HCM City (VNS/VNA) -Concerns related to information security, complex administrative procedures andlack of transparency in processing applications mean many individuals andorganisations are still reluctant to use online public services in Ho Chi MinhCity, local authorities said.

Speaking at a recent programmetitled “Listening and discussing” organised by the municipal People’s Counciland HCM City Television (HTV), Deputy Director of the Department of Informationand Communications Vo Thi Trung Trinh said the municipal People’s Committee hasordered all departments and the administrations of all 24 districts to placemore public services online.

As of the end of last yearthere were 1,111 administrative procedures done online, accounting for 56 percentof the total number, an enormous increase from 4 percent in 2016, she said.

Online public services haveproved effective and beneficial to the public, businesses and organisations,but they are not quite keen on them due to fears related to personalinformation security and the lengthy procedures in certain areas such asobtaining construction licences, she claimed.

Limited data sharing andconnection between State agencies means users of online public services requiretime and effort to visit Government offices to complete procedures, she said.

She urged State agencies tostreamline administrative procedures and improve data sharing to attract moreusers of online public services.

The city would foster theapplication of information technology to allow the public and businesses tomake online applications on mobile devices, she added.

Tong Duc Tien, head of the Departmentof Construction’s construction licence office, said applicants are required tosubmit hard copies of documents for their online applications to be considered.

His department would coordinatewith the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, and Planning andArchitecture to improve online licensing and ensure it is fully processedonline.

Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy Directorof the Department of Planning and Investment, said the use of electronicsignatures must be promoted to attract greater use of online public services.

The city needs to develop astandard information protection system to ensure the security ofusers’ information, he said.

As of April, a total of 1,292public services have gone digital as have 1,786 administrative procedures,according to the municipal Department of Information and Communications.

Hoc Mon, Binh Thanh, Binh Tan,and Thu Duc are the districts with the highest number of digital administrativeprocedures.

The most commonly used publicservices online relate to employment, business incorporation and construction.

A study by the municipalPeople’s Council found that the use of online public services surged to 56 percentlast year from 40 percent just a year earlier./.