”.

As such, to measure economic

The spectrum of wellbeing measures used elsewhere reflect “aggregate, distributional, subjective, and objective dimensions of society”. The three options outlined for monitoring Irish wellbeing in the Department of Finance document are: a dashboard of indicators; a survey; or a composite indicator of wellbeing.

Internationally, a dashboard has been identified as “likely the best way to achieve a well-rounded and informative wellbeing measure”.

The Department of Finance paper on wellbeing measurement concludes: “A national measurement of wellbeing has the potential to improve interdepartmental cooperation and cohesion, and to further the whole-of-government agenda to improve living standards for Irish residents and citizens. Wellbeing could become an entrenched consideration at all levels of public decision making.”

The OECD Wellbeing Dashboard has 11 dimensions: 1.

Income and wealth

2.

Housing

3.

Work and job quality

4.

Health

5.

Knowledge and skills

6.

Environmental quality

7.

Subjective wellbeing

8.

Safety

9.

Work-life balance

10.

Social connections

11.

Civic engagement

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TRADE UNION DESK NERI economist Paul Goldrick-Kelly summarises some key findings from the Nevin Economic Research Institute’s (NERI) co-authored paper examining the effects of automation and the green transition on employment between 2008 and 2019.

In a forthcoming paper, Dr Lisa Wilson (NERI), Esmé Sheridan (UCD), Ian Walsh (UCD) and I investigate changes in employment in the Republic of Ireland between the crises of 2008 and our current pandemic crisis which began in early 2020. Specifically, we examine whether two major structural forces, in the form of automation/technological change and the low carbon transition shaped employment developments over the period.

Automation Where automation is concerned, the evidence is mixed. Trends in aggregate employment and unemployment between 2007 and 2019 are not consistent with more pessimistic projections of mass unemployment from technological advance. Evidence of labour substitution (replacing workers with machines) is not evident in the data we have for hours worked, which recovered following the crisis period 2008-2012.

However, we have seen an apparent structural shift to increased part-time work and declines in labour market participation. This is driven in large part by declines in labour market participation on the part of men, although men’s participation rates still exceed those for women.

Despite disagreement about the employment effects of automation within the literature, there is a growing consensus that some types of jobs face higher risks than others. Low-risk sectors appeared to fare best through the crisis.

However, many sectors identified as high risk, from different theoretical perspectives, showed significant growth as the crisis ended. This suggests that advances in technology and their take up

did not necessarily bias employment away from these jobs.

We have clearer evidence regarding skills and routine biased change. Employment in Ireland is increasingly skewed towards higher skilled work, away from low and middle skilled employment. This parallels the trend towards an increasingly educated workforce. Employment also seems to be biased towards non-routine abstract and service work, consistent with theories which predict greater job displacement where work has higher proportions of routine tasks. These routine tasks are more readily automated.

Decarbonisation The available evidence suggests that a structural shift towards a green economy is more prospective than currently present. Data suggest that the Republic may have begun a process of decoupling economic activity from greenhouse gas emissions, but this largely depends on how one assigns emissions occurring outside of Ireland’s borders. Territorial emissions recorded in the Republic, rather than those attributed to Irish residents abroad (including airlines), or based upon consumption, fell between 2016 and 2019 while output and employment grew. However, emissions reductions have not occurred at necessary rates.

Green employment, as measured by more restrictive industry-based definitions, has grown significantly in Ireland. More expansive occupation or skills-based measures of green jobs would likely show a more significant employment profile.

Emissions are sectorally concentrated, 90 per cent of emissions are tied to just over one-fifth of overall employment.

Progress regarding emissions reductions is concentrated in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sector.

While still a significant emitter, with high emissions per person employed, its reductions of more than six million tonnes of CO2 equivalent between 2008 and 2019. Agriculture, forestry and fishing remains the problem sector in territorial emissions terms. Emissions grew by over one million tonnes of CO2 equivalent even as employment fell, increasing emissions per person employed.

Conclusion The gloomiest predictions of the widespread net employment losses in employment due to automation and green transition processes are not apparent in the data or the prospective literature in the latter case.

However, these processes may affect some sectors and workers more than others. There is considerable scope for significant changes influenced by automation and the green transition is just beginning. While the green economy may be showing signs of growth, with some definitions implying a significant present scope, our current carbon situation and lack of progress suggests that these sectors will also face challenges.

Our analysis suggests that some sectors, such as agriculture, forestry and fishing, face overlapping challenges from technological change and necessary emissions reductions. Further research should be undertaken to assess these sectorally specific transition difficulties and assemble appropriate responses.

