IT in The Norwegian House

Bendik Rugaas, Minister of National Planning and Coordination

29 September 1997
Strategy Conference 1997
Høyteknologisenteret i Bergen (Center for Advanced Technology, Bergen)

In the Long-Term Programme for the period 1998-2001 the Government presents its views on the challenges ahead and how to deal with these. In other words: The opportunities offered and the choices that must be made. Our picture of the tasks facing us is summarised in «The Norwegian House» with its foundation and four walls each covering a policy area. This metaphor on our society is used to invite everybody to take part in the dialogue and to stimulate debate on how we together shall shape our future.

Today, I shall present how the Government will use information and communication technology (ICT) in the Norwegian society and how ICT will be an important element in our strategy to create a better society for all.

With its policies, the Government will create freedom for all people, equality so that freedom is genuine for everyone - and solidarity because society shall be a community where everyone can feel safe.

The Government's view is that in the coming four-year period the greatest challenge will be to create satisfactory conditions for the care of the elderly. Another major challenge is to create a primary health service and a hospital sector which function satisfactorily and which focus on patients' needs.

The Government will also attach importance to cultural and education policies. A changing society requires adjustments and learning. Cultural, education and research policies must go hand in hand in order to promote personal motivation, participation and a vitalisation of the business sector and community life.

The Government will implement a reform in the area of post-qualifying and further education with good possibilities for distance learning.

The Norwegian society shall not be an insular one. It must be open and all-embracing and show solidarity with the world surrounding us. Our society is multicultural, a factor which places considerable demands on tolerance and the acceptance of each other's differences.

Tolerance must build on the fundamental values which characterise fellowship and interaction such as equality, legal protection, freedom of speech and opinion, equality between the sexes and the rights of children.

The Government will base sustainable development on the welfare perspective, the ecological perspective and the generation perspective. The welfare perspective entails that employment must be secured for everyone. The values created by work are the backbone of our welfare arrangements. A strong business sector is necessary to safeguard education, health and care. The ecological perspective means that economic growth must be compatible with the critical loads defined by nature. This is necessary to safeguard the welfare of both current and future generations. The generation perspective entails that the welfare of future generations shall be ensured. Public expenditure must not increase from one year to the next by a level which cannot be sustained in the long term. Consumption and production must not be such that the environment is threatened - thereby jeopardising welfare and living conditions for future generations.

We will see an increasing diffusion and use of ICT and Internet. The emerging information society will be an important element in the development seen from all perspectives.

Already the Norwegian society may in many ways be characterised as an information society. The diffusion and use of information- and communication technology is high. You may easily figure out the far-reaching potential of ICT in our country - today and in the future - where some 4.5 million inhabitants, live upon a very narrow stretch of land - and where the distance from south to north equals the distance from our south coast to some point above Rome! Maybe that is part of the reason that more than ¼ of the Norwegians have access to the Internet, either at work or at home and that 200 000 use the Net daily. Almost all companies use PCs and one out of three is on the net offering information and may be reached through e-mail. According to surveys every second Norwegian uses PC at work and one out of four uses PC at home.

It has been a national priority to be at the forefront in the use of the new technologies and to have a technically up-to-date telecommunication network. During this year it will become fully digital and hence digital connection is a universal service in Norway. From 1 January 1998 the final step will be taken to open for full competition in telecommunications.

Another indicator on the situation is the expenditures on ICT. Compared with other nations we find USA as the leading country in the world followed by Japan and the Scandinavian countries. Investments per inhabitant in Scandinavia is far above the average of Europe. (European Information Technology Observatory 1997)

The number of Internet Hosts per inhabitants is another interesting indicator. The Scandinavian countries Finland, Iceland and Norway outnumber even USA, the leading Internet country of the world. (OECD Communication Outlook 1997)

The Government sees ICT as an important tool in many policy areas. And we see new challenges created by the technological development.

• Freedom is encountering new threats - such as monopolisation, standardisation and environmental degradation, which reduce future options. Fanaticism and fundamentalism with deep roots are given new channels of communication. Privacy and personal data protection is challenged in new ways.
• Equality is exposed to new pressures when differences between countries, the sexes and social groups are amplified by new technology.
• Solidarity is put to new tests when technology results in intensified competition, creates a more stressful life and engenders more bitter conflicts by establishing new divisions and creating new gaps - both internally in countries and between them.

