A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 O 1 4
The Agency’s mission:
ESTABLISH ICT POLICY AND DELIVER SOLUTIONS TO ENABLE PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY. MITA does this by driving the development of Government’s ICT policy and national digital strategy, delivering information systems to enable reform and innovation in public service delivery as well as developing and providing ICT infrastructure and services for Government. MITA actively supports students, start-ups and innovators in developing their ideas into products and services through digital technologies, works with leading local and international ICT companies as well as encourages the application and take-up of ICT in the wider Maltese economy.
OUR VALUES
PEOPLE
EMPOWERMENT
PROFESSIONALISM
CLIENT FOCUS
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 1
2 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
01
2014 Highlights
4
02
Executive Chairman’s Statement
7
03
Board Members
8
04
Executive Committee
9
05
Sustainable Solutions For A Digital Government
10
06
Citizen Empowerment Through Digital Services
20
07
Investing In Our People
28
08
Corporate Social Responsibility
32
09
Board Members’ Report
40
10
Independent Auditors’ Report
46
11
Financial Statements
48
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 3
2014 HIGHLIGHTS O1
O2
O3 SCHOOLS INTERNET LINK
UPGRADED TO 1Gbps
O4
OVER 29,000 VEHICLES ELIGIBLE FOR VAT REFUND
O8 O6
€1 MILLION IN COST SAVINGS PER ANNUM
4 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
O7 Sustainable Solutions For A Digital Government 01
Launch of Digital Malta Strategy
02
Inauguration of MITA Innovation Hub
03
1st in EU eGovernment Benchmark 2014
04
ICT investment of €2.5 million signed with local companies.
05
Upgrade of the Schools Internet service
06
New Enterprise Server and Storage Solution
O5
O9
13
CONSOLIDATION OF
10 16
40
HR POLICIES
12
11 14
15
Citizen Empowerment Through Digital Services
Investing In Our People
07
Student Advantage Scheme - Free Office 365 to over 40000 students
13
Career Progression Framework
08
Refund of VAT paid on Vehicle Registration Tax
14
Investors in People
09
One Tablet per Child Pilot Project
15
Celebrating Value Week
10
New online services in the Justice sector
16
Reform in HR policies
11
Student Placement Programme 2014
12
#StopHate - Anti Cyberbullying Campaign
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 5
6 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT 2014 has been a year of accelerating momentum for MITA. Throughout this year, our Agency was an integral part of the development of Government’s modernisation strategies to create public value through the provision of innovative, sustainable and secure digital solutions. MITA also supported Government in the use of digital technologies to transform public service delivery and alas, become more open and increase interaction with the general public. Being successful in such a dynamic environment requires continuous commitment towards the constant expansion of the breadth and depth of knowledge and skills of our employees. Over this past year MITA has proved to be a leader in all of these aspects. MITA took an active role in the development of the Digital Malta Strategy for 2014-2020, which was launched by Government in early 2014. Digital Malta established a vision for Malta to prosper as a digitally-enabled nation in all sectors of society. It sets out a path of how technology can contribute significantly towards sustainable economic and productivity growth. Another important development in 2014 was the launch of the MITA Innovation Hub at SmartCity Malta. The Innovation Hub offers the possibility to students and startup founders to transform their ideas into tangible born-global products in a real life setting. Our Agency was also a silent but instrumental partner with various Ministries in the implementation of numerous public service reforms in strategic sectors such as Justice, Taxation, Social Services, Agriculture and Identity Management. Government’s strong commitment towards the harnessing of ICT to transform online public services has been recognised again in 2014, as, the European Commission eGovernment Benchmark exercise reconfirmed Malta as leader in the delivery and performance of eGovernment services. Our people are crucial to the success of the Agency. Commitment to our people was recognised by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills which reconfirmed MITA’s Investors in People accreditation. However we did not stop there. We felt the need to introduce a Career Progression Framework that was specifically designed to make effective use of every employee’s capabilities together with the evolving needs of the Agency. 2015 will mark a significant milestone for MITA as the Agency will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. To commemorate this, we are planning a number of events to celebrate such an important milestone with all the employees, and the general public. Whilst reflecting on our ample accomplishments that shaped who we are today, we will continue to focus on our vision: to be the digital leader for Government. Our priorities will include the impetus to increase the take-up of online public services, the launching of accelerator programmes for SMEs, and the development of the next generation of technology infrastructure and solutions, ensuring that we reap the benefits from our investments.
Mr Tony Sultana Executive Chairman MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 7
Mr. Tony Sultana
Mr. Joseph Agius
Ing. Saviour Baldacchino
Executive Chairman
Board Member
Board Member
Mr. Tony Borg
Dr. Helen Borg Muscat
Dr. Aron Mifusd Bonnici
Board Member
Board Member
Secretary to the Board
BOARD MEMBERS 2014 was another productive and challenging year for MITA. During the year, the Board held 15 meetings and discussed 82 Board Papers which were presented by the Head of Departments. These Board Papers focused on the Agency’s strategy and direction, investment and capital expenditure, financial and operational performance, as well as human resource aspects. In preparation to the launch of the MITA Strategy 2015 – 2017, the Board approved further organisational realignment aimed at sustaining the implementation of the Agency’s strategy together with the improvement of customer service and increase in operational efficiency. The Board approved a major capital investment to upgrade the computing and storage resources within MITA Data Centre. The objective of this investment was to increase resource availability, reduce operational cost and maximise energy use, leading to cost savings in energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint. The Career Progression Framework was another key human resource management initiative launched in 2014. The competency based framework opened further career opportunities allowing employees to grow within MITA, whilst permitting the Agency to attract, capture and retain best talent thus keep offering excellent products and services to its clients.
8 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Executive Committee Members (left to right): Mr. Robert Galea, Mr. Rodney Naudi, Mr. Wayne Valentine, Ing. Ian Bonello, Dr. Godwin Caruana, Mr. Brian Micallef (Secretary), Mr. Tony Sultana, Ing. Emanuel Darmanin, Mr. Carmelo Formosa, Mr. Victor Camilleri, Mr. Ivan Alessandro, Mr. Ray Navarro, Mr. Jesmond Mizzi
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Executive Committee (EXCO) held 16 meetings during 2014. EXCO focused on various operational matters with particular attention given to business operations, finance and business management, new projects and initiatives, business continuity, human capital investment and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Additionally, Head of Departments reported their departmental activity to ensure all other EXCO members are kept informed with the ongoing developments and progress within each department. EXCO supported the further use of the outsourcing strategy as a means to complement the Agency’s capacity. Outsourcing services included software application services, operational and technical support. This allowed MITA to meet the increasing business demands, as well as provided the opportunity to assign internal resources to work on new business, technical and innovative projects. Furthermore, EXCO discussed numerous technology matters. Key initiatives included the investment required for the upkeep of the data centre, and the associated systems and network infrastructure, as well as the associated security infrastructure that support the operations of the suite of Government business systems and eGovernment services. EXCO’s continuous commitment towards the wellbeing of the Agency’s personnel was translated into a revised set of human resources policies and measures that support employees’ continuous training and development, career growth, gender equality and family friendly measures.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 9
10 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR A DIGITAL GOVERNMENT We play an instrumental role in the provision of innovative, sustainable and secure digital solutions, as an integral part of Government’s modernisation strategies to create public value.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 11
5.1 Digital Malta Strategy
5.2 MITA Innovation Hub
Government launched Digital Malta - the National
MITA Innovation Hub (MIH) was inaugurated by the
Digital Strategy for 2014-2020, which was developed
Prime Minister at SmartCity Malta. MIH is serving
by MITA and Malta Communications Authority (MCA)
as a support platform and collaborative environment
in close collaboration with other stakeholders. Digital
for the digital community. It is a place where students,
Malta puts forward a set of guiding principles together
startups and innovators can develop their idea into a
with policy actions of how ICT can be used for socio-
product or service through digital technologies. MIH
economic development. It sets out a path how ICT can
assists by providing physical office space, mentorship,
be applied in different sectors of the economy and
access to technologies and legal advice. The methods
society, and how citizens and businesses can benefit
used to engage with both students and startups are
from its application.
top-down and bottom-up approaches.
