World e-Parliament Conference
13-15 September, 2012
Chamber of Deputies of Italy, Rome

Delegate Report
Carol Mills, Secretary
Department of Parliamentary Services

Background
The  World e-Parliament Conference  is  a  biennial  event  for members of the Inter-
Parliamentary Union (IPU) to “address how the use of information and
communication technology [ICT]  can help improve representation, transparency,
accountability, openness, and effectiveness in the complex parliamentary
environment”.  The Conference covers both policy and technical aspects of ICT
developments  together with  the opportunities and challenges they present to  a
modern parliament.
The 2012 Conference was co-organised by the United Nations and the Inter-
Parliamentary Union, through the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament, and hosted by
the Chamber of Deputies of Italy. It was held on 13-15th September at the Italian
Parliament in Rome.
Over 400 senior delegates from more than 100 jurisdictions attended. Participants
included Presiding Offices, members of parliaments, department heads and officials,
ICT experts and representatives of selected NonGovernment Organisations (NGOs).

Plenary Session, Chamber of Deputies

The format of the conference permitted extensive discussion on current trends and
the promotion of good practice. The Conference was opened by Gianfranco Fini,
President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, Anders Johnsson, Secretary General
Affairs of the IPU and Thomas Stelzer of the United Nations.
A copy of the Conference Program is at Attachment  1.  It is noteworthy that,
although the Italian Parliament is housed in a former palace designed by Bernini, it is
technologically very modern, with new and adapted rooms, electronic voting and a
high level of connectedness.
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Summary Report

All  the conference themes  were directly pertinent to work currently  underway or in
development by the Department of Parliamentary Services. This report focusses on
those topic areas  with greatest immediate relevance  –  citizen engagement,
dematerialisation,  supporting parliamentarians, and security -  although many other
issues were also important and useful in helping to frame the directions for an ICT
Strategy for the Australian Parliament which will be finalised in 2013.
Gimenez, Vice President of the Senate, Spain:
We are operating 21st century parliaments
with instruments of the 19th century.
We need to update them.
Key Themes
Plenary sessions focussed on critical policy and management issues within the
following topic areas:
•  The Status of ICT in Parliaments in 2012
•  The impact of technology on parliamentary openness and accountability
•  The challenges of today’s participatory media for legislatures and members of
Parliament
•  Innovations in parliamentary communications
•  Benefits and values of open data for fostering greater transparency in legislatures
•  ICT strategic planning and implementation in Parliament: doing more with less
•  Cloud services in Parliaments
•  Delivering information and documents through tablets and mobile devices
•  Protection of the ICT environment and minimization of external threats
Many speakers outlined ways in which ICT developments were creating
opportunities for more efficient, transparent and open legislatures. This was seen as
particularly important when there is growing demands from citizens for transparency
at time when funds are under stress.
By way of scene setting for her paper, Joan Miller, Director, ICT in the UK Parliament
presented a series of highly pertinent statistics anticipated in 2013:
•  Over 50% of access to data will be by mobile devices (phones, tablets, mobile
working).
•  75% of work devices will be user owned.
•  Mobile market will be evenly split between iOS, Android and Windows.
•  Apps projects will deliver in 3 months, not 2 years.
•  Technology will suit contemporary patterns of work –
o
Mobile
o
Device independent
o
Flexible
o
Cheaper
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Joan Miller, Director, ICT, UK Parliament
Use of ICT in Parliaments – World Parliament Report 2012
Jeffrey Griffith, Senior Adviser, Global Centre for ICT in Parliament,  presented
highlights from the 2012 IPU report which documents countries’ efforts in the use of
ICT based on an international survey  of parliaments conducted between February
and May 2012.  The results highlight the major trends in parliamentary  computing
and provide guidance for priorities in the Australian Parliament.
The following points are drawn from the presentation.
•  Tablets are increasingly being used in plenary parliamentary sessions and at
least one chamber in Europe has only tablets in its plenary and every document
is on them.  This has been paid for through printing costs reductions.
•  The 3 most important changes in last 2 years have been:
o
more documents and information available on websites
o
increased capacity to disseminate information
o
more timely delivery of information.
•  Within chambers:
o
75% allow tablets
o
65% allow smart phones
o
More than half have electronic voting.
•  51% of parliaments issue tablets to their members.
•  35% have developed their own apps to deliver information.
•  89% of parliaments use webcasting.
•  Video will be a dominant way of communicating with public.
•  46% use IPU guidelines for website their design and management
•  56% of Speakers and President are actively involved in ICT plans
•  The use XML for documents is not increasing, except for bills.
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•  Many parliaments say they are not planning to use XML. The IPU sees this as a
problem as XML open systems make things very accessible to citizens.
•  There are still technology  gaps  in the use of ICT, for example, 25%  of
respondents said their citizens do not have access to the Internet.
•  A persistent gap is technical infrastructure in parliamentary libraries.
•  60% don't provide explanatory information.
•  Over 60% have no disability access.
•  Over two thirds of parliaments had no vision statement and less than 40% have a
strategic plan.
Griffith concluded his presentation with a number of recommendations that
parliaments should:
•  Go to cloud computing as a fast, cost effective  option  -  although  noting that a
country needs good Internet speed for it to be effective.
•  Go mobile – it is fast, flexible, multi-channel, less costly than other options and
can meet demands for mobility and security to work together.
•  Invest in staff and members as well as citizens to support ICT use.
•  Plan strategically, work efficiently.
•  Take up the many real opportunities to work together.
•  Make more use of open source software developed by the UN.
•  Commit to openness with its citizens as the first requirement and develop a new
focus on citizen engagement.

