NetGuido

Internet and the public service: a story of unlikely encounter between a gadget uncontrollable, costly in both time and financial resources, and noble and great institutions, known for their reluctance to any changes? The latter proposal is wrong on several points of view. It should firstly to demystify the Internet: this is an improvement only a means of telecommunication directly from the phone and computer. But the French government has long since mastered the tool Minitel and, therefore, prone to a successful migration know-how accumulated to the new networks.


To illustrate these migrations, experiments already completed are numerous, such as the Ministry of National Education, which has symbolically turned his name website on 1 February 1997 Edutel (which was the name of his service Minitel) to www . education.gouv.fr. It should be noted also the evocative title of the guide of the Coordination Commission of the administrative documentation headed by Odile Sureau in 1996: “To create and animate a telematics service of administrative information to the public. Télétel From the Internet, creating a telematics service? Yes, if …. ”
But it is certainly through the experiences of some local authorities as Evry, Cergy, Metz or Issy-les-Moulineaux that could draw the most beautiful illustrations of the successful use of the Internet in the Civil Service. It should also be noted that the Ministry of the same name has opened its own website (http://www.fonction-publique.gouv.fr) in April 1997 according to the instructions of the Prime Minister’s circular of 15 May 1996 relating to communication, to information and documentation of State services on new telecommunications networks (Official Gazette on May 19, 1996, p. 7549). The latter imposes effect to all ministries to establish “information products, documentation and communication accessible” on the Internet before December 31, 1997. A note that a decree of 16 May 1997 standard treatments personal information implemented in the framework of a ministerial website (Official Gazette on May 18, 1997, p. 7529) gives a more precise types information to be reflected on these materials.
In this case, the website of the Ministry of Public Service offers on its front page 9 chapters (The Minister, the ministry, the civil service, reform of the state, local, competitions and schools, reports and publications, news and the wishes of the Minister).
It should be noted in passing that the websites described above must also meet a number of non-regulatory constraints, gathered at France in a document: the charter naming the area. Fr, and controlled by NIC France ( document can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.nic.fr/Procedures/nommage.html). Several of these rules directly affect the public service: the names of Internet sites are not free to academies, public assistance, libraries, hospitals, county councils and regional districts, ministries, municipalities and cities, tourist offices, universities … The list is not closed and we note also that all geographical names have been reserved and it is not possible to use them freely. In any event, the NIC France recalls that it has a role registration and to implement the rule “first come, first served basis, outside its naming convention, regularly amended (the last modification dated February 20, 1997).
List all the experiences of meeting between the Civil Service and the Internet would be difficult and delicate. Difficult because these experiments are still numerous and sometimes confidential. Delicate, because it is often impossible to share things between simple experiments without following day, the growths of existing Minitel services, and real Internet services, fully exploiting the tools and opportunities offered by new networks.
Of these “real Internet services,” we will see an illustration through the example of the site of the French Documentation, which aims, among other things is to make the directory of Internet services administration, in Article Martine Viallet, director of the Documentation French.
However, there are already experiences of these issues and prospects for Public Service and Administration in general.
The challenges are many and cover the benefits traditionally recognized to the Internet. They take particular aspects combined exchanges immediate data at lower cost, notions of networks and the relative simplicity of creating tools.
These aspects of the Internet, could amount respectively to the concerns of simplification, transparency, devolution … which are the watchwords of different and recent administrative reforms, past, present or planned in recent years.
From there to recognize the Internet to solve all the ills of public service and administration, there is certainly a long way, but several steps could be made along those lines and many lines of inquiry are being pursued, in both the legal classical literature but also through official reports and parliamentary missions.
A reading trade magazines, whatever their field, we realize quickly that instead of the Internet has become increasingly important. The areas of law and public service in particular can not escape the phenomenon. It will, inter alia, the article by Frederique Olivier and Eric Barbry, “the Administration to test the Internet and online services,” Administrative Law, November 1996, pp 4-7. But, like most of these items and the majority of books on the subject, we may see a significant propensity to focus on legal issues arising from the use of these networks (security, industrial property and artistic violations of privacy, like …), and therefore an oversight features and benefits thereof.
