ISSUE 5

COMNET-IT Review on Member States – Malta

	Introduction
	Information Systems Strategic Plan
	Institutional Framework
	Government On-Line
	Standards and Principles

Malta is located in the centre of the Mediterranean, with a population of some 370,000 people, covering a total area of 316 square kilometres. Malta, the largest of three main islands which make up the archipelago, is only 27 kilometres long and 14,5 kilometres wide. Among other cultural assets, here can be found magnificent megalithic temples which are older than the Pyramids.

Malta is an intriguing mix of old and new. The capital city of Valletta was built in the late 1500s and remains much unchanged. Many Government Departments are located in historic buildings. Until 1990, public service computing in Malta was limited to some centralized batch processing systems and typewriters were the norm for documentation.

In November 1998 the Government of Malta adopted a three year 1999 – 2001 Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP) for the Public Service. This ISSP builds on the ground-breaking version of 1990. It is believed that the governing principles established in the first ISSP were correct and that they continue to pertain today. The main deviation relates to encompassing new technological developments; any deficiencies in the programme for the introduction of information systems/technology within the Public Service do not rest with the conceptual framework, but rather with the implementation process.

Around 4,500 PCs have been deployed across the Public Service which represents roughly one computer for every 5 staff. Following an aggressive training programme directed towards making users aware of PC technology and office applications, the level of IT literacy in the Maltese Public Service ranks amongst the highest found in the public service of any jurisdiction. An information technology culture resides within the Maltese Public Service today. However, this is not enough: an information resource management culture is yet to be established.

The new Plan established a strategic direction that was not solely focused on just technology. In a literal sense, the ISSP concluded that further investment in information systems might easily reap diminishing rather than increasing return on investment to the Public Service.

The fundamental realization of the ISSP is the fact that the information systems, which are currently in place, are under-utilized and the investment is not reaping the return that should be realized.

Furthermore, whilst the massive infusion of information systems across the Public Service over the past seven years resulted in the incremental inculcation of an Information Technology culture there is, in the main, an absence of a culture of information resource management and the strategic management of information.

The primary efforts proposed by the ISSP are directed towards a process of consolidation, maximization and optimization of the information systems investment to date. Furthermore, this Plan emphasis that the proposed information systems initiatives should be undertaken within the process of a holistic vision for the reform of the Public Service. Information systems and technology are not the end, but are the means that enable the economic, effective and efficient attainment of the Public Service’s main mandate: the delivery of services (infrastructural, economic and social).

The ISSP establishes three major thrusts. The first thrust is directed towards the establishment of an institutional framework that should result in the inculcation of an information resource management culture in the Public Service. To this effect, this Plan recommends that ownership for the planning and strategic direction of information resource management is placed, unequivocally, within the Public Service.

This ISSP proposed the establishment of a Central Information Management Unit (CIMU) to assume the functional responsibility for (i) vision and strategy for IM / IT / IS in the Public Service; (ii) the drawing up of legislation, policies and standards relating to IM / IT / IS and (iii) the undertaking of value for money audits on IT / IS investment as well as ensuring compliance to the IM / IT / IS policies and standards.

It is to be noted that in March 1999 the Government established the Central Information Management Unit within the Office of the Prime Minster. A capacity building initiative is currently underway to ensure that the Central Information Management Unit becomes a sustainable organisation.

The Plan strongly argued for the undertaking of a process of controlled decentralization for information systems to Ministries following the establishment of Ministry Information Management Units (IMUs) within the Public Service. To this effect a process of capacity building is currently under consideration.

The implementation strategy to establish the organizational framework that is being favoured is an incremental rather than ‘big bang’ approach. To this effect the intention is to direct efforts in 2000 to establish three Information Management Units in three Ministries.

Steps are also underway to establish IT knowledge as a mandatory requirement for entry into the Public Service. For this matter the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) has been chosen as the certified qualification and steps are underway to introduce this for selection purposes towards the third quarter of 2000. More information on the ECDL can be found at www.ecdl.co.uk/.

The second thrust is directed towards leveraging information technology and systems to support re-generation and continued change in the Public Service. To this effect the Plan recommends that an aggressive stance be undertaken by the Public Service to attain "Government On Line".