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New Ways of Engaging Citizens – from information to dialogue
A predominant  theme was the way in which the use of ICT  social media was
transforming the communication between politicians and citizens from one of
information provision to active engagement.  The following is a selection of speakers’
coverage of this issue.
Inter Parliamentary Union
Anders Johnsson, Secretary General of the IPU,  addressed the issue of what is
meant by “open parliament” as one of the IPU’s 5 key objectives.  He posited that as
society was becoming more participative parliaments needed  to  follow suit and
become more transparent and engaged. He asked how will current and future
parliaments make more space for citizens’ views in decision making and policy
setting?
He especially focussed on how the rapidly increasing use of social media in
parliaments was likely to impact in this area and was  already  testing parliaments’
preparedness for this new form of dialogue with the community.
Johnsson posed a series of questions to stimulate thinking and discussion:
•  How are modern parliaments responding to their citizens? How are new
technologies enabling them to listen and act in response? How can this best be
facilitated?
•  Are parliaments ready to have the multiplicity of dialogues that social media
generates?
•  How  are individual members interacting with their constituents and what
approaches are required?
•  To what extent is social media a new way for citizens to influence parliaments?
•  How far have parliaments progressed in developing guidelines for  using social
media?
•  Given ICT makes it easy for citizens to campaign for issues and then  observe
how these are handled, how can  parliaments best manage  the huge levels of
input?
Dr Andy Williamson, a consultant to the IPU, also addressed the issue of how social
media  can be an effective way for parliaments to connect with citizens, especially
young people.
Williamson listed 4 key uses of social media from a parliamentary perspective:
•  Engagement
•  Outreach
•  Education
•  Information.
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He outlined a series of pros and cons of  its use in that context. Examples of pros
included that it:
•  Links politicians more closely to citizens and helps develop a better
understanding of public opinion.
•  Can build trust.
•  Speeds up the distribution of information.
•  Allows for real time monitoring of issues.
•  Can generate engagement with new people.
•  Is cost-effective.
Cons highlighted included:
•  Content must be tailored.
•  Must be seen as relevant to audience, not the politician.
•  Dialogue can move quickly beyond the control of the instigator.
•  There is a reputational risk if the communication is not seen to be honest.
•  Social media operates under a new set of less formal rules and does not
necessarily respect tradition.
Williamson concluded by saying that an effective use of social media relies on active
participation in the network and a willingness to take risks.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic speaker – Abel Martinez Duran, President of the Chamber
of Deputies - described a series of practical ways through which their parliament was
adopting ICT to allow citizens rapid access to information and how it had introduced
tools to enable direct input back from citizens, allowing decisions to be made on a
broader range information of than previously.
Duran highlighted that technology was changing the way politicians are seen by the
community and that social networks are often harsh on parliamentary work, however
stressed that technology needed to be embraced as a way to open parliament to
citizens.
Duran made the point that while social media is reaching citizens with access to ICT,
parliaments and politicians needed to develop and encourage multiple channels
and formats of communication to reach all of the community.
South Africa
Multiple communication techniques was a topic spoken about by many presenters.
Cedrick Frolick, House Chairperson, National Assembly of South Africa, posited that
parliament should be viewed as both the people’s  parliament and  also an  activist
parliament and therefore needs to ensure the views of the disenfranchised who don't
have access ICT and social media are incorporated.  The South African parliament
therefore uses Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, podcasts, webcasting of all plenaries
and  other  major events  but also public hearings and other forms of face to face
contact.
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Frolick also highlighted other challenges with the use of ICT and social media. For
example:
•  Citizens want immediate feedback on comments they make, so parliaments must
have dedicated support in order to reply promptly and accurately.
•  Websites need to  be user friendly and relevant but in just a couple of days
information can be outdated.
•  There are political risks associated with posting wrong information.
•  ICT can present challenges for older politicians and computer literacy training for
MPs and staff is needed.
•  It is sometimes hard to differentiate between lobby groups and citizens’ posts.
•  It can be hard to manage unacceptable comments online.
•  Security needs to be considered.
•  Politicians need to show they are responsive and utilise use all mediums.
United Kingdom
Lord Archy Kirkwood, Chairman of the Information Committee of the House of Lords
in the UK, addressed similar issues in a presentation that outlined how the Lords had
struggled to modernise. He spoke about the role of ICT in helping moving from 700
years of culture that was “entirely divorced from the country it seeks to serve”. Much
of the modernisation plan was spelled out through the 2009 Inquiry, “Are the Lords
Listening?”.
One aspect of the Inquiry was how to deal with social media, including overcoming a
fear of its use.  Kirkwood advised that these concerns came from being uncertain
how to deal with criticism, and to  manage the overwhelming number of comments,
requests and submissions, etc received online.
Kirkwood labelled the growth of social media  as the “biggest change ever in
democracy”.  He said the Lords used to think that Committees were enough as a
particular system of community involvement but that “although committee work is
excellent, it in no way lives up to the pace of change or the way life is lived now”.
Comments, submissions and petitions now come in huge numbers, not through a 5
year voting cycle and so the parliament must adapt.
Kirkwood outlined several achievements since the release of the Inquiry report
including:
•  The use of tablets in the Lords chamber.
•  A framework for dealing with social media.
•  Posting the proceedings on YouTube.
•  Introducing bring you own device (BYOD) policies for members.

