Technology will be the driving force to make services more accessible to members of the public, as Government seeks to establish the Barbados digital identification platform.
To make this possible, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs will work closely with the Ministry of Innovation and Smart Technology to create a more efficient Barbados.
Governor General Dame Sandra Mason spoke to the new measures as she delivered the Throne Speech to mark the second session of Parliament at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre yesterday.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs is using technological tools to make necessary services and the process as painless as possible, from the online application for passports and other services to the delivery of secure documents through the postal service’s Express Courier Services,” she said.
And, it is expected that the range of services to which this will apply will be expanded over time as Government aims to maximise productive time by eliminating unnecessary steps in critical applications.
“Every licensing process or service capable of being done virtually must be facilitated. Barbadians must not be made to stand in line unless absolutely necessary,” she said.
The Governor General further noted that the collaboration between the two ministries would also see the introduction of legislation to facilitate electronic monitoring and the creation of a parole system.
“These measures will encourage the reintegration of reformed offenders into society, and reduce incidences of unnecessary remand, so that HMP Dodds will be reserved for those persons for whom incarceration is the only viable option,” she said.
Dame Sandra explained that the Barbados digital identification would allow Barbadians to establish an authenticated digital and physical presence.