Ireland continues to exhibit strong digital indicators
The second progress report published for Harnessing Digital, states that Ireland has a leading position in the EU on several enterprise, skills, connectivity, and public services indicators. However, scope for progress remains.
Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework, published in early 2022, reflects Ireland’s ambition to continue to be a “European and global digital leader”, and affirms government’s strong commitment to “progressing the digital transformation of our economy and society”.
The second progress report, published by the Department of the Taoiseach in January 2024, states that while positive developments have taken place over the last 12 months, the scope for progress abounds in areas such as driving higher levels of enterprise adoption of AI, cloud and big data, continuing to meet the demand for high quality digital skills across the economy, and progressing citizen access to digital health records.
The report states that progress towards the State’s national and EU-level connectivity targets through the implementation of the Digital Connectivity Strategy is on track.
“The delivery of fibre to the home broadband is making strong progress, with 70 per cent of premises in commercial areas now upgraded, and over 600,000 premises now have full fibre subscriptions,” the report says, referring to statistics provided by ComReg.
Under Harnessing Digital, the Government has approved the development of legislation to establish the National Cyber Security Centre on a statutory basis aiming for it to be completed by October 2024 as part of the transposition of the NIS2 Directive.
What is Harnessing Digital?
The Harnessing Digital strategy was developed in line with the EU’s Digital Decade strategy setting out a roadmap to advance the digitalisation of enterprise and public services, enabled by digital infrastructure and digital skills provision at all levels, whilst complementing work towards reaching Ireland’s climate objectives.
Recognising Ireland’s significant role in enforcing digital regulation, Harnessing Digital reinforces government’s commitment to a modern, cohesive, well-resourced regulatory framework to effectively oversee and enforce existing and new regulations.
Harnessing Digital is designed to institute a cross-government approach to progressing the State’s digital agenda, strong implementation structures under the Cabinet Committee on the Economy and Investment aimed at ensuring “coherent and impactful delivery”.
The report includes regular consultation and engagement with stakeholders, including with industry through the Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum, and with regulators through the Digital Regulators Group.
“Strong political leadership across the broader digital agenda, including at EU and international level, plays a key role in delivery,” the report states.
This cross-government approach, with extensive engagement, is particularly important in the context of the fast-paced evoluti
on of AI, which the report asserts has both potential to enhance Ireland’s
socioeconomic wellbeing, enable innovation, and advance productivity, while also bringing risks and challenges. The Government has stated a continued commitment towards an ethical and human rights-based approach to AI that is people-centric, and emphasises fairness, transparency and building public trust, as reflected in the National AI Strategy, AI – Here for Good.
While Ireland holds a leading position in the EU on several enterprise, skills, connectivity, and public services indicators, the report affirms that there is work to do to reach our targets in some areas.
The Government has committed to continue to “focus on working to deliver in these areas in particular, to ensure we reach our national, and EU-level digital targets”.