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He also made the following observations:
•  It is important to make sure parliaments do not create barriers to active protest,
and deal with those interests too.
•  Parliaments should use open data to allow citizens “to use  our data how they
want to”.
•  It is vital to find ways to reach  the apathetic, provide accessible information,
respect scrutiny, reach the digitally excluded and manage security risks.
Japan
Eriko Yamatani is a former journalist and current member of the Japanese Diet. She
provided examples of the way Japanese politicians are utilising social media in policy
making. For example:
•  All chamber and most committee sessions are live on the internet.
•  90% of diet members use websites and blogs.
•  20% use participatory media.
Yamatani  made the point that there are numerous challenges.  For example, in
Japan there is a:
•  Significant digital divide amongst voters.
•  Lack of experience in building consensus via the internet.
•  Culturally strong conviction that experts should play the leading role in policy
making.
•  Need to secure the cooperation of existing policy making bodies in setting  up
mechanisms for unbiased and quality debate.
•  Need to select themes most suitable for policy making through social media.
An example she gave of the last point was the Government’s use of social media for
education policy making in 2010. It involved over 2,400 people engaging  in
13 themes via a website (2.1 million hits) and electronic bulletins boards.
The results of the  dialogue were reflected in new laws and the budget.  An
evaluation found that the bulletin board complemented other consultation  with
subject-matter experts but that the process needed significant resourcing from policy
makers to providing data, give feedback on submissions, etc. It was also found that
a series of small group online discussions were the best mechanism to get effective
input.
Chile
Although the major emphasis on Hernan  Figueroa’s  (Director of IT, Chamber of
Deputies of Chile)  presentation was on security, he made a number of comments
pertinent to the concept of citizen engagement. For example, the Chilean parliament
has based its website on  the  expectation that it must facilitate  interaction between
the parliament and its citizens – it is not a one way system.
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Twitter is also widely used,  with people encouraged to tweet politicians during
parliamentary sessions and members are expected to respond when the session
ends.
Finland
According to Paivi  Lipponen,  Chair of the Committee for the Future, Parliament of
Finland,  social media is a widely used tool for the 200 members of the Finish
parliament. For example, almost all members are on Facebook and publish weekly
blogs.
Lipponen leads one of the Parliament’s 16 Standing Committees, the Committee for
the Future, which examines long term issues in Finland and is heavily focused on
ICT directions and their impact.  The Committee argues that Finland has entered a
new period of customers influencing all aspects of government services and
products.  The Committee’s view is that experts are still needed in decision making,
but everyday experts are now also seen as legitimate sources of advice.
She provided several examples of citizen engagement in policy making:
•  The  Citizens Initiative Act through which 50,000 citizens can have a  matter
introduced to parliament.
•  An e-participation project that uses web-based tools for on line participation by
citizens. It allows people to comment on issues under consideration or to put up
their own issues. It includes deliberative discussion, on line consultation, polls,
citizens initiatives and monitoring work of MPs.
•  The parliament is currently considering using crowdsourcing as a modern form of
consultation, partly based on its success in the USA.
Finland is planning to join UN Open Government Partnership in March 2013 and as
part of the process must draft a plan of action before it can be admitted. It is actively
involving citizens and civic organisations using social media in its development.
Interestingly, Lipponen stated that many of these engagement strategies began
during  the GFC and helped  increase community confidence in government at a
crucial time.
Spain
The Spanish parliament has improved its voting systems so that citizens can readily
know when and how a member votes.
Members can vote in the plenary or remotely.  The latter is a recent initiative and
allows an MP to vote from home or anywhere else outside Parliament.  It replaces a
system that required a Notary to go to the MPs home.
European Parliament
Stephen Clark, Head of Web Communications, EU addressed a range of innovations
in the use of ICT for communication between EU members and constituents.
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He explained a priority was to build connections between members of the European
parliament and constituents. As in some EU countries over half the population has
a Facebook account, the ICT team has created several tools for tools for MPs to use
social media to directly communicate with citizens such as:
•  An MEP tab on Facebook
•  A system for Facebook chats
•  New MEP profile pages
•  A European Parliament Newshub.
Summary
The recurring themes on the topic of using ICT to engage communities were:
•  Technology should be viewed as an important but not exclusive means of
communicating with citizens/ constituents.
•  The digital divide needs to be recognised.
•  Communication by MPs with constituents has to be authentic.
•  Social media operates 24/7 which means parliaments and members need be
able respond quickly to comments, tweets, etc.
•  Politicians want freedom and flexibility to choose how they communicate, tools
and agencies need to adjust.
•  Training needs to be offered to politicians and their staffers on how best to use
equipment and tools.

