IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The government has published a programme brief outlining its plans for public sector reform under the banner of Project Future but there will be no sell offs or privatisation of government services among the 17 projects identified in the first phase. Based on the EY report published last year, the document, which was revealed at a press briefing Monday by the premier and deputy governor, lists 51 reform projects in total that will be implemented in five phases.

Some government land will be sold but no agencies, entities, departments or specific services will be outsourced and most of the projects involve amalgamation, rationalisation, development or management change.

The days of making two trips to the police records office on Walkers Road to obtain police clearances are over, at least for internet users.

On Monday, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service started online processing of police clearance certificates, which are required for applicants seeking a work permit or a permit renewal. They are also required every six months for permanent residence applicants awaiting decisions on their status.

The initial step of registering for a new e-services identification number needs to be done in person at the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing.

Members of the public who need to renew their car registration can take their vehicles to any of 12 private garages or to the DVDL office in Crewe Road to be inspected. Once the inspection is done, the garage or DVDL electronically submits details, such as valid insurance information, to the department.

The government has taken the first step in its planned rollout this year of a national identification system, as it issued a request for proposals to develop the programme. The e-Government team in the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure is looking for a suitable company to create the “suite of services and technology required” to implement a National ID Card, officials said in a release.

This will be a government-issued, photo-identification card that will hold the individual holder’s current Cayman immigration status and people will be able to use the wallet-sized card for daily interactions with government. It will also include digital identity and digital signature features that will allow holders to confirm their identity online or sign documents digitally.

The roll-out of two more e-government services will be show-cased next week when Commerce Minister Joey Hew hosts an event at a local hotel unveiling the latest advances which, according to officials, will include the ability for people to pay for key services online. One of the new services will be the Trade and Business Licence application portal, which will allow business owners to apply for a new licence or renew their current licence online, and pay for them. The other is the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing’s new unregistered renewal service, which does not require users to create account or provide their e-signature (or ESID) number.

“These services will save our people time and hassle, and provide them a more secure, convenient and efficient service,” said Hew, adding that business owners and members of the public had been requesting these services for a long time.

The much anticipated goal of moving more government services online to cut costs and improve efficiency still appears some way off. Despite promises from successive administrations that technology will be used to help reduce queues, bureaucracy and costs, e-government is still in the early stages. Officials revealed that the new gov.ky service portal will not be launched until the year-end and that the e-Gov Steering Committee (EGSC) met for the first time just this month to begin the work.

Government appointed former LIME senior executive Ian Tibbetts last December as the e-government tsar who will oversee the transition of government services online.

Every person in Cayman could soon be required to carry a national identity card.

Government is compiling a database of all individuals on the island with the aim of implementing a national ID scheme next year, Commerce Minister Joey Hew said Wednesday.

He said each card would carry a unique chip and an identity number that would link to government’s database – which he referred to as a “register of natural persons”.