The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, T.D., announces the appointment Mr. Bill McCluggage as Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Speaking today, Minister Howlin said, “I welcome the appointment of Mr. Bill McCluggage. Bill will provide guidance and leadership at the executive level across the entire IT spectrum, and will take responsibility for the development of the ICT strategy for Government and the wider public service.”
Echoing this, Secretary General Robert Watt said, “Bill will positively influence the direction of technology enabled change across the public service in Ireland and play a key role in the delivery of the Government’s strategic change objectives. I look forward to working with Bill in that context”.
Reporting to the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Bill will hold ultimate responsibility for the strategic direction of technology in support of the wider mission and strategic change objectives in the Public Sector. Bill will lead the CIO Council and will drive the implementation of the eGovernment and Cloud Computing strategies.
Mr. McCluggage remarked, "I look forward to the opportunity to work with the CIO Council, colleagues across Government and industry, and with the senior management team in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform under Minister Brendan Howlin and Secretary General Robert Watt to make a tangible difference to the delivery of public services across Ireland through effective use of technology, eGovernment and Cloud computing."
Bill has siginificant experience in the IT sector leading ICT enabled change and managing complex stakeholder relationships. As Director of eGovernment and then CIO for Northern Ireland, he led the development and successful implementation of a range of strategies that have transformed Northern Ireland’s public services’ interface with the citizen and the delivery of public sector back offices services. As Deputy Government CIO in the Cabinet Office in London, he led a multi-disciplinary team which developed Government’s national ICT strategy. Bill holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, Belfast, an MSc in Aerosystems Engineering, is a member of the Institute of Engineering, Technology & Chartered Engineers, a fellow of the British Computer Society and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster
ENDS
3 May, 2013
Notes for Editors
Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council
The Public Service Reform Plan included the establishment of a Public Service Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council. This has been established and is chaired by DPER The CIO Council is a representative forum for senior managers with responsibility for ICT and/or eGovernment. The Council’s membership is drawn from across the Public Service. It meets to progress key ICT and eGovernment issues. The Council provides expert input to decisions and actions to maximise the positive impact of ICT and eGovernment on Public Service modernisation and customer service.
eGovernment 2012 – 2015
The Programme for Government and the Public Service Reform Plan highlight Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) as key enablers to delivering improved public services. Implementation of the ICT elements of the Programme and the Reform Plan will ensure a strong focus on the customer and that better and more innovative use is made of technology to improve the customer experience.
To progress these, CMOD, working with the Public Service CIO Council, is developing a series of policy documents. This first one, entitled eGovernment 2012 – 2015 identifies a number of priority action areas for Public Bodies which are intended to enhance public service delivery; ensure that citizens and businesses have ease of access to a range of services through multiple channels; improve data sharing across Public Service organisations; and, develop a more integrated approach.
Cloud Computing Strategy
The Cloud Computing Strategy sets out a strategic approach for the public service to engage
with Cloud Computing and to undertake a comprehensive programme of Data Centre Consolidation. It positions both as key elements of the public service’s ICT Strategy. It details the criteria to be considered by individual public bodies when considering public Cloud offerings, and highlights how a Public Service Community Cloud will be progressively phased in.