The country was passed out by New Zealand, which last year ranked in 23rd place and this year is in 21st place. Austria notched up a few extra places from 21st position last year to 19th position this year.
So says the annual report from Capgemini conducted on behalf of the European Commission, which placed Ireland fourth in Europe in terms of online sophistication of e-government services with a score of 84 percent. This score tied with the UK but was five points behind the leader, Sweden. Last year Ireland had a score of 86 percent, making it joint second with Denmark, and in 2001 Ireland topped the list with 68 percent.
Published in July 2004, the ESG's report outlined the challenges and opportunities facing the enterprise sector in Ireland over the coming decade. It also outlined the measures government and industry needed to take if Ireland was to meet those challenges and capitalise on the opportunities.
Weiterlesen: Ireland Government launches 'Enterprise Action Plan'
The texting service, launched in February, allows PAYE customers to request information such as PAYE leaflets and forms by sending text messages to a dedicated short-code -- 51829 -- from their mobile phones. Users are also able to claim PAYE tax credits through the service.
In a recent survey IDC ranked 15 Western European countries on e-government on two key factors: readiness and sophistication of services. One of the measures for a high readiness rating is internet access, as this is essential for ensuring the population is equipped to transact with public services via the web and similar channels.
Weiterlesen: Ireland must improve net access to beat e-gov lag