In order to avoid drifting into such a development, we ourselves must take charge. Politics is man's attempt to gain control over the course of history. Democratic policies arise from the wish that people as individuals and in co-operation with others influence the conditions which shape them. The future cannot only be met, it can also be mastered. That's why the Government will deploy a broadly laid IT-policy facing the essential social and societal aspects of the IT-development.

• This includes firstly issues related to creating better quality of life, ensure sustainable growth and development
• Secondly issues to achieve fair distribution of the benefits and let everybody be a part of the development
• Thirdly and not at least to fight against unwanted and harmful development threatening our basic values

Co-ordination and co-operation across sectors and boundaries is necessary. The IT-policy includes a wide range of issues: IT in society, the national information infrastructure, industrial- and employment policy, education, research, culture policy and IT in public sector. Being responsible for co-ordinating the Government IT-policy, my role is to take initiatives, challenge actors in the society to put IT-policy issues on the agenda and develop co-operation in all sectors.

IT is not a goal in itself, but is a powerful mean for restructuring and development. In all parts of society we se changes driven by new technological possibilities. There is search for improvement and innovation in businesses and government.

Information- and communication technology is relevant in all parts of The Norwegian House:

• In the foundation - where we especially set focus on public sector use of IT to become more efficient and effective.
• In the industrial and employment policy where new possibilities for growth and development is identified, and the arrangement for the working conditions are challenged.
• In education, research and culture policy where ICT gives new possibilities to learn, to co-operate and mediate knowledge and valuable sources of information.
• In the welfare policy, where ICT may give new ways of organising the health sector.
• And to foreign and security policy since the globalisation is taken one step ahead through the digital networks connecting people and information sources from all of the world.

Public services should be of high quality and appear as accessible and user friendly. To avoid that necessary readjustments in the public sector have negative effects locally, there is a need for new thinking on re-organisation and production of these services New technology may offer a number of possibilities in this respect and allow us to create a "digital public sector".

One important prerequisite is a cross sectoral governmental network based on Internet services, with secured electronic exchange of information. The governmental network will be realised as a logical part of the Internet created on basis of the best services offered by Internet providers at the Norwegian market as a response to a call for tender earlier this year. The network will provide a basis for better utilisation of common information resources and underpin the work on internal communication in local and central government. Work on electronic handling of cases continues. Pilot projects are conducted to gain more experience and make preparations for a gradual development. Use of IT in the administration raises a number of political and legal question, related to equal treatment, protection of privacy, professional secrecy, free access to documentation and information. Legal protection calls for special care in the design of the systems.

The Government will improve the conditions for distance work from home office based on IT It is important that the IT solutions in the administration do not create new obstacles. Looking for solutions, particular attention should be paid to the needs of the handicapped.

The governmental networks will make communication between private and public sector easier and more effective. This may be particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Government will see to it that public data bases will be organised and managed with a view to maximum utilisation, both across the administration and by interaction with the private sector. It will be further considered how electronic commerce may simplify submission of information by the business sector. Particular steps is already taken on the business sector's filing requirements to the administration.

The Government will make more of its documents and other information available via electronic media and in searchable form Public sector should appear as a totality and user oriented on Internet Information channels and services should be adapted to the needs of the users. Traditional forms of communication must therefore be maintained in many fields.

ICT is important in the industrial policy of two reasons: firstly, the ICT-industry in itself is a large and fast growing industry. Secondly, better use of IT and Internet in businesses is important in the competition. Industry and commerce must take the lead in the use of IT by increasing the efficiency of production, and by creating new products and better workplaces. The acquisition and dissemination of knowledge are becoming less dependent on location and can be located independent of where enterprises produce their goods. IT contributes to globalisation of the economy by linking enterprises to international networks. It's a challenge to support development of skills through the education and research systems. Strong centres of expertise and links to international networks must be developed throughout the country. The use of IT networks is of significance to small and medium-sized enterprises.

As an advanced user of information technology and as a demanding customer of the business sector, the public sector shall play an active role by drawing up forward-looking rules. One important challenge to the Government is to take initiatives to enable electronic commerce. Means to build confidence and trust in the open networks by digital signatures and other application of cryptography is a key task. Schemes for certification of IT security products is under consideration.