Digital Malta also provides direction on how Government can be closer to the citizen through the use of technology and become more efficient in the way public services are delivered. The Digital Malta Governing Board was also established in 2014 with the aim to provide leadership, mentorship and support to stakeholders in understanding and implementing the Strategy.
The first involves competitive calls sourcing ideas, to resolve pain points in civil society, whilst bottom-up approaches, seek membership of teams with an idea feasible to take to market. Following its launch, MIH worked on various projects. In response to a competitive call by MIH, a group of four students teamed up to build a mobile app for the Majjistral Nature and History Park. The team used different technologies and managed the entire project
EMAILS SENT
3+3
Strategic themes supported by 3 strategic enablers
10 29
built a sleekly designed mobile app to support the business of the NGOs managing the park. MIH also organised two separate fora, one with IBM and the other with SAP, both of which were followed
Underlying Principles Guiding Principles
by technical bootcamps. The IBM forum was aimed specifically to assist startups capture new business opportunities. On the other hand, the SAP forum gave startups an opportunity to learn how to develop new
71
Actions
12 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
on their own under MIH mentors’ guidance. The team
applications on SAP HANA, thus increase their chance of reaching new markets.
5.3 Procurement of development and support services
5.4 Outsourcing to the Private Sector During 2014 MITA published 33 tenders valued at
In 2014 MITA published an enabling tender to establish
€7.67m. The major tenders included the procurement
a framework agreement for the provision of application
of the next generation WAN connectivity, workstations
services. Through this enabling tender, MITA approved
for Government and related support services, software
10 suppliers, five of which were collectively awarded
development and support services, email anti-virus and
contracts for €2.7m over five years. This has been the
anti-spam solution, and eGovernment online services
largest outsourcing investment since the launch of the
training and awareness campaign. Additionally MITA
first application services framework agreement in 2010.
generated €27,756,532 in revenue. Of this, €13,985,938
A number of ICT SMEs will provide services on diverse
(or 50% of the total revenue) attributed to solutions and
systems including statistics, administrative and health.
services rendered by the private sector.
Leveraging on its outsourcing experience, MITA widened its spectrum and partnered with the private sector for the provisioning of application services in business areas traditionally confined to MITA inhouse development such as taxation, social services and EU funding.
INVESTMENT
€2.7m OVER 5 YEARS
Largest application services outsourcing investment to date
eGOVERNMENT
TENDERS
Malta has been reconfirmed
PLACE
as the leader in the delivery of eGovernment services across the European Union
PRIVATE SECTOR
€7.67m
The value of 33 tenders published
MANIFESTO IMPLEMENTATION SYSTEM
€13,985,938 Attributed to solutions and services rendered by the private sector
Monitored
Comprising of
Programmes
Projects
1000 6000
“ Digital Malta is a vision for the country in 2020 when: Malta will prosper as a digitally-enabled nation in all sectors of society”
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 13
MITA completed the process to upgrade the operating
5.6 N ew Enterprise Server and Storage Storage Solution
system software of all workstations within the public
In 2014 MITA replaced its aging enterprise server and
service. All workstations were upgraded to the latest
storage solution with a more cost effective solution
version of Microsoft Windows. This process enabled
providing the latest features and functionality also
the improvement of the workstations security posture
based on virtualisation technologies. Throughout the
and the capitalisation of modern end-user devices
year meticulous planning and detailed preparation
functionality. The migration process, which started in
was carried out to ensure that the applications and
2013, was initially carried out by MITA employees and
systems hosted on the old solution are migrated to
students; however the Agency outsourced this work
the new solution in the smoothest and least disruptive
to the private sector in order to further accelerate the
manner possible. The migration will include a number
migration process.
of Government strategic information systems such
5.5 Migration from Windows XP
as Health, Inland Revenue, VAT and Social Security; file shares and MITA’s virtualisation platform. All migrations are planned to be completed by mid 2015. Furthermore, the Agency will take on a systems integrator role thus maximising the knowledge and
EMAILS SENT
expertise of its employees and empowering them
60,300 PER DAY EMAILS RECIEVED
to deliver an effective and efficient service. The anticipated net savings, as a result of this investment and implementation, is estimated at €1,000,000 per annum for the next seven years.
SERVERS
356,200 PER DAY
EMAILS TAGGED AS SPAM
213,700 PER DAY
VIRTUAL
523 PHYSICAL
499
“ The anticipated net savings for the next seven years through the New Enterprise Server and Storage Solution is €1,000,000 per annum.”
14 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
NETWORKS
FIREWALLS
ROUTERS
SWITCHES
115 490 2494 74,046 4.8KMS NETWORK POINTS
NETWORK CABLE
5.7 Upgrade of Government email
5.8 Upgrade of Schools WAN
MITA migrated Government’s email system to
The Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE)
Microsoft Exchange 2010. The completion of this
commissioned MITA to carry out a study to analyse
upgrade resulted in various benefits for email users
bandwidth usage during the execution of the One
such as, utilisation of a supported Exchange version,
Tablet per Child pilot project in various primary schools
larger mailboxes and improved webmail interface
and all secondary schools staff rooms. The study
compatible with different browsers. Other benefits
recommended that the bandwidth between schools
included the twofold increase of mail attachment
and MITA had to be increased to provide a better user
size to 20Mb, and an easier recovery process for
experience once the full scale One Tablet per Child is
end-users without the need of support from the
launched. Additionally the study also highlighted the
Agency personnel.
need to increase Internet bandwidth. Consequently the schools’ links were upgraded to the recommended bandwidths. These upgrades have enabled faster
DATABASES
access speeds to the schools’ services hosted at MITA Data Centre. The GEANT Internet link was also OPERATIONAL TEST / DEVELOPMENT
423 846
upgraded from 200Mbps to 1Gbps to enable enhanced Internet browsing experience to all Government state schools. The new connectivity contractual framework and infrastructure allows for further seamless increases in bandwidth.
“ Upgrade of Government email resulted in larger mailboxes and improved webmail interface for all Government Users.”