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Dematerialisation – reducing paper in Parliament
The issue of reducing paper, or dematerialisation, was a recurring theme of the
conference. Many speakers covered this as either the core focus of their
presentation or a key example of ICT innovations their parliament was pursuing.
Italy
Benedetto Adragna, Senator in the Italian Parliament, outlined a number of what he
called “sweeping innovations” in the Italian Parliament around doing away with paper
based processes.  He reported that the outcome to date has already been an
increase in the availability of information and a decrease in costs. At this point:
•  Sitting documents are now immediately available  online and the  parliament’s
portal has a  print on demand ability. The result has been an 83% decrease in
print.
•  By the end of 2012 a website will allow downloadable Senate data.
•  The aim is get both Houses together in all systems –  a major change for the
operation of the Italian parliament.
•  The use of electronic documents for digital filing still needs work.
•  Digital TV is seen as a major opportunity while  the impacts of Web TV need
further consideration.
•  Cloud computing  has been pursued for several  years but a  fully  appropriate
solution is not yet available.
•  It has been difficult for some parties to get used to relying on online
communication, for example, politicians are used to media releases, etc
Portugal
According to the speaker, Antonieta  Teixeira,  Director of IT, Assembly of the
Republic of Portugal, the Portuguese Parliament has a specific goal to promote the
dematerialisation of processes that support legislative and parliamentary activity.
The role of ICT staff (20 staff supporting 1000 users) is to:
•  Support a standard equipment list.
•  Provide support to users.
•  Develop the dematerialisation strategy.
•  Provide automatic SMS messages for scheduled meetings.
•  Improve quality while reducing costs.
There is an emphasis on users solving problems through self help tools, but the ICT
team also has a person based in the plenary to assist any members with IT issues
during sitting.
Cost reduction strategies implemented to date are:
•  Videoconferencing to reduce travel costs.
•  Server virtualisation.
•  Desktop virtualisation.
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•  Web based applications (resulting in large cost reductions).
•  Printing services – using heavy duty printers has decreased the overall number
needed.
•  File and email archiving to reduce server acquisition.
The dematerialisation of all legislative procedures is underway and a unified
communications system is reducing the number of telephones by allowing any
parliamentarian to use the network for audio and video conferencing.
Portugal is also examining the use of the cloud for archiving public information.

