As discussions continue this week over the formation of a government, and as new ministers and ministries emerge, the panoply of technology issues still does not feature high either on the public's or media's consciousness. One hopes they register more resoundlingly within Government.
Dominating the political discourse are all the usual suspects: healthcare, road congestion, emptying Government coffers and the inefficiencies of government, education, housing and jobs. Yet all of these subjects are closely connected to how this Government will choose to address the broad technology portfolio.
This is not to argue that information and communication technologies can resolve all the State's problems but an enlightened and co-ordinated policy approach across Government can take on and ease problems in areas that seem wholly unrelated to technology.
For example, the recent election brought in a cluster of self-styled health candidates campaigning on the weakness of health services and facilities in their regions. Given the state of the budget and the healthcare system as a whole, rural communities stand little chance of getting many of the treatment centres and hospitals they are demanding. But continuing advances in medical technology mean that, with good broadband connections, X-rays can be sent by internet, consultations can take place long-distance with specialists in other cities (or states) and databases of medical information can be accessed.
In the future, some surgical procedures are likely to be supervised over a broadband link. Regional medical centres would not necessarily need to employ specialists in many areas of medicine, freeing cash for other needs.
The traffic issue has focused almost entirely on arguments over roads and a weak public transport infrastructure. Yet many journeys could be eliminated through teleworking over broadband internet connections. Teleworking would also enable companies to be based in the regions or have employee centres there.
And on it goes - technology is at the heart of new models for the delivery of public services and the interaction between citizen and government.
The provision of a comprehensive and low-cost broadband network is a key to encouraging the growth of industry and indigenous companies with high-value, knowledge industry jobs, and central to bringing industry out to the regions rather than concentrating it in Dublin. ICT policy is inseparable from the State's economic and social health.
The fact that this is so little recognised across the board is a direct result of a lack of a co-ordinated ICT policy across government and, more importantly, a failure to think through all these issues in any comprehensive way in the first place. Because there is no big picture yet emerging from Government, there's no policy commitments or vision to communicate to citizens and businesses.
As yet, we do not have joined-up ideas in this area. Even in the sectors of government where the bigger picture is understood - in divisions within the Department of the Taoiseach (responsible for much of the e-government brief), the Department of Public Enterprise (infrastructure and e-commerce) and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (e-commerce and trade) - the bigger picture is not communicated effectively outside a small inner circle of civil servants and decision makers.
That is why decisions that are being made now about technology policy - particularly the way in which the new government will organise itself to address such policy - are deeply important. Technology policy in its broadest sense will provide the framework for dealing with the more tangible issues, from traffic to health, that the public rightly deems so critical.
Once the Government has decided on what divisions and ministers will handle the technology portfolio, several areas are of particular concern and must top the Government agenda. Here are the most pressing:
Clearly establishing the State's technology-oriented policies and articulating them to businesses and the public. The policy pieces must join up to form a Government vision and a plan, rather than a series of stop-gap approaches. Some departments may argue that they have worked out a policy stance but the fact that neither citizens nor industry, not even the technology industry, knows what those plans are underlines a continuing, serious failure in communication.
Technology policy leadership. An e-minister is essential for co-ordinating, implementing and communicating technology policy. We need someone whose job is to always have the big picture in mind, push policy forward and make sure it is communicated outwards to the people.
The resuscitation of the comatose Information Society Commission. For more than a year, the Taoiseach dithered over the appointment of a director for, and composition of, the second version of this important body, allowing it to languish until it is now only a shell of its former self.
Rather than (as before) having a commission comprising top-level appointees from various walks of life - people of real influence - the new commission is an ineffectual hodge-podge of low-level appointees that should have been on consulting bodies, not the commission. This body is supposed to be a crucial formulator of tech-influenced social policy and a spur to Government. But the new commission is barely drawing breath. The group hasn't published one piece of policy since December 2000.
The digital hub project. At the moment this project seems to have little more vision than to be Temple Bar with PCs. Many industry people are reaching a point of despair. They fear this hugely promising and important initiative will go nowhere, in between reports of political bickering within management and the lack of a buy-in - yet - by business or research organisations. All the pieces are there to make this a phenomenal project if some business acumen and political nous go into it.
Broadband infrastructure. The issue of domestic broadband connectivity dominates technology policy discussions. This is the foundation on which all the rest is built - get it wrong and the State will stagnate economically and socially. This issue must be seen as central across Government, not just within the departments that address infrastructure.
Plenty more needs to be tackled, of course. Technology policy must reach into every single area of Government, into every ministry. Addressing that big picture will easily be the biggest overall challenge on the tech front for the new Government.
