IT investments: Modernizing government

Budget 2005 contains a significant investment in information technology to fulfill the Blueprint commitment to develop an IT strategy for the province and to modernize the IT functions of government.

Premier Danny Williams announced a substantial increase of $8.4 million for IT in Budget 2005, putting government�s commitment this year to moving this critical agenda forward at a total of $32.4 million. The additional funding will further the work of the chief information officer, who was appointed in November to assist government in advancing the economic growth agenda and IT strategy. The office�s mandate is to streamline and enhance service delivery, reform IT management and operational practices across government, and work with local IT companies. On-going IT initiatives in government account for a $24 million investment in Budget 2005.

"We committed in the Blueprint to strengthening and modernizing the IT functions of government to make dealing with government less time-consuming and to ensure greater access to services over the Internet," Premier Williams said. "We need a multi-year approach to upgrading and replacing our systems, which will allow us to take advantage of new technologies and opportunities for new and improved services. This funding represents an important step towards fulfilling that commitment."

Operational Improvements
The additional investment will allow for systems replacement and upgrading across government, as well as enhanced disaster recovery to ensure critical information is protected. The Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is also being given a more centralized structure to reflect the operational role of implementing an IT strategy across government. The office is being moved from the Department of Business to Executive Council, with the CIO reporting directly to the Premier. Also, the IT Management Division of Treasury Board Secretariat will now report directly to the chief information officer.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to radically improve and enhance the IT services government provides," said CIO Peter Shea. "As a result of the priority being given to IT today, we will be able to significantly improve the information management and information technology systems within government, as well as advance government�s commitment to developing the local IT industry."

In addition to the $32.4 million investment in government�s IT operations, Budget 2005 also contains significant funding allocations for a number of specific IT initiatives in various departments to improve and enhance the services they provide.

IT Investments in Government Departments
Human Resources, Labour and Employment Minister Joan Burke announced that $450,000 will be spent this year to move forward with phase two of the Client Automated Payment System (CAPS), which replaces several existing and antiquated computer systems. Phase one involves the delivery of the Income Support Program, which is already in place on the west coast and will reach across the province by the end of 2005-06. Phase two will streamline the administration of the Employment and Career Services Division, which helps clients return to work. The new system allows staff to spend less time on administrative work and therefore more time with clients.

In the health sector, government is making investments to better utilize IT in the provision of health care. Health and Community Services Minister John Ottenheimer announced that $4 million will be spent to expand and enhance the Picture Archiving Communications Systems, which allows diagnostic images to be digitally captured and transmitted across the province.
Government will also make an investment in a provincial pharmacy network to make medication histories available online to attending physicians and pharmacists. (See News Release - Government invests in new health technology to improve patient care)

As well, Government Services Minister Dianne Whalen announced $1 million to set up the lobbyist registry and move forward with the next phase of Companies and Deeds Online. To fulfill government�s commitment to require all lobbyists in the province to be registered, the department will spend $250,000 to develop and set up the computerized registry to track lobbyists.

The department will also spend $844,000 for phase four of the Companies and Deeds Online (CADO) system. This next phase will provide enhanced online services for commercial registrations and a vastly improved retrieval/archival system, including the conversion of microfilm documents to make them available online. Once phase four is complete in November 2005, consumers will be able to search property deeds online back to the 1980s.

"As a government, we are delivering on commitments we made to be more open and accountable, and to provide more e-commerce opportunities and access to government services online," Minister Whalen said. "This will result in better access to services for residents and greatly improve the efficiency of businesses that use government�s registries."

Media contact:
Elizabeth Matthews, Premier�s Office, (709) 729-3960, 690-5500
Tracy Barron, Government Services, (709) 729-4860, 690-6157
Carolyn Chaplin, Health and Community Services, (709) 729-1377, 682-5093
Jacquelyn Howard, Human Resources, Labour and Employment, (709) 729-4260, 689-2624

2005 03 21                       3:35 p.m.