Portuguese Parliament
Netherlands
Geert Jan Hamilton, Secretary General, Senate of the Netherlands, outlined the
2011 strategy for a “paper poor parliament”. Its aims were to improve sustainability,
cut costs and working smarter with ICT.
Since 13 September 2011 all documents for plenary and committee meetings of the
Senate have only been produced on iPads  which were provided to each Senator
with a meeting app and papers loaded.  This replaced a system of couriering the 75
Senators over one metre high bundles of papers each week.
Papers  on the iPad can be read through links to Adobe Reader, Iannotate,
Goodreader, or Quickoffice Pro HD. There is also a message service from the
Secretary informing about upcoming events and actions.
It was a deliberate decision to make the change over in one day rather than have a
transition phase and it was found that, despite some reservations, Senators quickly
got used to the new arrangements. There was no consultation with Senators prior.
The advantages have been found to be:
•  Less paper.
•  Lower production and distribution costs.
•  The material is always available anywhere.
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The cost savings have been quantified.  Printing and distribution costs of the paper-
based model were 180,000 euros per annum.  The setup costs of dematerialisation
were 104,000 euros,  including the issuing  of  iPads  to all Senators. The ongoing
costs are now 35,000 euros per annum.
The speaker reported that many provincial governments in the Netherlands have
already copied the model.
India
Speakers from the Indian Parliament outlined a  similar approach to
dematerialisation, especially an emphasis on moving quickly rather than risking a
duplication of systems through a transition phase.
Key messages from Pradeep  Chaturvedi  Director,  Council of States,  highlighted a
series of recent developments:
•  Provision of  tablets to all members -  with  either iOS or android  operating
systems.
•  Creation of a members’ log in app through which members can access personal
information like payslips, email, SMS, meeting schedules, label printing  and
editable version of databases.
•  SMS utility developed for bulk sending messages to members.
•  Cessation of all manual report keeping.
•  Digitisation of all debates since 1952 and enabling key word searches.
•  Software introduced for posting questions and linking responses in real time.
A challenge noted was to educate members to use tablets but it was found that the
user friendly nature of tablets has increased confidence among non-technical
members of parliament.
There has been a significant reduction in paper use as members have felt
comfortable taking their tablets and smart phones with them,  whereas they had
resisted using laptops. It has also meant that data and information has to be
uploaded in real time to meet needs.
United Kingdom
According to Lord Kirkwood, Chairman of the Information Committee, House of
Lords, the UK parliament is taking a “softly, softly” approach to dematerialisation
rather than establishing a specific cutover timetable.  Kirkwood  suggested this was
because of the challenge “tradition and culture” presents to reform.
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House of Lords, United Kingdom
During 2011 one committee in each house trialled operating without paper. Rather
than develop a new app for the trial, Goodreader was used. The feedback from
members was very positive. They reported finding the system and app easy to use
and welcomed the ability to download papers remotely, as well as accessing their
calendars and meetings on the device. Although members could choose to print
material during the trial the findings included a very significant reduction in paper
usage. The ICT group also found that security measures put in place were effective.
In October 2011 parliament ruled that members could use technology  other than
laptops for reading speeches in the House and from October 2012 a large number of
House of Commons committees are moving over to iPads.
European Parliament
Aouadi Fakhreddine, Directorate-General for Innovation and Technological Support,
described the European Parliament’s Paperless Program.
The Program is to replace files for all group and committee meetings with electronic
files delivered via individual mobile devices in all 23 EU languages.
According to the speaker, the automation of business records and documents has
meant that the material can be accessed through any computer, laptop or mobile
device.
The focus of the program is on enabling usage via any device rather than any
particular type of equipment.  The European Parliament sees this as a significant
development as it signals a move from a focus on the device (eg BYOD) to usage
by the user (BYOT).

