Northern Ireland Masternet 2001

 

This is a proposal for a NI Assembly online information system covering all NI Departments' Public Service Agreements (PSAs & SDAs); i.e., a widely accessible system showing sectoral and /or local constituency outputs wherever practicable. It will thus offer crucial cross-departmental management data but also vital new information for Assembly Committees when they validate PSAs/SDAs and when considering the next year's Estimates.

 

Output data will be verified by the NI Audit Office & NISRA as an essential part of the Assembly's online information system. User-friendly access programmes can be designed to facilitate constituency queries, inter-departmental or Committee reviews. Thus feedback from constituents, customers and front line staff on local delivery and programme effectiveness will become an integral part of the system, available to MLAs, managers and the wider community. Finally Assembly Committees will have systematic information as estimates come forward for approval.

 

By-products already discussed with the NI DFP, NIAO & NISRA include the impact of the above for more effective public procurement and productivity; improving the supply base of the knowledge driven economy; explaining multi-level (incl. local) impacts of official programmes and achievements to constituents and industry alike; meeting the FOI duties and the (Equality) requirements of Section 75 of the 1998 Northern Ireland Act in an imaginative, economical and effective way.

 

Des McConaghy

 


 

Some relevant Des McConaghy papers:

 

1998A, Comments on UK Government's White Paper, "Your Right to Know", in Commons Select Committee on Public Administration, HC 398-II (p.150-152), May 1998. ("Community Masternet" as a core area of publicly-accessible free information, incl. tailored response to social exclusion & unified public sector online system).

 

1998B, Comments on "Statistics: a Matter of Trust" (Cm 3882), Commons Treasury Committee Inquiry into the ONS, mimeo, July 1998. (Proposed variation of the Treasury's Green Paper's "Model D").

 

1999A, Evidence for Inquiry into Performance Targets. (Comments on CM 4181 & 4315), proposed "customisation" of online output and performance measures (OPAs/PSAs/SDAs), 25 April 1999. Treasury Committee, "Public Service Agreements", HC 378, 29 June 1999, Appendix 6.

 

1999B, Review: Measuring (Accountable) Success - Analysis of Treasury Working Document. Public Money&Management: Vol.19, No 3. October-December 1999, CIPFA.

 

2000B, Government Resources and Accounts Bill (NIA Bill 6/00): Evidence for Report on Committee Stage; NI Assembly; Committee for Finance & Personnel. Second Report, 16 January 2001, SO, Belfast.

 

2002A, Comments on NI 2002/03 Budget: mimeo. Evidence to Treasury Committee Inquiry on PSAs and Targets, mimeo, 17 July 2002.

 

 return to top of the page

 


 

Contact to Des McConaghy:

 

eMail:  desmc@talktalk.net

 

5 Glenluce Road, Liverpool L19 9BX,   Tel. 0151 427 6668

 

return to main page