Unsung heroes of the public sector stepped into the spotlight last night at the Eircom Innovation Through Technology Awards. Recognising excellence and creativity in technology initiatives in the public sector, Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD handed out six gongs at the inaugural event.
Innovator of the Year was Kerry County Council for a range of projects including the development of a Requests for Quotations system, which has resulted in direct financial savings averaging 17pc per transaction.
Winner of the Government-to-Government Category was the Department of Social and Family Affairs for integrating disparate service for electronic birth registration that also triggers the establishment of the child’s Public Service Identity Number and subsequent benefit payments.
The Department of Environment and Local Government walked away with the Government to Citizen category for its Motor Tax Online Project, while the Department of Agriculture scooped the Government-to-Business category for enabling its inspectors with mobile technology for the capture and submission of reports from remote locations.
The Revenue Commissioners won the Organisation category with its IcarusCustoms Project, a web-based system that helps customs clearance applications for Irish export/import industries. In the Partnership category, the Department of Foreign Affairs came out top for its work during the Irish EU presidency with the www.eu2004.ie website.
By Ian Campbell