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Supporting Parliamentarians
Many speakers directly and indirectly addressed the issue of using ICT to support
the work of individual parliamentarians.  There was a heavy emphasis on such
developments as the use of technology to support mobility, simplification of systems,
increased  control by members in their choice of equipment, etc.  The following
provides a few examples.
India
The Indian Parliament has  created  a Parliamentary Committee on the provision
computer equipment which enables members to “decide for themselves”.
To support this, a Scheme of Financial Entitlement  is  available  for members to
purchase equipment of their choice, including smartphones and tablets.  When it was
established an amount  from within the fund was earmarked to ensure all members
could procure a tablet.
Tablets have been set up with the following: agendas, table  papers, bulletins,
questions list, details of all members and a live video feed from both chambers.
Other features now available have been outlined in the section  of this report  on
dematerialisation but also include:
•  Use of a bilingual translating machine delivering 93% accuracy.
•  Members login app.
•  SMS integration.
•  Dashboard app for Presiding Officers.
•  Digital clock system for speaker’s time.
•  A members’ home page app so that the community can view what a politician is
doing such as questions raised in house, speeches, spend in locality, etc.
•  An automated search process for members looking for extracts from debates with
the ability to search by subject, session, member’s name, etc.
European Parliament
The EP has a major emphasis on supporting mobility for parliamentarians. Initiatives
include:
•  Video conferencing.
•  Mobile offices (laptops, etc).
•  Teleworking (eg, remote office at home).
•  WiFi (for members staff and visitors in parliamentary building).
•  eCommittees  (common online work space with access to all committee
information).
•  eMeetings (committee meeting documents accessible through mobile devices).
•  EP intranet (wide range information available).
•  Helpdesk assistance in real time.
•  Variable security levels according to risks.
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United Kingdom
The Parliamentary ICT department in the UK operates a shopfront in conjunction
with other parliamentary services. The ICT team offers advice and technical support
to MPs and their staff.