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 15
5.9 Implementation of the Foreign Account Compliance Act
5.11 Common Agricultural Policy 20142014-2020
In late 2013, Malta and the United States of America
MITA assisted the Agriculture and Rural Payments
(USA) signed an agreement to implement the Foreign
Agency (ARPA) in the implementation of all the new
Account Compliance Act (FATCA) aimed at reducing
business requirements emanating from the new
tax evasion by USA citizens who have foreign
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014-2020. The new
accounts. FATCA requires financial institutions
CAP reform increased the funds allocated thus allowing
outside the USA to pass on information about their
farmers to invest more in their produce resulting
USA customers to the USA tax authorities. During
in higher quality products for the consumers. MITA
2014, MITA supported the Ministry for Finance (MFIN)
compiled a gap analysis document and identified the
in the successful implementation of the ICT solution.
enhancements required on ARPA information system
Furthermore, the Chief Security Officer of Internal
(SITI-AGRI). The SITI-AGRI framework was upgraded
Revenue Service (USA) visited the MITA Data Centre
accordingly in 2014. The new version allows the web
as part of the review process of the implementation
application to be accessed from all types of devices,
of FATCA in Malta. As a result, Malta was one of the
including mobiles. This allows farmers to conveniently
first groups of countries to implement the FATCA
view the application status and access GIS information
agreement with the USA.
related to their agricultural parcels at any time and
5.10 Accrual Accounting in Government The Ministry for Finance (MFIN) is implementing a
from anywhere. AGRICULTURE
number of accounting reforms aimed at harmonising the Malta Government standards with international public sector accrual-based accounting standards
OVER 6,600
and EU regulations. Such reforms will result in higher transparency in public spending since the financial
farmers and breeders received
statements and management reports will outline the true value of Government finances, fixed assets and liabilities. As part of these reforms, MITA is providing consultancy services to MFIN in the procurement of a
€21,100,000 in EU funds
Corporate Financial Management Solution. A number of MITA technology, business and legal consultants are participating in technical teams responsible for the evaluation process. TAXATION
86% 98% €173m
16 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
of employees’ FS3 submitted
of corporate tax returns
online by their employers
submitted online
in electronic payments
5.12 Payment of EU funds
5.14 Fleet Management System
MITA enhanced the Ministry for European Affairs and
The Fleet Management System (FMS) is a government
Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto (MEAIM)
wide application with the aim to manage a wide
EU funding systems so that payments to beneficiaries
variety of assets and resources. Fleet operations
for funding are compliant to the Single Euro Payment
represent a significant capital investment and an
Area (SEPA) requirements. MITA implemented this
ongoing expense for the civil service as well as
for four funding systems mainly, Structural Funds,
organisations. Fleet managers constantly seek greater
EA Norway Funds, European Fisheries Fund and Solid
control over fuel supplies to improve overall fuel
Information System. This project included a business
economy and to eliminate loss due to pilferage and
process reengineering exercise aimed at developing
theft. The FMS allows Government to manage its fleet
more clientcentric services, as well as reducing the
more efficiently by providing fuel management, and
heavy administrative burden, and therefore improving
tracking of maintenance and repairs of vehicles. In
the processing of payments of EU funds. The first SEPA
2014, MITA migrated the system from a client-server
compliant payments are scheduled for 2015.
based application used by over 500 users to a web-
5.13 National Police System MITA developed the Criminal Records Investigative Module which further extends the functionality of the National Police Systems. This module provides the Malta Police Force (MPF) with the tools to manage the
enabled application. This transition drastically reduced the effort required to support the large number of users accessing the information system on different operating systems and environments installed across the public sector. Migration of all users is expected to be completed in 2015.
full prosecution cycle. Additional functionality provided includes a holistic picture of a ‘person of interest’ by providing a single view point to any European alerts, ongoing prosecutions, criminal records, weapon ownership, ongoing bail, bail conditions and past prison sentences. MITA worked with MPF to source an Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS), an initiative which will provide a direct link with air carriers and sea carriers allowing them to push prearrival manifest data of passengers and crew members. This system will effectively enhance border security through the automation of a comprehensive risk assessment of each passenger and additionally provide a time window for immigration officers to analyse and act upon high risk or undesirable travellers.
“ Malta was one of the first groups of countries to implement the Foreign Account Compliance Act (FACTA) agreement with the USA.”
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 17
5.15 Customs Mobile App In addition to the development of the core Customs Import and Export modules which will replace the current legacy Customs electronic system in phases between mid 2015 and 2016, MITA is currently working on a mobile app. The Customs Department commissioned MITA to develop a mobile app to inform citizens and economic traders about duties to be charged when importing commodity goods to Malta. The mobile app will calculate duties, taxes and VAT payable for imported goods as well as provide information on the type of documentation which needs to be submitted by the importer.
CUSTOMS
88%
of the commodity goods for export released within one hour from online submission of export declaration.
Online submission of
925,000 declarations for commodity goods entering Malta from outside EU customs territory
“ The Customs Department commissioned MITA to develop a mobile app to inform citizens and economic traders about duties to be charged when importing commodity goods to Malta.�
18 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
5.16 Health
HEALTH
In 2014 Government initiated the process to take over the operational and technical aspects of the Integrated
7,646,844
Healthcare Information System (IHIS) Phase I systems: Radiology Information System (RIS), Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS), and Laboratory
Tests processed through
Information System (LIS). In order to facilitate
The laboratory system
this transition, a number of MITA employees were assigned to work with the supplier’s team to gain more aforementioned systems. MITA will start taking over
243,423
the systems integrator role in the beginning of 2015;
Investigations processed through
process will be completed by mid-2015. This change
the radiology and pacs system
exposure and technical expertise in the support of the
will significantly reduce the total cost of ownership of the IHIS Phase I systems.
Additional Statistics LAND REGISTRY
PUBLIC REGISTRY
ISSUED OVER
ISSUED CIRCA
SITE PLANS
CERTIFICATES
37,000
74,700 Birth
Marriage
Death
Adoption
44,100 12,500 18,000 100 GOVERNMENT PAYMENT GATEWAY
€
OVER
AMOUNTING TO
485,000 €74,700,000 PAYMENTS
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 19
20 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH DIGITAL SERVICES We support Government in the use of digital technologies to become more open, innovative and participatory and to foster forward-looking public institutions, thus increasing citizen empowerment and strengthening citizen trust.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 21
6.1 Social Security Budget Measures
6.3 Electronic Identity Card
MITA has developed a number of online services
MITA was a key partner with the Ministry for Home
for the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity
Affairs and National Security (MHAS), Identity Malta and
(MFSS) in order to simplify business processes, add
the Electoral Office in the finalisation of the Electronic
new functional requirements and pursue the goal
Identity Cards project and subsequent launch of the
of a paperless environment. The services include
national mass roll out. The Electronic Identity Card will
the notification for retirement pension, which
fulfil various roles including the traditional means of
is automatically provided to the citizen through
identification, a travel document, and a passkey to the
e-mail. This allows the citizen to submit online
citizens’ personal data. Furthermore, the introduction if
any missing information or documentation to
the Electronic Identity Card is expected to have positive
enable the assessment of the retirement pension.
effects on Malta’s digital economy due to the introduction
The same service is also provided for the widows’
of a powerful digital certificate capable of performing
pension and the online application for the marriage
qualified electronic signatures. Since the initiation of the
one time grant. Furthermore, MITA implemented
mass rollout in early 2014 Identity Malta has issued 121,148
a number of major enhancements to the Sistema
Electronic Identity Cards by the end of year.
għall-Amministrazzjoni tal-Benefiċċji Soċjali (SABS), including the simplification of children’s allowance applications, part bonus assessments and the payment of the new tapering benefit, where newly employed social assistance beneficiaries and their employers receive a percentage of the benefit in payment for a number of months.