The strategy for the attainment of "Government On Line" is based on the following key tactics:

1. The Principles Underpinning Electronic Service Delivery

   The attainment of "Government On Line" is to be underpinned by the following principles:

1. Choice: Whilst the delivery of public services and goods by electronic direct delivery should be the primary mechanism for interaction between the Public Service and its clients, electronic service delivery should not be intended to replace face to face, telephone or paper based service.
2. Accessibility: It is recognised that the PC profusion and internet linkages to date are not sufficiently large to engender an information based society.

   Thus an initiative for providing members of the community electronic access by establishing electronic gateways at local councils as well as identifying other delivery mechanisms is underway.

   A critical factor for accessibility is affordability. Pivotal to the attainment of "Government On Line" is the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector - an objective that the Government is set to attain by January 2003.

3. National Alignment: It is recognised that electronic service delivery can only be successfully achieved if users of public services are comfortable with technology. The Government in 1994 initiated an aggressive project to introduce technology within classrooms and place IT as a key component of the national curriculum.

   To date, over 3,700 PCs have been introduced in state schools - and at least 4 PCs in each classroom within Primary Schools.

   Furthermore, the attainment of "Government On Line" cannot be perceived in isolation from the drive to attain an "Information Society" in Malta. It is consequently essential that the Information Strategy of the Public Service formulates part of a National Strategy for Information and Information Technology.

4. Confidence: The public must have the confidence that the information collected and electronic transactions undertaken are safeguarded and adequate safeguards for redress are available. To this effect work is underway to establish the appropriate legislative framework.

5. Efficiency: The introduction of electronic service delivery is not to be the sole end goal. It is also expected to assist business process re-engineering - streamlining internal processes, cutting through functional boundaries and enabling a one stop shop service.

2. Establishing a Legislative Framework for Electronic Service Delivery.

In March 1999 an Inter-Ministerial Working Group was set up to develop a compendium of cyber legislation to put together a legislative framework that will establish trust and confidence in electronic service delivery.

A draft Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill has been put together. The draft Bill is directed towards establishing:

1. functional equivalence between conventional paper based communications and transactions and electronic communications and transactions; and
2. promoting confidence in electronic communications and transactions by (i) removing legal impediments to electronic communications and transactions and (ii) ensuring certainty as to the application of law to electronic communications and transactions.

The draft Bill is primarily based on the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law with the necessary amendments to factor in the EU Directives titled "A Common Framework for Electronic Signatures" and "Certain Legal Aspects on Electronic Commerce" respectively.

A draft Computer Misuse Bill has also been put together. Finally, a Data Protection and Privacy Bill is currently being drafted. The Bill is based on the EU Directive on data protection and is being modelled primarily on the Swedish Data Protection Act introduced in April 1998.

It is premised that the draft Bills will be issued for public consultation in 2000.




3. One Window Interface Between Government and the Citizen

The Government of Malta has a Web site called: MAGNET.mt. A project is currently underway to ensure that this web site becomes the single entry point for any interaction with the Public Service.

The objective is to attain a horizontal integrated service delivery access that is based on a "life event cycle" as against a multitude of entry points based on organisational functions.

It has been concluded that adopting a "life event cycle" approach would provide for the most appropriate strategy for attaining meaningful change; streamlining and rationalising duplication of requirements; and attaining cross organisation and function changes.




4. Initiatives to Engender Electronic Service Delivery.

The following are the initiatives currently underway to engender electronic service delivery of public services and goods.

1. Elimination of Requirements on the Public to Produce Event Certificates

In 1994, as a result of the first ISSP for the Government of Malta published in 1990, a Common Data Base capturing personal "tombstone" information, which is in the public domain, was created.

In 1999 an initiative was initiated to leverage the use of this information to eliminate the requirement placed by Public Service entities on individual citizens to produce event certificates such as marriage, death and birth certificates for the delivery of certain public services.

To date, the requirement for an individual to obtain an event certificate has been eliminated in the following public service organisations:

• Passports Office
• Examinations Branch
• Public Libraries
• Housing Authority
• Department for Social Security.

Business process studies are currently underway in a number of other public service entities including services relating to the Electoral Commission, the Department of Citizenship, etc.