The Government will contribute to the development of better use of ICT in industry and commerce through support for innovation. This includes funding schemes in the Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund and user-managed R&D programmes under the Research Council of Norway. IT projects account for more than half of the allocations to government R&D contracts. The NIN-program to create information infrastructures for businesses and value chains bring research efforts, ICT-business and users together. The BIT-program with branch oriented IT-projects for businesses is another effort involving many ICT-companies and users from 14 different branches and business areas developing common software for efficient management and production processes. Participation in European research programmes is of great importance to Norway. IT and telecommunications networks reduce the constraints of distance. Enterprises in remote areas may compete in a larger market area. But remote regions will also be more exposed to competition from other enterprises.

Predictable investment term are important for an effective use of IT. Key elements in this connection are the regulation of the telecommunications sector, legislation and rules in areas such as copyrights and privacy protection and labour arrangements. The global nature of IT implies that solutions must be sought at an international level.

Technological developments, internationalisation and increased competition lead to rapid changes in working life and society. The ability to acquire and use new knowledge throughout life is essential. Further development of the education system and national competence policy will therefore have life-long learning as a principal aim. Children and adolescents must be given equal opportunities to learn how to use IT and Internet in school.

IT is playing a large part in the new teaching plans for primary and secondary education, and priority has been given to working with IT in the education of teachers. In connection with the 1994 National Secondary Level Education Reform the subject information processing and economics was introduced, and a time limit for the introduction of the subject was stipulated. In the 1997 National Primary Level Education Reform we attach great importance to use IT in learning and teaching.

The introduction of IT in schools will require an introduction period of some length. The Government recently examined the situation in municipalities and counties with respect to IT equipment and competence in schools (SSB July 1997). The situation is acceptable at the secondary level with about 6 pupils pr. PC in average. But the situation is not satisfactory at primary level where in average 22 pupils share a PC.

Based on the findings the Government will prepare plans for the use of IT in school which ensure that the aims will be achieved as far as equal training in the new technology is concerned. The plans will also cover the connection of school libraries to Internet and other information bases.

At the universities and colleges the situation is satisfactory and all connected to Internet through the governmental owned Uninett. Through this Norway is interconnected at Nordic level.

Efforts will be made to strengthen the co-ordination and further development of information systems in the culture and knowledge sectors. A "Cultural Network Norway" shall be established in which libraries and museums are linked together at the Internet. Efforts will be made to make Norwegian resources of content available. By linking information sources together and making them available on the internet, new possibilities for online education and distance learning will be created. This is highly important for the next educational reform, aimed at adult people.

The information society have to be an society for all. This is of great importance in the governments strategy. That's why we have established IT-forums where young people and elderly people can give us advice and input on how to shape the future information society.

One important group to consider is disabled people which may meet new problems, but also may gain from new possibilities brought forward by the information and communication technology.

In Norway it is of importance that all ages, both sexes and all parts of the country take part in the development.

IT provides new possibilities for diagnostics, treatment, nursing and care Along with new methods for organising and executing the work e.g. by telemedicine, IT can free up considerable time which health personnel can use for the direct treatment of and contact with the patient. Also the possibilities for empowering the patients through better information, more knowledge and insight is important. This will give the patient new possibilities for participation and control.

In order to underpin an efficient and suitable organisation of the work in the health sector, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs will give priority to electronic networks and the exchange of information in the follow-up of "More health for each bIT. Information technology for a better health service - Action Plan 1997-2000".

Globalisation, deregulation and digitisation are three keywords often used to identify basic trends caused by the technological development in the ICT-field.

The Norwegian market is part of the global market through EEA and WTO, and has signed the agreements on telecommunication and trade of IT.

Digital information carrying transactions, knowledge, goods and services flows independent of national borders. This is necessary, but also a challenge. The need for policies and co-ordination is identified and increasing, but it is necessary to operate within an international framework. Initiatives such as the one launched by EU-commissioner Dr. Bangemann some weeks ago is interesting. At the same time we must take care to avoid over regulation and instead call upon the actors to see if they can contribute with voluntary solutions.

Norway participate and co-operate actively through EU/EEA, OECD, WTO, WIPO, UN etc. to seek common international solutions to the policy challenges ahead.

The Norwegian governments strategy is to develop our information society through close co-operation between Government, private sector and labour organisations.

Through the use of ICT there are new possibilities to create a learning society. There are also new and better possibilities for gaining sustainable growth and value creation.

Further on, we see possibilities in developing our democracy further creating new channels for discussion and communication, new possibilities to create a user friendly efficient public sector and should rather put emphasis on those sides of the technology, than the possibilities for more control.

Our key challenge and ambition is to create An information society for all.