At the same time, while these structural transitions may have sector or issue specific implications, they may show significant overlap in risk and difficulties.

A common just transition approach incorporating social protection, activation support can ease difficulties faced by workers and their communities. A proactive approach to planning which incorporates workers and their representatives, alongside other civil society groups has also seen success elsewhere.

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continued to act as director of elections for presidential, European and byelection campaigns in Dublin Fingal. In 2014, I ran and was elected in the Swords ward of Fingal County Council and was reelected at the 2019 local elections. In November 2019 I ran for the Labour Party in the Dublin Fingal byelection but was unsuccessful. However, the byelection was a very positive and energised campaign and it set me up for a successful run in the General Election in February 2020.

What are your most notable achievements to date?

Political Platform Duncan Smith TD Elected to the Dáil in February 2020, Duncan Smith is a Labour Party TD for Dublin Fingal. Previously, Smith was a member of Fingal County Council from 2014 to 2020 and is currently party whip and spokesperson on climate action, communications networks and transport.

How did your political career begin?

In 2008, following the banking crash and the bleak outlook for the company I decided to become active in politics and I joined the Labour Party. I had always been a supporter of the Labour Party

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and the labour movement so it was the natural party for me to join. I began campaigning and activism with the party in my local area and in 2011, I volunteered as Brendan Ryan’s director of elections for the general election. I then worked as Brendan’s parliamentary assistant in the Oireachtas and

Achievement feels like the wrong word considering my relatively short amount of time in the Dáil and the constraints placed by Covid. I did enjoy my work on the Covid Committee in the Summer of 2020. On that committee, I was a strong voice for the widespread provision and wearing of facemasks. It’s difficult to remember now but there was contested views as to how helpful they would be in stopping the spread of the virus. Now they are part of our everyday life and a key tool in stopping the spread of the virus. I have also brought my first Bill to the Dáil, the National Standards Authority of Ireland (Carbon Footprint Labelling) Bill 2021. This Bill would confer on the NSAI the responsibility to come up with a trusted and clear carbon labelling scheme for products. This would place responsibility on corporates to meet a stringent state-led measures and tackle any potential greenwashing or weak self-certification method.

What is unique about representing Dublin Fingal?

Dublin Fingal is the youngest and one of the most diverse constituencies in the country. Fingal is almost a monoscope of the entire country. Unlike most constituencies in Dublin, we have a large rural constituency in Fingal. We also have a coastline with numerous seaside towns, as well as Dublin’s county town, Swords, which is one of the fastest growing towns in the country. Fingal is also home to Ireland’s aviation centre, Dublin Airport. The diversity across the demographics and geography of the

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constituency creates a broad wave of variety in local challenges and local issues. Uniquely for Dublin, Dublin Fingal shares many traits and challenges of many other counties.

What are your priorities going forward?

Workers and the environment. There are very many issues that I am passionate about but the priority for me is always workers and workers’ rights. In almost every aspect of the Irish society and economy there is a lot of work to be done to improve the conditions and quality of employment for workers in Ireland. My main priority in politics is to see the quality and conditions improve and that Ireland becomes one of the best countries in the world to work. People’s labour creates all value and keeps the wheels of the economy turning. Without workers the country would not function.

It is the most valuable asset individuals have and a country has, and it must be valued and properly remunerated Simultaneously, climate action is one of the most pressing issues facing us. We need to radically change how we use and treat our planet. The next decade will be a vital period in the fight against climate change and we must be prepared to make seismic changes to our habits, and more importantly we must see business and industry doing their fair share in this fight. The larger polluters in our economy must be regulated to reduce their emissions and move to more sustainable practises. My main focus in this challenge is to ensure there is a just transition for workers in emissions heavy sectors but also the job creation opportunities available in moving to a sustainable economy.

How can the Labour Party maximise its impact in the lifetime of the 33rd Dáil?

In this Dáil the Labour Party has brought forward a significant amount of legislation and parliamentary motions in the areas of workers’ rights, climate action and social injustice. The Labour Party’s Harmful Communications and Harassment Bill brought forward by Brendan Howlin TD was passed into law with the support of the majority of the

“There are very many issues that I am passionate about but the priority for me is always workers and workers’ rights. In almost every aspect of the Irish society and economy there is a lot of work to be done to improve the conditions and quality of employment for workers in Ireland.”

Dáil. This Bill will help make the internet a safer place and will help hold those who misuse or abuse online to account.

Senator Marie Sherlock and Senator Annie Hoey have brought forward legislation on remote working and sick pay, alongside motions to ensure fair payment for student nurses. While government have kicked the can down the road with this legislation, it has not been blocked or voted down and if passed would provide improved conditions for workers in Ireland and put us on the path where we need to be.

