It is a great pleasure for me to launch the second annual report of the Information Society Commission today.

It is just over a year since we had the honour of launching the first report of the Commission. And what a year it has been. One of the messages we keep hearing about the Information Society is the unprecedented pace at which developments are taking place. You only have to look at how much has happened in Ireland over the past year to see evidence of that.

During the past year we have fully liberalised our telecommunications market, as one of the key prerequisites to building a true Information Society in Ireland. We have adopted policy positions on areas as diverse as cryptography and digital signatures, development of digital TV and use of new technologies in public administration. And we are now pressing ahead with the legislative and operational measures to implement these policies.

We are also making great progress in tackling the skills shortage. We are taking steps to increase the provision of third level educational places, and are working closely with industry to tackle the problem. Just two weeks ago, we launched the industry-driven FIT Action Plan. Under this Plan, 3,500 long-term unemployed people will receive specialised training and take up jobs in the IT sector.

Much of what has been achieved follows directly from the recommendations set out in the Commission's first report. For example, we now have computers with internet access in every school in the country. The concept of a Digital Park is moving into reality. A Copyright Bill catering for the electronic era has been published.

Many more recommendations are taken up in the Government's Action Plan on Implementing the Information Society in Ireland, published earlier this year. This Plan reflects the conversion of those recommendations into Government policy. The Plan also acts as an agenda for action by Government to implement that policy. I am confident that we will see substantial further progress this year.

The Action Plan also sets out details of the measures which we intend to take in the area of electronic delivery of public services. This is another area which was highlighted in the Commission's first report. The Government is determined to make substantial progress in this area over the next twelve months.

Of course, the Information Society Commission itself has also been very active over the past year, as its report shows. I don't intend to mention all of the activities of the Commission today. But I am aware that, in addition to the membership of the Commission itself, a great number of people give freely of their time, their energy and their ideas in serving on the several advisory committees run by the Commission.

These committees are the engine of so much of the Commission's activities and recommendations, and I would like to stress my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to their work.

The Commission plays a vital role in raising awareness of the benefits of the Information Society, both to the public at large and to the business community. It also performs the vital task of monitoring that awareness through its periodic surveys.

Indeed, awareness is one of the key issues facing us as we seek to develop the Information Society. I have heard Vivienne Jupp refer to these issues as the "three As": Awareness, Access and Adoption, and I believe that this neatly captures much of what we must promote as we move forward.

The Commission's awareness raising activities will, ultimately, result in much greater adoption of the new technologies of the Information Society by the business community and by the public at large. Of course, that adoption can only take place if people have access to the technology.

We have seen great progress in recent months in the area of internet access costs, and the costs of computer hardware seem to be continually coming down. Nonetheless, we still face a real risk that many people will feel excluded from the new technology and its applications.

The Government's Action Plan includes measures to address this, including, in particular, plans to provide internet access for the public in every public library. But we need to do more, and we need to make greater use of the infrastructure which is already in place, for example in schools.

I know that this is an area which the Commission intends to concentrate on in the months ahead. In particular, I welcome the Commission's proposals for broadening out the Netd@ys initiative.

This is an excellent opportunity for people at differing levels of computer literacy to get involved and learn about the Internet. It will raise awareness of the benefits of electronic communication significantly, and I look forward to hearing what Vivienne has to say on this subject.

I am also conscious that the report includes a new set of advice and recommendations for Government, and these too will be fed into the implementation process rapidly.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Vivienne and the other members of the Commission, Director Mike Neary and the secretariat of the Commission for their excellent work throughout the year and to congratulate them on the production of their second annual report.

It should be compulsory reading for anyone with an interest in the Information Society in Ireland, and I want to assure you all once again of the Government's determination to put Ireland to the forefront of the Digital Age.