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Maintaining Security
Managing security issues while offering increased openness and flexibility was a
dominant theme amongst the speakers.  The Canadian paper was particularly
relevant and comprehensive.
Canada
Stephan Aube, CIO, for the House of Commons in Canada outlined a range of
issues and approaches around dealing with security in the contemporary parliament.
Aube suggested that there is a widely held perception that security is a showstopper
for delivering services to MPs but in the Canadian department security is seen
instead as an enabler to allow services to happen.
He argued that traditional IT security models assumed that the level of control over
IT equipment and systems meant that a security perimeter could be readily drawn
around  risks and firewalls  could then keep threats out.  However, this model  is
outdated as it does not cater for changes such as BYOD, cloud computing, social
media activities nor the evolution of business processes.
According to Aube a new security model based on risk management is necessary.
The vision of the Canadian Parliament ICT is to create an “open and secure
environment that preserves and improves confidentiality, integrity, and availability of
information” for the parliament and parliamentarians.
Key strategies used in the Canadian system include:
•  Risk based access controls – from low (public use) to maximum (tight controls).
•  Intelligence gathering and early incident detection.
•  Automated solutions to the most recent vulnerabilities.
•  Regular audits of IT infrastructure and timely information  on issues  to senior
managers.
•  Collaboration between users and service providers  –  security as a shared
responsibility.
•  Training for IT staff and parliamentarians  to keep up to date with trends and
emerging risks.
•  A  dedicated security team within ICT  to demarcate the role from day to day
operations.
•  Clear policies and processes that allows the ICT section to work with MPs.
•  Making it clear to users what is being monitored and why.
•  Developing architecture that allows flexibility so that security protects members to
play their role.
•  Creating a culture in which security and business are partners.
•  Using targeted initiatives to reduce specific threats (frauds, etc).
•  Maintaining  an awareness plan and blueprint supported by a quality assurance
program.
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Aube concluded that information should be seen as an  asset that needs to be
protected. It is the role of the ICT agency to:  ensure confidentiality of information for
members (from outside, from each other); establish trust (be  transparent,  make  it
clear that you are monitoring threats, not what people do); and protect the integrity of
data to maintain the reputation of the institution and availability of services.
He summarised the key components of a modern security system in the following
chart.

Portugal
The Portuguese Parliament has introduced a series of security measures to support
its increased dependence on ICT communication.  Antonieta Teixeira, reported that
these have included:
•  Reinforcement of the internet.
•  Stronger mail and proxy systems.
•  Digital signatures.
•  Introduction of an auditing system.
•  Commencement of ISO 27001 accreditation.

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Cloud Computing
A number of parliaments are exploring the potential for using the cloud.  At this point
the consensus was that further development is required,  however a number of
common issues emerged. Three types of cloud were covered:
•  Private
•  Virtual private (shared services)
•  Public (bought services shared with others).
European Parliament
Aouadi Fakhreddine stated that the EP was in the process of examining the
opportunities and challenges of the cloud.  He identified a series of drivers and
concerns.
Drivers:
•  Efficiency
•  Scalability
•  Agility
•  Cost
Concerns:
•  Privacy
•  Security
•  Cost
The EU is developing a hybrid Cloud Model and establishing policies and
governance processes for cloud public usage.
United Kingdom
The UK ICT group is trialling a Cloud First strategy for members and House services
between January 2012 and April 2013. A wide range of issues are being explored:
•  Security
•  Data sovereignty
•  Compliance
•  Segmenting customer groups
•  Availability
•  How a public cloud could operate
•  Whether to move from MS
Ms Miller concluded her presentation arguing that for parliaments the question of
using the cloud is “not if, but when”.
2012 World e-Parliament Conference
21
Summary Report

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