Senator Rebecca Moynihan has also introduced a Bill on period poverty to ensure access to sanitary products for all regardless of their income, this Bill will help to alleviate the financial burden on those struggling in our country. Through this kind or work ethic and focus I believe the party can punch above its weight in the Dáil and make a meaningful impact. As mentioned before, I have also

introduced my Bill on carbon labelling.

We also need to articulate a vision to people as to what we stand for and what vision we have for Ireland. That is a bigger job but I believe if we continue to articulate our core belief that justice and a fair shake should exist for all, then I believe our impact in the Dáil will be backed by increased support in the polls.

What are your interests outside of the political sphere?

If I have time, I love to go fishing and be surrounded by the peace and tranquillity of nature. I haven’t had the time in the last couple of years but it is a postpandemic promise to myself that I try to make time for fishing. I have a young family and any spare time I have I want to spend with them.

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”

Meet the

Ciara Phelan Ciara Phelan is a political correspondent with Irish Daily Mirror and host of The Glass Ceiling podcast. A graduate of the University of Limerick, she previously worked for the Irish Examiner, RTÉ and Newstalk.

How did you get into journalism?

It’s a strange one because I didn’t come from a family who religiously bought newspapers every day, there would be the odd one bought at the weekend, sometimes. I didn’t know anyone or have a relative working in the industry.

I was really good at English in school and loved writing and I would literally talk for Ireland and find it easy to chat to people so I tried to combine those and thought maybe journalism was a career I should pursue.

However, for once I actually listened to some people around me and they were encouraging me not to seek a career in journalism because it was hard to get your foot in the door or there was this

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belief that jobs in the industry are scarce.

I left a degree in English and history after a month not really knowing what I wanted to do but reapplied to the CAO the following year, listened to my gut and ended up studying journalism and new media at the University of Limerick.

I sacrificed a few things like a J1 while in college and instead dedicated my summers to trying some freelancing at national titles as I found it hard to get experience while at university.

I also did an internship at my local radio station and I think this really helped me step into the industry.

The freelancing gave me an advantage when I left college as I had that little bit more experience than others who were also graduating with journalism degrees.

On the day I sat my final exam I drove to Cork to interview for a job as a digital journalist with the Irish Examiner. I spent a while working there before moving to RTÉ, then Newstalk and I have been with the Irish Mirror for just over two years now and was promoted to political Correspondent in July 2020.

How do you think the profession is evolving?

I think the pandemic has really shone a light on why journalism matters. Social media can be fantastic but it is a dangerous tool to spread misinformation and a lot of opinionated people online believe they are actually a journalist when in fact they do not offer balanced reporting.

Don’t get me wrong, columns in

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newspapers are for opinion pieces and we need them. But a lot of people online who have never trained as a journalist are now tweeting misinformation and write posts that they claim are factual which is not the case in so many scenarios. Others digest it without factchecking it themselves and that is worrying.

The news cycle is 24/7, stories are updated on the hour and journalists now need to be equipped with video skills and have a presence on social media.

Due to live streaming of doorsteps, there’s pressure to break the story first online and then try to find an alternative angle for the newspaper the next day.

But it always boils back down to the skill itself, building contacts, good sources, exclusive lines, balanced reporting, asking the tough questions and how a story will impact readers.

What are the challenges of combining print journalism with podcasting?

I have yet to come across any really. I have recently launched my own podcast on the Irish Mirror. It’s called The Glass Ceiling and I chat to female politicians about their lives and their careers. It’s a non-Covid zone as much as possible and the episodes aim to inform listeners about the person, rather than the politician. Many guests have spoken about major events in their lives such as the loss of a loved one but also about the challenges and triumphs they have faced as a female politician.

I have a write up about the chat in the newspaper on the same day. Maybe one challenge is that the tone of the chat may not come across the same way in print. But I think it’s a great way for the public to learn a little bit more about who our elected representatives are.

Who do you admire most within the industry and why?

Oooh, that’s a tough one. I love a dark horse and someone who has been knocked off a saddle but got back up again.

I admire people for different reasons and I think given the year we’ve put in working throughout this pandemic, it’s hard not to admire anyone working in my own newspaper, the Irish Mirror and in

“A lot of people online who have never trained as a journalist are now tweeting misinformation and write posts that they claim are factual which is not the case in so many scenarios. Others digest it without fact-checking it themselves and that is worrying.” other national titles. I think it is incredible that we’re producing newspapers from our bedrooms and kitchen tables. The Irish Mirror website attracts a huge amount of readers, over one million people most days.

