Government Signs Contract For New INS Computer System

Work has now commenced on the design of the system which will take up to 15 months to complete.

IBM leads the successful consortium, which also includes System Dynamics, BlueWave Technologies and Intertech, all of which are Irish IT companies, Naked Objects Group and SirsiDynix.

The project will deliver a suite of systems for the INIS that includes a case management system that is intended to provide an integrated view of an asylum, immigration or citizenship applicant across governement departments.

It is also intended to provide a country of origin research system for use by the Refugee Documentation Centre.

In welcoming the signature of the contract the Tanaiste said, "The Government established the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) in 2005 to provide a 'one stop shop' for all asylum, immigration, citizenship and visa services. INIS plays a key role in ensuring that immigration services are delivered in an efficient and effective manner to customers as well as protecting  the security of the State.

"Demand for INIS services has been growing substantially with the ongoing growth of the economy and the large increase in non-nationals visiting the country for business, study and other purposes. It is critical that service provision keeps pace with this increased demand," he continued. 

"The introduction of the system, providing as it will an end to end view of a client in the immigration system and enabling links to IT systems in other Government Department's, will also enhance the capability of the State to deal with fraudulent claimants by providing an enhanced identity verification capability. Significant savings have been made to the Exchequer in recent years by such enhanced co-operation between INIS, the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Department of Social and Family Affairs."