With regard to official reports, we note especially their number and their relatively alarmist conclusions on the French situation, like that of Senator Pierre Laffitte “Report on France and the information society. A cry of alarm and a crusade necessary “(Report AN 3335, Senate 213, 1997). The report to the Deputy Prime Minister Patrice Martin-Lalande (May 1997) “Internet: a real challenge for France” is available on the Internet at the website of the Ministry of Posts (http://www.Postes.gouv.fr). It makes many interesting proposals for Public Service and Administration in general. It will notably in its introduction:
“[Internet:] a challenge for the State: the use of new technologies in the Hotel must be the linchpin of the modernization of the state so that the public service works better, costs less and provides greater convenience the citizens.
France can not afford to miss the big rendezvous of the information society and must make the choice to prepare under the best conditions. It has before it the strengths that should enable us to respond and close the gap: a national telecommunications network completely digitized, research centres very advanced, the experience of Minitel, which makes France the first user services with over 14 000 services. ”
A little farther into the body of the report, Mr. Martin-Lalande, among its 134 proposals, refers several times instead to be taken by the Administration, including a chapter devoted to the “@ dministration / citizens: the Internet in state service - Improved relations between the user and Hotel ”
“In his report to the Prime Minister in February 1995, Philippe LANGENIEUX VILLARD-MP, quite rightly stressed that the public was evidence of shortcomings in its dealings with the patient:
“- The State does not assume its mission information: resourcefulness remains the best advisor of the user,
– Access to public service too responds to the needs of the service and not enough to the demands of the public,
– The administrative formalities have transformed the user to a translator texts complicated and not benefiting from simple solutions,
– When a user submits a right, it seems to have homework,
– But when a service is in charge of public service, he seems to have rights. ”
Citizens are entitled to better service from the State and new technologies will be achieved quickly.
The strength of the demonstration: the State must lead by example
The networking of the Hotel must be done in a pragmatic way, relying in particular on the expertise of its engineers but without wanting to standardize everything, equipment such as content.
30. The state must establish an Intranet network and perhaps networks extranets (internal networks to an organization or a range of organisations with access identified or secured) allowing public officials to exchange information, access of holdings, manage files jointly monitor the progress of a project, organizing meetings, and so on.
The applications are endless:
– Better management of personnel through exchange of information in real time job and skills available.
– Improved risk management globalizing ways and individualizing the answers. The specialist treatment centres for example, could exercise control of legality more effective teleworking.
– A statistical treatment in real-time national territory (the authorities are now working on a census dating from 1990).
The mayors think already in the establishment of such an Intranet for their own needs: the Association of Mayors of France has decided to link its Intranet for 100 Department Associations, ultimately link its 36 000 members .
Organization scattered throughout the territory, members of the MFA will be able to enjoy the benefits of networking (economy shipping, postal savings on travel, streamlining and sharing of information, optimization of skills, training distance …). This new dynamic will push town halls equipped to benefit more quickly the benefits of this network and Intranet services to be offered.
They will then become a relay for privileged access to the Internet. This pivotal role must be promoted, local councils can play a role prescriber among citizens, the economic fabric, schools and other public authorities.
However, it is not assumed that all municipalities have the equipment necessary for that goal. Also, the AMF could launch a bidding together to ensure the equipment at the lowest cost municipalities wishing to be connected to the network. The State will assist the MFA in this initiative.
Better inform users
The Prime Minister’s circular of 15 May 1996 relating to communication, information and documentation of government services on new telecommunications networks is representative of awareness of the Government to use ICTs. Today, we must go further.
The online “intelligent” information held by public authorities must fully exploit the specifics of this new medium.
33. The networking of the Administration must involve local communities in integrating them into networks extranets. The local officials are close to their constituencies and are aware of their daily concerns to which they respond with concrete actions on the ground but also in being their relay to the Government. It must build bridges of multimedia communication between elected local government and administrations, particularly between Parliament and government.
97. Strengthening the presence of government on the Internet, including the systematic online and to the extent possible free public data (legal texts, official gazettes, and property holdings ..). Develop a comprehensive guide government services.
This profusion of reports, discussions of all kinds, … is a sign of interest to be brought to the issue, keeping in mind that beyond the issues remain many technical and legal problems.
Among the technical problems, the notion of standardization of data transmission that appears to be the most important within the Commission on simplification of formalities (COSIFORM), the master plan for inter online procedures is a response made by the Administration its specialists.
Finally, if the debate on the legal difficulties focused on the delicate problem of public dissemination of data and its concession in the form of a monopoly to a private company, we must not forget the problems of security of transactions , Injury to the various rights …, that will handle the case the courts in the absence of legislation that can not physically provide in this area if animated.