If I have to pick one person though, I really enjoy Sarah McInerney. I think she’s a fantastic interviewer.

What has been your most significant story or project to date?

I probably can’t answer this question without mentioning the exclusive interview I did with Taoiseach Micheál Martin a few weeks back when he revealed extending the lockdown with strict measures for another nine weeks.

The reaction was insane and the story ran for days.

One of my favourite stories to cover to date was former US President Donald Trump’s visit to Ireland in 2019.

I’ve written plenty of interviews where I was really moved. One that sticks in my mind was an interview I did with a mother who had been brutally beaten

and raped which subsequently left her in a wheelchair. It was her first time speaking out after the attack and she trusted me to tell her story.

I also covered the Mr Moonlight case in court and I’ll never forget the look on the faces of Bobby Ryan’s family when the guilty verdict was given.

Those stories that have a significant impact on people stay with you for a long time.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

I love to hop into the car and go for a drive somewhere and get out for a walk if the weather is good.

I also watch a lot of reality TV such as the Kardashians, the Real Housewives, all of those types of shows. It’s a great way to switch off at night or on the weekends when I need a break from the political madness.

I would love nothing more now though to get back out on the dancefloor in a bar with my friends. Someday soon, hopefully!

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Irish unity: A role for the State We miss out on every chance we don’t take. Those who wait for perfect conditions to do something will be waiting forever. Author, columnist and Ireland’s Future board member Martina Devlin writes.

funding from Britain, the EU and US to replace the Northern Irish subvention?

What about healthcare entitlements? Will British citizens in Ireland be able to hold both passports? What will the Taoiseach be called? Is there a symbolic role for an English monarch?

Since the 2016 Brexit vote, the issue of Irish unity has been gaining traction.

Despite resistance in some political quarters, the conversation is well under way. This toothpaste is not going back into the tube.

Currently, an opportunity exists to build a reimagined Ireland, harnessing the economic, social and cultural opportunities presented by reunification.

But unity in itself is not the endgame.

This isn’t about finishing what was started in 1916, bolting the six counties onto the 26. It’s about vision and inclusivity, thinking in terms of gains for all as opposed to losses for some. It’s about reconfiguring the Irish State, offering constitutional protections and a genuine welcome for people from Northern Ireland who identify as British.

What’s absent from the debate is an authoritative mission statement about the shape of a new Ireland. Such a blueprint needs to originate with the Irish Government: it must present the case, using facts and figures, so that citizens can reach an informed decision.

No doubt, when twin referenda are held north and south of the border, in line with the Good Friday Agreement, emotion will play its part in how people vote. But it won’t be the only dynamic. Facts will be key.

Will taxes rise? How long will the transition period last? Will there be

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Organisations such as Ireland’s Future have produced discussion documents, while economists have written papers, but much of the information required for a matter as complex as reunification cannot be accessed outside the arm of the State.

The Government should convene a citizens’ assembly to deal with hopes and fears, considering flags, emblems and anthems; this would be followed by a Green Paper outlining alternatives; and then a White Paper identifying policies, including legislative change, to deliver successful transitioning.

The Scottish government issued a 670page doorstopper of a document in advance of its 2014 independence vote, with granular detail down to the colour of post boxes. A similar approach is needed here.

The experiences of Germany’s reunification in 1990, and of independence for the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, prove countries can make significant constitutional changes in months rather than years.

They also remind us help is at hand.

There are templates to look at, lessons to draw on.

However, we could do more to help ourselves, too. For example, the Government could establish a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Irish Reunification to drive progress, and appoint a Minister of State with specific

responsibility for developing unity strategies.

As Colm Tóibín observed in the Financial Times recently: “While politicians in Dublin might issue pieties about their longing for an end to partition, it should be emphasised that they don’t mean it.”

He suggested they would “dread” a unity vote.

Clearly, there is much to discuss. But some seek to silence debate, suggesting it is divisive to engage in it. That loyalism is unsettled by it. That the Republic could never afford Northern Ireland. Even – bizarrely – that people have it so good in the North they’d never want reunification.

How does anyone know? Isn’t that the essence of democracy; allowing people to cast their ballot on options?

Let’s give the last word to that consummate politician (unfortunately a fictional one) Martin Sheen, as a US president in the iconic TV series The West Wing. “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world,” he says. To which his speechwriter answers: “It’s the only thing that ever has.” The scriptwriters robbed the quote from pioneering cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, but a good idea is a good idea, whatever its origins.

Unity has always been a smarter concept than division.

Martina Devlin is a board member of Ireland’s Future, a civil society group with no party political alignment, leading informed debate on new constitutional arrangements.

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