Helping public service agencies to work together.

Helping citizens interact with public services Since May 2006, Reach has provided an identity checking service for the new Revenue PAYE Online service that allows taxpayers to manage their own tax affairs online. The identity service is available for extension to other public service agencies.

Identity Authentication

The addition of customer registration and personal account facilities to the main reachservices website has meant that customers may open an "account" with the service in which personal details and a file of communications with Departments can be held. The identity of the account holder is checked online at log in against the DSFA Public Service Identity system to ensure privacy and security. This registration process will be at the heart of the Government's approach to the management of identities across the public sector. This Summer saw a considerable growth in the number of registrations with reachservices. ie as REACH worked closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the promotion to PAYE taxpayers of their self-service options. One such option is the internet and the Revenue Commissioners now welcome on-line customers via this channel who have completed their registration with reachservices. ie. The once-off registration process provides a high level of assurance with regard to the customer's on-line identity and the protection of their personal data.

Public Reaction

Reach has absorbed some lessons from the 2006 Revenue/On-Line PAYE campaign and as a result of feedback from its customers and a related Usability Study, intends to present a significantly improved homepage and registration facility to its customers early in 2007.

Also in the coming year, REACH will build on its joint approach with the Revenue Commissioners to inform the public and to promote the uses of reachservices. ie.

The identity checking service also underpins the reachservices secure inbox which customers can use to receive and send communications with public service agencies in a secure, recorded way. This service has considerable potential to reduce communication costs for agencies and citizens by eliminating the need for exchanging paper documents. The citizen can use the inbox to file and organise official documents.

On a more general level the taxpayer benefits from the greater efficiencies which reachservices. ie can deliver to the Public Sector. The basic on-line based infrastructure which REACH has built and is now deploying includes a secure messaging service which allows Agencies to move away from traditional paper-based communication and exchange data electronically in a secure and if necessary highvolume manner.

The Inter-Agency Messaging Service, as it is called, is operational in a number of areas:

The General Register Office and the Department of Social and Family Affairs exchange birth records in a reliable, simple manner. This facilitates the secure establishment of new public service identities and more cost effective processing of child benefit claims.

The birth notices are also supplied to other agencies such as the Central Statistics Office and the Health Sector.

The Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Agriculture exchange customs documents electronically.

Besides increasing reliability and operating efficiencies, this allows earlier processing of payments.

The messaging service is being extended as a sectoral hub within the criminal justice system. The first phase will exchange documents between the Garda Siochana and the Courts. This has considerable potential for savings by eliminating the need for re-keying data and freeing up Garda time.

Death Event Publication Service

Reach also operates a 'publish and subscribe' service in which data generated by one agency can be distributed to a list of subscribing agencies. The most notable service is the Death Event Publication Service which notifies state agencies each day with validated death notices. This has proved to be a most valuable service.

Prompt notification of deaths allows speedy termination of payments that are now longer appropriate, for example pensions and GP fees. This is saving considerable programme funds in the areas concerned. Besides this, it keeps state agencies in closer touch with families and minimises the hurt that can be caused by receiving letters and other communications that relate to a deceased person. The service also improves data quality - for example - death notices are distributed to local authorities so that they can keep the electoral register up to date.

International Reaction

The Reach project is well regarded internationally as breaking new ground especially in the completeness and coherence of its vision for transforming delivery of public services.

It is of interest particularly because integrated infrastructure of this kind is not being provided by any other public service. Similar approaches are, however, being provided by recognised private sector leaders in on-line service provision (e. g. Amazon. com and its affiliate agents).

The REACH developed Inter-Agency Messaging System won an award at the inaugural EU Awards conference in 2003 and REACH (along with several other Irish Public Sector Agencies) represented Ireland again at the EU Awards conference held last November in Manchester.

While Revenue's ROS project won first prize outright in its category, REACH was delighted to have been short listed to the final 15 projects out of a total initial entry of some 230 projects.

Reachservices. ie and PAYE-OnLine, Double Locking to Make it Secure Customers of Revenue's PAYE-On Line service will be aware that before they checked out and updated their tax affairs, they were asked to first open an account with reachservices. ie.

Reachservices provides an identity confirmation service to Government departments and agencies whereby the agencies can be satisfied that for the purposes of the particular transaction, the on-line customer is 'who they say they are'. For the agencies the presentation of an authenticated on-line identity allows them to proceed immediately to dealing with the enquiry or service request. This provides a secure environment for both the agency and the customer to transact business on-line without having to provide and validate basic 'identity . . . type' data on each occasion.

This is a practical implementation of 'joined up' government in the interest of good customer service.

In the case of the PAYE-online service, Revenue do require the use of their key or code for access to records and over the past few months all customers were provided with an individual code which was included in the notices of Tax Credit Certificates and budget updates. Revenue require that this code be used on each occasion when accessing or updating PAYE records.

Remember that the Revenue Code is different to the Reachservices Activation Code. Use of the reachservices code is a onceonly requirement for completion of the registration process whereas the revenue code is required each time the customer wishes to access their PAYE record.

HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH REACHSERVICES.IE

Opening an account or registering with reachservices. ie is straightforward in nearly all cases but please note it does take several days to complete. This is because, once we are satisfied that details supplied by you match existing records, we will post an Activation Code (which is used to complete registration) to the appropriate address. This physical posting of the activation code to your address helps to protect your identity from theft i. e. the possibility of some other person attempting to open an account in your name by attempting to have the activation code sent to some other address or email under their control.

Normally the Activation Code is posted and received within a matter of days. Remember this is a one-off process. Once registered you need only remember your username and password to use Reachservices. ie in future transactions.

HOW DO I REGISTER?

Visit www. reachservices. ie

1) Choose a user name and password to Create Account.

2) Give us your PPS number and some personal details and we will Verify them against our records to Authenticate your account.

3) If your details match, we will send you an activation code in the post within a few days. You must login and enter this code to activate your account.