TALLINN 's The rate of IT development in Estonia has slowed significantly due to poor coordination, State Auditor Mihkel Oviir
"Governmental legislation does not stipulate any ministerial responsibility for the IT sphere's comprehensive development," Oviir said in a Parliamentary address.
Oviir added that the state lacked an overview of IT expenses. What's more, few can be certain that money allocated to this sphere is being efficiently used.
"This is partly due to a disservice of your forerunners. They amended the state-budget act so that it's no longer possible to get an overview of public sector IT expenses via the state treasury since 2003. The previous Parliament included IT costs in the ministries' household expenses. Until 2002, however, information technology expenses were viewed under a separate article in the state budget," Oviir said.
The state auditor emphasized that, in order to keep and develop Estonia's reputation as a leading IT country, the system would have to be improved for citizens.
"It is absurd for a person to run from one institution to another in order to carry hard-copy printouts from one IT system to the next," the state auditor said.
The Ministry for Economic Affairs and Communication's has drawn up a plan on how to merge the public sector's information system into one logical whole.