ELECTRONIC ID CARDS
ISSUED OVER
6.2 eJustice Services MITA continued to assist the Courts of Justice in the
eRESIDENCE PERMIT CARDS
implementation of the ICT aspects of the Justice Reform
ISSUED OVER
Programme through the provisioning of various new electronic services. An automated advice of notification of Acts was implemented and over 55,000 electronic notifications have been sent to the legal professionals over a 10 month period in 2014. Additionally an online case management system was built to cater for the information needs of the legal professionals and allow
ePASSPORTS
location independent access to case information from
ISSUED OVER
any type of mobile/computing device. The system gives
P
access to over 140,000 documents pertaining to civil cases. These services therefore bring about greater transparency of the Courts’ processes and ultimately a better service to the citizen.
eJUSTICE
55,000 Electronic notifications over a 10 month period
& 22 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
ONLINE ACCESS TO
140,000
CIVIL CASES DOCUMENTS
6.4 Refund of VAT paid on Vehicle Registration Tax
6.6 Student Placement Programme
MITA supported Transport Malta in the implementation
awaited initiative which takes place on a yearly basis
of one of the Government’s budget measures. MITA
during the summer period. This initiative facilitates
developed a number of enhancements in the Vehicle
summer placements for students, studying ICT and
Registration and Administration System (VERA) to
ICT-related courses, within the private, public and
refund vehicle owners the VAT paid on registration tax
voluntary sectors. In order to support the private
for vehicles registered and licensed between 1st May
and voluntary sectors in participating and employing
2004 and 31st December 2008. The information system
students, Government provides a co-sponsorship of
payment process had to take into consideration non-
the students’ salaries. SPP 2014 was officially launched
eligibility factors, the heirs of deceased eligible owners
in May and ran from July till September 2014, hence
and the calculation of the part-refund for the first year.
students benefitted from 11 weeks of practical ICT
The Student Placement Programme (SPP) is a much
experience in an organisational setting. MITA received 663 valid applications from students.
VEHICLES LICENCES RENEWED ONLINE
A total of 303 placements within the public service and public sector, private industries and NGOs were offered.
VEHICLES LICENCES RENEWED ONLINE
6.5 Student Advantage Scheme As part of its commitment towards education, Government in collaboration with MITA and Microsoft Malta has launched the Student Advantage Scheme, which allows students to use the latest version of Office at their education institution and at home. Students who registered for the initiative are now able to use various Office 365 Education cloud based productivity tools that will help them to communicate and collaborate more efficiently, access assignments in shared workspaces, have notes synchronised in OneNote and use familiar applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel anywhere, anytime and across virtually any device (PC, Mac, Windows, Android, iOS). Students also benefitted from 25GB of free online space where they can save all their work.
6.7 European Digital Jobs Campaign MITA joined a European Grand Coalition where a number of member states, industry players, academic institutions and NGOs are seeking to collectively promote digital jobs and the opportunities enabled by the application of technology. MITA’s role in the consortium is to export the Student Placement Programme concept to other member states. During 2014, MITA reached out to companies, public sector entities and governments in the other member states. The project is set to continue in 2015, where MITA will reach out to National Coalitions being established by member states to address e-skills shortages and mismatches. The Student Placement Programme is being promoted with member states, as a win-win, tangible initiative that can bring closer the demand for e-skills and the upcoming technology professionals.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 23
Prior to the launch of the National Coding competition,
6.9 Promotion of Science, Technology Engineering & Maths (STEM)
MITA in collaboration with the Ministry for Education
MITA organised various outreach initiatives to promote
and Employment (MEDE) invited Computing and
Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM);
ICT teachers to attend free and professionally-run
including career orientation visits for students, ICT
workshops on the use of programming languages
career exposure, Girls in ICT Day and workshops for
to create and design digital artefacts. The aim of the
children. A number of workshops were organised
workshops was for teachers to familiarise themselves
at MITA where children created digital and physical
with the programming environments and be in a
artefacts and explored basic STEM concepts. MITA
better position to guide and assist their students once
celebrated Girls in ICT Day, alongside other countries,
the competition has been launched. A total of 92
through a hands-on workshop for girls who coded
teams, comprising 216 students, participated in the
with Scratch, programmed robots and built rockets.
competition. With the assistance of their teachers, the
Moreover, a number of school visits were hosted at the
students coming from state, church and independent
MITA Data Centre and other technology companies. The
schools used programming skills to create an animated
visits at the Data Centre included an interactive session
game from scratch.
where students configured and connected a network
6.8 National Coding Competition
and programmed with Scratch.
MATE... I N A & E T A E CR UTURE! F e h t t u o b a wn game your o
4
ETITION 201
DING COMP NATIONAL CO
“ 92 teams comprising of 216 students, participated in the National Coding Competition.�
24 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
6.10 STEM Summer Club
6.11 Free Childcare Scheme
The STEM Summer Club pilot project was launched in
77 childcare centres participated in the free childcare
2014 with the aim of encouraging children to follow a
scheme launched by Government in April 2014. 3,857
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
children benefitted from this scheme and Government
study path at Form 3 level. Five summer schools
paid a total of €5.2m to the various centres. The Ministry
around Malta participated in the project, where over
for Education and Employment (MEDE) requested the
200 students aged between 10 and 12, learned about
Agency’s support in the development of the business
STEM by doing hands-on activities. To complement the
processes and supporting information systems. The free
in-class activities, various ICT stakeholders partnered
childcare scheme incorporates a number of business rules
with MITA to deliver practical sessions in Robotics, Kodu
and on a monthly basis MEDE pays the childcare centres
Game Maker, Scratch programming, digital games and
the amount due based on the children’s attendance. MITA
other activities at their premises. A number of Summer
provided consultancy services to MEDE, which included
Placement Programme students were engaged to train
the development of the technical specifications and
students in the STEM activities and create a game using
adjudication of the Free Childcare System invitation to
Unity programming for the STEM Club section on the
tender issued by the Ministry.
MITA website. FREE CHILDCARE
77
Childcare centres participated
3,857
Children participated
€5.2m The Government paid a total of
in Social Benefits
“200 students learned about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).”
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 25
6.12 One Tablet per Child Pilot Project
6.13 #StopHate Campaign
The One Tablet per Child was launched as a pilot
MITA, together with 89.7 Bay and General Soft Drinks
project by the Ministry for Education and Employment
Co Ltd launched #StopHate - a nationwide awareness
(MEDE), as part of the National Literacy Strategy, with
campaign against cyber bullying. The aim of the
the aim to increase numeracy and digital literacy. A
campaign is three-fold: to make cyber bullying look
total of 20 schools around Malta and Gozo participated
uncool and unfashionable; raise awareness amongst
in this project - 14 state schools, three church schools
youths to help and protect their friends if they realise
and another three independent schools. MITA is
they are victims of online bullying; and to provide
supporting the Ministry in the management of the
the audience with a source of information on how to
project and in ensuring that the schools infrastructure
protect themselves and what to do in case they fall
supports the anticipated technology requirements of
victims of cyber bullying. This campaign gives the
the full scale project.
necessary tools for youths to stand up and challenge this new reality.
“20 schools participated in the One Tablet per Child Pilot Project.�
26 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
6.14 eParticipation
6.16 eSkills Malta Foundation
MITA carried out a scope study to investigate the implementation of eParticipation in other EU countries. Additionally MITA explored how new technologies can expand Government’s toolbox to reach out and engage with people. A number of best practices were identified
eSkills
and, where applicable and in collaboration with the
Government launched the eSkills Malta Foundation
various stakeholders, mapped to local participatory
that will see various stakeholders working together
initiatives. The review of eParticipation tools showed
to jointly create the skills base and life-long
that such tools not only facilitate and structure the
quality growth required for a digitally enabled
method on how collaborative activities are managed
knowledge economy. The eSkills Malta Foundation
but also smoothen the progress of how information
brings together Government representatives from
can be collated, analysed and presented. The findings
MITA and Education together with key entities in
emerging from this study were presented to the
investment, employment and industry, including:
various stakeholders within Government; as a result an
Malta Enterprise, Malta Communications Authority,
inter-ministerial committee has been setup to drive the
the Malta Gaming Authority, the Employment and
initiative forward and, together with MITA, implement
Training Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce,
an eParticipation solution.
