Public Administration Information Technology Use 2007

The most widely available services on Central Government body websites on the Internet are:information (about the body itself 98%, about the services provided 96%, legislation 95%) email (97%), forms available to download (71%), database access (62%), goods and services available in digital format free of charge (51%), forms available to fill in and submit online (49%), recruitment opportunities and employment areas (29%)).

76% and 78% of Government bodies in the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores have an Internet connection with a speed of or above 512 Kbps respectively, while 52% and 44% of bodies have connections of or above 2 Mbps respectively and there has been 73% and 76% growth over a year for this type of connection respectively.

In terms of the online activities carried out by Regional Government bodies, there was a significant increase from 2006 to 2007 in External Communication with Citizens (the percentage of bodies almost doubled in the Azores and almost tripled in Madeira and is now 68% and 76% respectively), External Communication with Companies (more than tripled in the Azores and more than quadrupled in Madeira and is now 78% in the two regions) and Consultation of Procurement catalogues (more than sevenfold increase in the Azores and an almost fivefold increase in Madeira and is now 37% and 54% respectively).

All Municipal Councils have an Internet connection, 78% with a speed of or above 512 Kbps, while 78% have connections of or above 2 Mbps with 22% growth over a year for this type of connection.

The Internet is essentially used in Municipal Councils as a tool for searching and communicating:searching for and collecting information/documentation (97%), email (99%) and electronic file exchange (94%).The activity that saw the most growth was eProcurement, which almost doubled, now occurring in 29% of Municipal Councils.

Results from the 2007 edition of three surveys conducted by Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) – namely use of ICTs by Central Government, Regional Government and Municipal Councils – are being published today. The percentage of answers in the three surveys, which were carried out between September and November 2007, was impressively high: 87%, 100% and 93% respectively.

1) Regarding Central Government

• All Central Government bodies have an Internet connection, 87% with a speed of or above 512 Kbps, while 63% of bodies have connections of or above 2 Mbps and there has been 29% growth over a year for this type of connection.
• 89% of Central Government Bodies have an Internet site, while this figure is considerably higher for bodies with 50 to 249 employees (93%) and with more than 250 employees (97%) and has reached 100% for public institutes.
• In terms of the online activities carried out by Central Government bodies, there was a significant increase from 2006 to 2007 in External Communication with Citizens (the percentage of bodies performing this activity more than doubled and is now 60%), External Communication with Companies (71% increase, now 65%) and Consultation of Procurement Catalogues (more than tripled, now 60%).
• The most widely available services on Central Government websites on the Internet are: information (about the body itself 98%, about the services provided 96%, legislation 95%) email (97%), forms available to download (71%), database access (62%), goods and services available in digital format free of charge (51%), forms available to fill in and submit online (49%), recruitment opportunities and employment areas (29%)).
• 38% and 20% of Central Government Bodies order and pay for orders online respectively, which corresponds to increases of 41% and 25% on the previous year respectively.
• 29%, 28% and 37% of Central Government Bodies use open source software for operating systems, Internet servers and other applications types respectively. 
• In the IT security area, there was a 22% increase in the use of safe servers (shttp protocols) from 2006 to 2007 and a 16% rise in the use of anti-spam filters over the same timeframe, which means that the percentage of Central Government Bodies with these services is now 60% and 80% respectively.

2) Regarding Regional Government

• All Regional Government Bodies have an Internet connection.
• 76% and 78% of Government bodies in the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores have an Internet connection with a speed of or above 512 Kbps respectively, while 52% and 44% of bodies have connections of or above 2 Mbps respectively and there has been 73% and 76% growth over a year for this type of connection respectively.
• The percentage of Regional Government Bodies with an Internet website is 87% and 93% respectively.
• In terms of the online activities carried out by Regional Government bodies, there was a significant increase from 2006 to 2007 in External Communication with Citizens (the percentage of bodies almost doubled in the Azores and almost tripled in Madeira and is now 68% and 76% respectively), External Communication with Companies (more than tripled in the Azores and more than quadrupled in Madeira and is now 78% in the two regions) and Consultation of Procurement catalogues (more than sevenfold increase in the Azores and an almost fivefold increase in Madeira and is now 37% and 54% respectively).
• 6% of bodies in Madeira and 10% of bodies in the Azores order online.
• 10%, 7% and 20% of Regional Government Bodies in the Azores and 19%, 21% and 22% in Madeira use open source software for operating systems, Internet servers and other applications types, respectively.

3) Regarding Municipal Councils

• All Municipal Councils have an Internet connection, 78% with a speed of or above 512 Kbps, while 78% have connections of or above 2 Mbps with 22% growth over a year for this type of connection.
• The Internet is essentially used in Municipal Councils as a tool for searching and communicating: searching for and collecting information/documentation (97%), email (99%) and electronic file exchange (94%). The activity that saw the most growth was eProcurement, which almost doubled, now occurring in 29% of Municipal Councils.
• 97% of Municipal Councils have their own website on the Internet.
• Services available on Municipal Council websites are dominated by email (78%), while 77% of Municipal Councils with their own website make forms available for downloading and printing, and 47% allow you to subscribe to their newsletters on the Internet.
• 51%, 36% and 47% of Municipal Councils use open source software for operating systems, Internet servers and other applications types respectively.
• 25% of Municipal Councils order online.