2. Decentralisation of Services through Local Councils

The Government between 1991 and 1995 created a state of the art infrastructure network. This ISSP proposed that this network should be extended in order to link to it the 67 local councils in Malta.

The intention here is to decentralise services currently carried out at the centre to local councils - thereby bringing service delivery closer to the community as well as enabling the public to electronically access the centre from his or her community. Work on the attainment of this strategy was initiated in early 1999 and this first phase, which relates to processing of licences is targeted for completion in March 2000.




3. Internet Service Delivery

Further to the ISSP, a study has recently been completed identifying services that can be provided to the public through web based technology via the internet.

In essence, these have been classified in the following categories:

• Government Forms and Instructions. The intention here is to (i) consolidate forms currently prevailing within Government departments thereby eliminating duplication and (ii) to allow for the electronic filling of forms as well as the electronic dissemination of the forms to the public service entity that requires to process such forms - in certain instances there may be more than one public service entity.

Over 120 services across 34 public service entities have been identified. These include:

• Inland Revenue Department for the filling of income tax forms
• VAT Department for the filling of VAT returns
• Housing Authority for the application for housing schemes
• the Social Housing Department for the application of social housing schemes
• Land Registry for the payment of registration allowances.
• Information Brochures of services provided by public service entities and requirements related to such services
• Electronic tendering between the Department of Contracts and private industry
• Circulars, notices and public information
• Localised information on the European Union.

A project plan for the implementation of these services over a five year period is currently being put together.

4. Establishment of Sectoral Networks.

The ISSP further recommended that where possible a Sectoral Network between a government entity and the clients of that entity be introduced. An example of this is the establishment of a sectoral network across all Hospitals and Health Care Centres capturing patient information which is now underway. A study is to be carried out to evaluate extending this particular sectoral network to General Practitioners.

The following opportunities have also been identified for the introduction of sectoral networks:

• importers with the Department of Customs and the Department of Trade for the processing and access of information relating to imports
• notaries with the Lands Registry
• Lawyers and solicitors with the Law Courts.
5. Alternative Delivery Mechanisms

The ISSP strongly emphasised that the attainment of "Government On Line" will only be successful if wholesale penetration is attained across the community. A feasibility study is to be initiated to review the possibility of introducing smart card technology and public kiosks for the delivery of services to the Public.

The third thrust is directed towards ensuring that the continued evolution of Information Technology / Systems in the Public Service is based on a key set of principles. The following, amongst others, have been identified as the most important:

• information will be made available to all systems with consistency throughout the Public Service: when, where, and in all forms necessary – within the constraints of legislation;
• information systems will be designed or acquired on the basis of a shared infrastructure which will continue to be designed to be stable, requiring only changes which are necessary for the extension of the network"s capability;
• the Malta Government Network (MAGNET) should be exploited to ensure the maximum return on the investment made and should continue to be developed in a consistent and stable manner;
• interfaces and new services should be designed, developed and installed on MAGNET to enable information sharing principles among all future parties;
• in so far as it is possible, applications should be acquired as "Off the Shelf" solutions with minimum customisation to be undertaken;
• bespoke applications should be done only on the basis that the business process(es) has been re-engineered;
• systems should be designed on a modular basis to permit flexibility and adaptability;
• "Vendors of Record" should be competitively selected to allow for continuity and the development of applications should be directed to experienced and reputable suppliers;
• there should be a standard "look and feel" for all applications in the Public Service;
• there is to be only a single workstation on a desk and that workstation is to provide a window into all capabilities the user requires and is authorised to use;
• software and hardware upgrades should only occur for business requirement needs and to maintain inter-operability of applications;
• systems acquired or built are to have security standards, which ensure that shared information, is protected;
• systems are to be developed to allow for local and decentralised development of business applications; and
• whilst the opportunities provided by Internet and Intranet technologies should be exploited, they should be governed by standards and protocols to allow for controlled use.

Article provided by:
David Spiteri Gingell,
Chief Information Management Officer, Central Information Management Unit
Office of the Prime Minister, Auberge de Castille, Valletta CMR01, MALTA

E-mail: david.gingell@gov.mt

Web site: http://www.gov.mt