Enterprise and Industry.
6.15 Information Security Expo MITA organised an Information Security Expo at SmartCity Malta. The event targeted a wide spectrum of people including home users, students and ICT professionals. The Expo was divided into three main events: hackathon, security talks and awareness sessions. The Capture the Flag hackathon event attracted ICT professionals and students who were divided in different teams and tasked to find a number of ‘flags/vulnerabilities/strategic points’ in the environment set up by MITA’s international security partner TrustedSec LLC. The founder of the TrustedSec held an exclusive workshop for the Expo participants and numerous local companies contributed in raising awareness about various information security topics.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 27
28 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE The continuous delivery of successful results is achieved through the efforts of a talented and committed workforce. We provide our people with an environment where they can reach their full potential and excel. This is an investment in both their future and ours.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 29
7.1 Career Progression Framework
7.4 Conferences and Seminars
In September 2014, MITA launched its Career Progression
A number of employees benefitted from attendance
Framework which established six career levels denoting
to various conferences and seminars held abroad.
the different levels of responsibility within the Agency.
Participation was funded by the European Social Fund
Job Profiles were developed on the basis of the
project ESF 4.100 – Developing Core Skills in the Public
European Union’s eCompetency Framework and the
Service. Conferences attended by MITA employees
Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). A set of
under this project included, amongst others, Panta
competencies were identified for each position and new
Rhei, TechED 2014, and Making e-services a reality
salary brackets were defined for each career level. This
in Europe. Such conferences serve as a platform for
framework was developed by an internal action team
employees to have a better understanding of their area
set up specifically for this purpose who, in the process,
of expertise, and are also an opportunity to network
also consulted with employees across the Agency. A skills
with counterparts from other countries.
assessment process for each career path was carried out, at the end of the year, for those employees who were
7.5 Training
eligible and applied for career progression.
MITA continued to invest in the training and
7.2 Investors in People
development of its employees through a number
In 2014 the UK Commission for Employment and Skills
and new technologies such as Sharepoint and Linux.
reconfirmed MITA’s Investors in People accreditation.
Classroom training was also provided by MITA
This prestigious award is evidence of the Agency’s
in-house certified trainers in ITIL. Additionally
high level of people management and development
employees attended to various courses organised by
practices. The audit analysed the extent to which MITA’s
the Centre for Development, Research and Training
operations were based on an established business plan
(CDRT). MITA also invested in self-taught training
and whether the strategy was appropriately discussed
courses. These included the Microsoft Academy Portal
and communicated with all staff members. The audit
which provides employees with a variety of self-taught
also covered the extent to which employee learning
courses and resources leading to Microsoft industry
and development are taken into consideration at the
certifications, and Plural-Sight where employees can
strategic level and therefore championed by the top
subscribe to a number of courses including cloud
leadership of the Agency.
computing, social media and many more.
of specialised training courses in the use of existing
TRAINING
7.3 Business Leaders Malta Employee Research MITA participated in the Business Leaders Malta 2014 employee research survey. This survey measured various work related aspects, mainly, communication and team cohesiveness, corporate culture, employee well-being, effective leadership, performance management, reward and recognition, training and development. In 2014, MITA increased its survey participation rate to 84%, and above all achieved an improvement in its rankings. Furthermore, when comparing the results obtained in 2014 to those of 2013, there was an overall improvement across all domains, with the greatest improvement being registered in the communication and team cohesiveness domain.
30 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
151
EMPLOYEES FOLLOWING ONLINE COURSES In 2014, 7 sponsored employees completed their studies
7.6 Celebrating Our Values
7.8 Technology Committee
MITA organised a week-long of activities which brought
MITA set up the Technology Committee (TeCo) to bring
together all employees to celebrate the Agency’s values.
together principal technology representatives from various
The activities included a football match between a
internal departments to assist the Agency to achieve its
team from MITA Head Office and a team from MITA
business and strategic objectives more effectively, in a focused
Data Centre. The annual family day was also organised
fashion, through formal active participation and contribution.
during this week, where employees and their families
The committee provides a forum for the exchange of
attended to guided tours to the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra
information, best practices and ideas on matters relating to
Neolithic Temples. MITA hosted 25 delegates from various
the introduction, management and application of information
Commonwealth countries as part of a six-day programme
and technology in support of MITA’s as well as Government’s
Legal Frameworks for ICTs organised by the Ministry for
programmes and objectives. 2014 deliverables included
Foreign Affairs (MFA), Commonwealth Secretariat and
the articulation, upkeep and presentation of horizontal
COMNET Foundation for ICT Development. An ad-hoc
and vertical blue-prints and roadmaps. Furthermore the
EXCO meeting was organised and attended to by MITA
committee discussed various matters, including, core
staff who presented their ideas about the Agency’s values.
infrastructure, education domain, cloud adoption as well as
Activities were concluded by a blood donation campaign.
kicked-off research on identity and access management.
7.9 Enterprise Risk Management An internal action team was set up with the aim to quantifiably reduce the effort the Agency spends on groundwork to retain ISO certification by analysing methods how risk can be embraced in a wider context at all levels of the Agency. The action team put forward a number of recommendations which were favourably considered by both EXCO and MITA Board Members. Most notably is the introduction of risk appetite concept in the revised Enterprise
7.7 HR Policies
Risk Management (ERM) policy and procedure. This allows
The review of the Agency’s HR policies was completed in 2014. In total 51 policies were reviewed and updated to reflect the current state of affairs, also taking into
for a higher risk tolerance enabling the Agency to act quicker and focus more on where it matters thus facilitating the transition from a culture of risk aversion to a culture were
account the related legislation. Obsolete policies
risk is managed according to industry standards.
were removed whilst others in similar subject areas
7.10 MITA Road Shows
were consolidated for ease of reference. This process together with the resultant 40 consolidated HR policies
During 2014, MITA organised a number of road shows
ensured that MITA has HR policies that are up-to-date
consisting of half-day seminars for various Ministries to
and meeting the contemporary needs of an organisation
strengthen the working relationship between the respective
aspiring for equality and family-friendly measures.
Ministry and the Agency. These meetings served to highlight the projects which MITA is implementing for the Ministry and the respective departments and entities. Additionally, MITA
STAFF GENDER MIX
gave an overview of the portfolio of services being provided
236 MALES 73 FEMALES
to Government in general, as well as the other national initiatives being undertaken by the Agency.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 31
32 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Similar to other forward-thinking organisations, MITA is embedding sustainability into the core of its business operations to create shared value for the community.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 33
8.1 Community
c) Technical Assistance
MITA’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee
MITA provided technical assistance in the restoration
organised and participated in numerous initiatives that
project of the Ghajn Tuffieha Barracks by the Heritage
benefit society. During 2014 CSR activities included:
Parks Federation where ex-military structures were
a) Fund Raising Activities and Donations
converted to an administration and information centre for the management of the Majjistral Park.
The CSR Committee together with MITA employees
Additionally, MITA loaned a plasma screen to the
organised various activities to raise funds. Initiatives
Special Olympics Malta Committee to be used during
included sales of cupcakes, books, toys and stationery
an awareness event.
items as well as proceeds from a football tournament
d) Non-technical Assistance
and the World Cup 2014 predictor challenge competition. Furthermore, during the celebrating of
MITA offered office space to the Karl Vella Foundation
our values week 50% from the proceeds of the MITA
which was set up to promote the well-being of children
canteen sales were also donated to the CSR fund.
in families dealing with long-term illness. The primary
MITA provided financial assistance to HopeXchange
objective of the Foundation is to provide support and
Ghana Health Project, Malta Hospice Cycling Challenge,
maintain continuity and a sense of normality in the
Maratona bir-Roti, Puttinu Cares, Richmond Foundation,
lives of these children by providing educational and
Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Sisters of Mother
psychological assistance, as well as regular extra-
Theresa, Ursuline Sisters of Angela House and Ursuline
curricular activities.
Sisters of Dar Dun Sidor.
e) Office Furniture Donations MITA donated office furniture to numerous institutions including Action for Breast Cancer Foundation, AIESEC, Child Development Assessment Unit, Heritage Parks Federation, Immaculate Conception Sisters of Charity, Junior Achievement Young Enterprise, MCAST Business Incubation Centre, Malta Guide Dog Foundation, St. Monica School, St. Paul’s Missionary College, St. Augustine College, St. Michael’s School, the Archbishop’s Seminary, and Wardija Special Needs School.
b) Various Items Donations MITA employees donated several items to families in need. Donations included DVD player, bedroom furniture, and various children and baby items.
f) PCs, Printers and Networking Equipment Donations MITA donated IT equipment to Cini Institute in Santa Venera, Cospicua Scout Group, Dar Qalb ta’ Gesu’, Heritage Parks Federation, Junior Achievement Young Enterprise, MCAST, Malta Community Chest Fund, Malta Hospice Movement, Maltese Dominican mission in Albania and Caritas.National Council of Women, Richmond Foundation, Savio College,
34 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
g) President’s Solidarity Fun Run
i) Blood Donations
MITA employees and their relatives took part in the President’s Solidarity Fun Run. Furthermore numerous employees donated an hour or more from their salary to l-Istrina charity campaign.
MITA blood donation campaign continued during 2014 where about 30 employees (four of which first time donors) participated. Moreover MITA assisted the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in its campaign to attract potential young donors from the University of Malta and MCAST by donating more than 700 USB memory drives. These then were distributed by NBTS as a token of appreciate to blood donors.
j) Organ Donation Awareness Sessions CSR Committee in collaboration with the Transplant Support Group (TSG) Malta organised an awareness campaign to MITA employees. TSG explained their aims and objectives and answered queries that
h) Christmas Party for children
were raised by those present. Personnel from other
MITA organised a Christmas party for children who
premises as MITA Head Office were also invited
are receiving services from the Inspire Foundation.
to attend to these sessions. Over 60 participants
The party was held at the MITA Data Centre and the
attended to these sessions.
Government institutions housed within the same
proceeds collected from MITA employees for this event were used to organise the party and to buy Christmas presents for these children.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 35
8.2 Environment
Energy Efficiency
Introduction of an electric vehicle as part of MITA’s
MITA actively monitors the power consumption of the
corporate fleet
Data Centre on a monthly basis and undertakes ongoing initiatives to maximise the efficient use of energy. The
In line with the National Strategy for the Introduction of
reporting mechanism used by the MITA Data Centre for
Electromobility, MITA introduced an electric vehicle as
monitoring power consumption is based on Green Grid –
a replacement of one of its existing pool cars. This is a
the international de facto standard and is in line with the
pilot project for MITA prior to embarking on its long term
EU Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency.
commitment for its entire fleet. On average, the electric vehicle in use by MITA is covering 1,300 km distance per 25.5
month. Electric vehicles have tangible benefits as they offer a real opportunity to reduce the carbon emissions of the transport sector as well as cost savings. Driving an electric car costs just 2-3 cents per km compared to 12-
27.7
25.1
23.6
22.4 19.5
18.7 16.1 13.8
13.7
13.2
1.77
1.76
1.76
1.74
15.2
1.80
1.86
1.86
1.89
1.89
1.85
1.86
1.77
15 cents per km for conventional cars. Additionally, due to its lack of moving parts, servicing an electric car costs substantially less than servicing a conventional car.
Energy Management As in previous years, MITA’s effort and commitment on energy management focused on three aspects: energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Energy Conservation As part of the refurbishment project at MITA Head Office in Blata l-Bajda, various energy conservation mechanisms were implemented to safeguard energy use. Air conditioning systems with elevated EER (Energy Efficient Ratio) to maximise energy use.30% more efficient than previous installation.
LED lighting throughout offices leading up to 40% reduction of power consumption.
Motion detection lighting in toilets and other common areas.
Dual flush systems leading to substantial water consumption savings.
Solar water heating.
36 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
1.82
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY 2014 PUE
JUN
JUL 2014 AVERAGE
AUG 2014 TEMP
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Renewable Energy Since its deployment in 2012, the PV plant has yielded 110,000kWh units over a 36 month period. This translates to €22,0001 saving from the electrical bill and the total reduction of CO2 emissions (tCO2e)2 was 96 tons. MITA is strongly committed towards renewable energy hence it is planning to invest further by installing an additional 20KW PV plant in 2015. The graph below presents the monthly energy yield from the existing PV plant and the respective revenue from Enemalta for 2014.
UNITS 2013 2014
JAN
FEB
1,849
2,287
MAR 2,791 2,742
APR 3,540 3,382
MAY 3,573 4,344
JUN 4,304 3,895
JUL 3,980 3,657
AUG 3,729 4,146
SEP 2,983 3,059
OCT NOV 2,353 1,884 2,670 1,646
DEC 1,614 1,606
TOTAL KWH 30,751 35,283
PHOTOVOLTAICS (KWH UNITS)
4,344
35,283
4,146 3,382
3,059
2,742 2,287
3,895
1,849
3,657
2,670 1,646
1,606
30,751
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
2013
2014
2013 TOTAL KWH
2014 TOTAL KWH
PHOTOVOLTAIC (KWH UNITS)
30,751
2013 (12 MONTHS)
35,283
2014 (12 MONTHS)
1.
Based on the previous Enemalta Feed-In Tariff Commercial rates of 20 Euro cent per KWh.
2.
alta’s conversion factor is 0.875 kg per kWh. This is based on 2008 Verified Emissions Factor which Malta Resource Authority submit to EU. M According to the Carbon Trust - Greenhouse gas conversion factors, the average EU conversion factor from for grid electricity is 0.537kg/kwh.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 37
REPORTS & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 39
BOARD MEMBERS’ REPORT for the year ended 31 December 2014
Board members Mr Tony Sultana – Executive Chairman
Registered address
Gattard House
Mr Anthony Borg
National Road
Ing. Saviour Baldacchino
Blata l-Bajda HMR 9010
Mr Joseph Noel Agius
Malta
Dr Helen Borg Muscat
The board members of the Agency present their annual report and the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2014.
Overview Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) is the central driver of Government’s information and communications technology policy, programmes and initiatives. The Agency is responsible for the delivery and management of all programmes related to the implementation of information technology and related systems in Government with the aim of enhancing public service delivery. MITA also provides information and communications technology infrastructure services to Government. Additionally, the Agency promotes and delivers programmes aimed at enhancing ICT education and the use of ICT as a learning tool. MITA is also involved in initiatives aimed at proliferating the further application and take-up of information and communications technologies in society and economy.
Core ICT Services to Government Throughout 2014, the provision of Core ICT Services to Government detailed by means of a contractual agreement between MITA and the Ministry for Economy, Investment and Small Business, continued to provide the basis for the provision of the core ICT infrastructure to Government.
Projects and Programmes The delivery of specific projects and programmes provided a significant portion of the Agency’s business during the year. Specific programmes and deliverables included: i. Digital Malta Strategy – Government launched Digital Malta - the National Digital Strategy for 2014-2020, which was developed by MITA and Malta Communications Authority in close collaboration with other stakeholders. Digital Malta puts forward a set of guiding principles and policy actions of how ICT can be used for socio-economic development. It sets out a path how ICT can be applied to different sectors of the economy and society, and how citizens and businesses can benefit from its application. Digital Malta also sets out how Government can be closer to the citizen through the use of technology and become more efficient in the way public services are delivered. ii. MITA Innovation Hub – MITA inaugurated its Innovation Hub at SmartCity Malta. This is an Internet-enabled office environment which students, web innovators, software developers and start-ups can use to discuss concepts, develop prototypes, and conduct proof-of-concept projects supported by mentors from the industry, as well as by software tools and other resources made available by world players from the ICT industry.
40 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
iii. Student Advantage Scheme – The Student Advantage Scheme was launched by MITA and Microsoft Malta for primary and secondary schools and MCAST students. Through this scheme, students had the opportunity to use the latest version of Office, for free, at their education institution and at home. The benefits of this scheme include the free use of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more) on 5 different devices and SkyDrive with 25Gb of free online space. iv. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2015 – MITA provided technical consultancy and coordinated with the CHOGM Task Force the setting up of the environment to host the CHOGM portal. In addition, a cloud based Content Delivery Network was brokered to secure and accelerate the CHOGM portal. v. Refund of VAT paid on Vehicle Registration Tax – MITA implemented a number of enhancements to the Vehicle Registration and Administration (VERA) system for Transport Malta to be able to process all applications for the refund of VAT paid on vehicle registration tax between 1 May 2004 and 31 December 2008. vi. Free Childcare System – MITA provided consultancy services to the Ministry for Education and Employment, which included the development of the technical specifications and adjudication of the Free Childcare MIS invitation to tender issued by the Ministry. vii. One Tablet per Child Pilot Project – MITA is participating in the One Tablet per Child Steering Committee and technical Sub Committee, both chaired by the Ministry for Education and Employment. MITA provided technical consultancy and supported the Ministry in the implementation of the required wireless and WAN infrastructure in 20 primary state schools across Malta and Gozo that are participating in the pilot project. viii. Civil Unions – MITA implemented a number of enhancements to the system in use by the Pubic Registry Department in order to record and maintain the details of civil unions. ix.
Justice – The Courts of Justice launched a new service that was developed by MITA. This project implemented a number of changes to the core IT system which has allowed the electronic merger of the Malta and Gozo Court registries. This service now facilitates and expedites the filing of Court Acts across the sister Islands therefore providing a better service to the legal profession. Furthermore the Courts of Justice also launched a new portal for the Legal profession. Through this new service, the Legal professionals have on-line access to a more comprehensive set of court case information. This implementation uses responsive technologies and therefore the service will run equally well on any device (PC, Tablet, Mobile) of legal professionals’ preference.
x. Social Policy – The Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity has launched a number of electronic services aimed to pursue the goal of a paperless environment within the Ministry. The services, which were developed by MITA, include the notification for retirement pension, which is automatically provided to the citizen and which also allows the citizen to submit missing information and documentation to enable the assessment of the retirement pension; the same service is provided for the provision of the widows pension, where the citizen is not required to submit an application; and the online application for a one time grant following marriage. xi.
National Police System – MITA completed the development of the Criminal Records Investigative module which further extends the functionality of the National Police System. This module provides the Malta Police Force with the tools to manage the full prosecution cycle. Additional functionality provided includes a holistic picture of a ‘person of interest’ by providing a single view point to any European alerts, ongoing prosecutions, criminal records, weapon ownership, ongoing bail/bail conditions and past prison sentences.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 41
BOARD MEMBERS’ REPORT
(CONTINUED)
for the year ended 31 December 2014
xii. VAT Department – MITA has implemented a new Accounting System within the VAT Department in line with the Budget 2014 speech. The new accounting concepts implemented simplify the calculation of interests due on unpaid VAT and improved the payment allocation methods to encourage Tax Return compliance. Other systems were aligned to support this accounting process. This legislative, business process and IT systems alignment is supporting the Commissioner for Revenue in the merge of the Taxation Departments. Other work related to the merger was done to implement document management and workflow management systems, in use by the Inland Revenue, within the VAT Department. xiii. Corporate Financial Management Solution – MITA provided consultancy services to the Ministry for Finance in the procurement of the Corporate Financial Management Solution. MITA is represented on the Adjudication Board. In addition, several MITA experts from technology, business and legal have been nominated to form part of the technical teams required to undertake the evaluation process. xiv. Electronic ID Card – Identity Malta, in collaboration with MITA, launched the electronic ID (e-ID) Card which is the next generation identity document issued by Government for Maltese nationals who are 14 years of age and older. It replaces the previously issued cards (without a chip) which will be phased out. In addition to the traditional identification features the new e-ID Card also includes, amongst other enhancements, an electronic component which will allow the user to access an array of electronic services provided by the Government and other parties. The advanced electronic features of the card will also enable electronic signatures which are legally equivalent to handwritten signatures. xv. Majjistral Park Mobile App – Majjistral History and Nature Park launched its official mobile application which was developed by a team of young students following a call for proposals by the MITA Innovation Hub. The call had attracted 17 teams and two teams were short-listed to work at the MITA Innovation Hub in SmartCity Malta. The two teams decided to merge and collaborate on one mobile application for the Park. xvi. Procurement of support and development services – MITA has signed a number of contracts with local companies for a total ICT investment of €2.5 million. This was the result of an outsourcing framework through which private companies have been trusted with the maintenance, support and upgrades of some of Government’s ICT systems. xvii. eSkills Malta Foundation – Government launched the eSkills Malta Foundation that will see various stakeholders working together to jointly create the skills base and life-long quality growth required for a digitally enabled knowledge economy. The eSkills Malta Foundation brings together Government representatives from MITA and Education together with key entities in investment, employment and industry, including: Malta Enterprise, Malta Communications Authority, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Employment and Training Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. xviii. Student Placement Programme – MITA, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Competitiveness and Economic Growth, launched the Student Placement Programme (SPP). The SPP provided ICT-related summer work placement to students with a minimum, or in the process of obtaining, ICT and related qualification of Level 4 (from both public and private educational institutions). A total of 303 placements within the public service and public sector, private industries and NGOs were offered during the summer of 2014.
42 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
xix. European Digital Jobs campaign – MITA promoted the Student Placement Programme (SPP) across the EU as part of its role within the Consortium working on the European Digital Jobs campaign. Interest to replicate this Programme has been received from the Digital Champion of Bulgaria. xx. STEM Summer Club – MITA organised a STEM Summer Club - a pilot project which aimed to increase students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) through the delivery of hands-on classroom activities and outings to private training providers. Over 200 students in the age range of 10 to 12 years from five summer schools participated in 2014 pilot project. The aim was to encourage them to follow a STEM study path at Form 3 level. xxi. #StopHate Campaign – MITA partnered with 89.7 Bay and General Soft Drinks for a campaign to raise awareness on cyber bullying. The campaign will be promoted through billboards, news adverts, cinema adverts, an intensive campaign on BAY radio, Bay Kids song on the topic, a number of video adverts by top local DJs and artists, and more. xxii. Information Security EXPO – MITA organised the first Information Security Expo with the aim of raising awareness about information security topics. Over eighty participants attended the talks by TrustedSec, Palo Alto and LogicPass and thirty-two individuals participated in the security hackathon. xxiii. Schools WAN Upgrade – MITA provided consultancy to the Ministry for Education and Employment as part of the Schools WAN Upgrade initiative. The initiative consisted of the analysis of bandwidth usage and projected increase through the One Tablet per Child pilot project in various Primary schools and Wifi access in all Secondary schools staff rooms. The schools’ links were upgraded in time for the start of the scholastic year. These upgrades allow faster access speeds to the schools’ services hosted at MITA and Internet in general. The GEANT Internet link was also upgraded, from 200Mbps to 1Gbps, to enable enhanced Internet browsing experience. xxiv. New Enterprise Server and Storage Solution – MITA concluded the sourcing of the new enterprise server and storage solution through a number of tenders. The Agency took on the systems integrator role for the services components that were procured thus maximising the knowledge and expertise of MITA resources and empowering them to deliver an effective and efficient service. The new solution was considerably cheaper to procure and operate resulting in significant savings for MITA and Government. xxv. Government Email – MITA upgraded the Government email platform from Microsoft Exchange 2003 to Microsoft Exchange 2010. This upgrade provided the 26,000 Government email users with a larger mailbox. xxvi. Desktop Windows 8.x Upgrade – MITA migrated all Government desktops to Windows 8.x. This migration was also aimed at maximising the return on investment from the Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft.
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 43
BOARD MEMBERS’ REPORT
(CONTINUED)
for the year ended 31 December 2014
Financial Review In spite of the tight Government budget allocations, the overall financial performance of the Agency was a positive one, with a reported surplus before tax of €540,606, of which €484,500 is attributable to normal operations. The remaining €56,106 relates to the net effect of the movement in provision for Treasury pensions and associated recoverability. Revenue from the provision of projects and ICT service to Government reached €27,756,532, down by 6% from 2013 results. During 2014, MITA continued its investment programme to enhance and expand Government underlying infrastructure, with total investment for the year amounting to €1,254,036. Operational costs decreased by 4% over 2013 as MITA continued in its efforts to manage and contain costs.
Corporate Governance The Board Audit Committee supports the work of the Board in terms of overseeing the Internal Audit Office whilst enabling the objective assessment of the performance of the Agency, its management and its internal and external auditors. The Board Audit Committee is currently chaired by Dr Helen Borg Muscat, with the other members being Mr Vincent Marmara and Mr Jurgen Zammit. The Internal Audit Office (IAO) primary aim is to ensure an independent disciplined approach in evaluating and improving internal controls while adding value to the Agency’s operations. During 2014, IAO conducted several audit initiatives as requested by the BAC. Assignments were both technical and also operational in nature and included, lessons learnt reviews, due diligence exercises, value for money audits, software reviews, audit follow-ups, and escalation of issues in NAO Audit Reports where MITA was involved. Recommendations put forward by IAO as a result of the audits ensure continuous improvement of operational controls. Together these units ensure that MITA’s internal controls are strong and reliable, that its reporting arms are accurate, ethics are maintained, oversight is effective, risks are mitigated and investments are protected.
Board Members’ responsibilities The Agency’s statute requires the board members to prepare consolidated financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the agency and of the profit or loss of the agency for that year, in accordance with the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU. In preparing these the board members are required to: - adopt the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the agency will continue in business; - select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - account for income and charges relating to the accounting period on the accruals basis; - value separately the components of asset and liability items; and - report comparative figures corresponding to those of the preceding accounting period.
44 | MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014
The board members are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the agency. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the agency and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The consolidated financial statements of MITA for the year ended 31 December 2014 may be made available on the Agency’s website. The board members are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the consolidated financial statements on the website in view of their responsibility for the controls over, and the security and jusridictions, where legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of consolidated financial statements may differ from requirements or practice in Malta. This report was approved and authorised for issue by the Board Members on 14 April 2015, and signed on its behalf by:
Mr Tony Sultana
Mr Anthony Borg
Executive Chairman
Board member
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 45
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT to the Members of Malta Information Technology Agency
We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Malta Information Technology Agency, which comprise the Statement of Financial Position as at 31 December 2014, and the Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Accumulated Fund and Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes.
Board Members’ Responsibility for the Consolidated Financial Statements The board members are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU. This responsibility includes: designing, implementing and maintaining internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies; and making accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances.
Auditors’ Responsibility Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement.
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An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the board members, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
Opinion In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the financial position of Malta Information Technology Agency as at 31 December 2014 and of its financial performance and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU.
Mr Manuel Castagna for and on behalf of Nexia BT Certified Public Accountants The Penthouse, Suite 2 Capital Business Centre, Entrance C Triq taz-Zwejt San Gwann SGN 3000 Malta Date : 14 April 2015
MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 47
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME for the year ended 31 December 2014 2014
2013
€
€
Revenue
27,756,532
29,389,793
Cost of Sales
(21,409,827)
(22,942,772)
6,346,705
6,447,021
Gross Surplus
Reversal of / (Provision for) cost of service pensions
56,106
(159,033)
payable to Government Administrative expenses Operating surplus
Interest receivable and similar income Share of results of the associate Finance costs Surplus before taxation
Income Tax
(5,887,829)
(6,144,536)
514,982
143,452
25,663
37,395
-
-
(39) 540,606 (184,194)
180,847 (164,299)
Surplus for the year
356,412
16,548
Total Comprehensive Income
356,412
16,548
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STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITIONS as at 31 December 2014 2014
2013
â‚Ź
â‚Ź
5,346,833
5,357,865
20,000
-
ASSETS Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment
33,776
Investment in subsidiary Investment in associate
33,776
191,650
Deferred taxation
295,826
5,592,259
5,687,467
Current assets 48,454
Inventories Trade and other receivables
52,186
4,492,380
6,799,318
6,428,852
5,258,035
401,263
Current tax recoverable Cash at bank and in hand
11,370,949
12,122,224
1,531,345
1,174,933
1,531,345
1,174,933
5,094,497
5,094,497
6,177,653
6,326,377
9,000,906
10,147,828
253,171
160,553
16,963,208
Total assets
12,685
17,809,691
FUNDS AND LIABILITIES Fund Accumulated fund Total fund Non-current liabilities Trade and other payables
1,083,156
Provision for liabilities and charges
1,231,880
Current liabilities Trade and other payables
133
Short term borrowings Provision for liabilities and charges
9,254,210
15,431,863
Total liabilities
16,963,208
Total funds and liabilities
10,308,381 16,634,758 17,809,691
The consolidated financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board Members on 14 April 2015, and signed on its behalf by:
Mr Tony Sultana
Mr Anthony Borg
Executive Chairman
Board member MITA ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 49
NOTES
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Malta Information Technology Agency, Gattard House, National Road, Blata l-Bajda, HMR 9010, Malta +356 21234710 | info.mita@gov.mt | www.mita.gov.mt