The Government offers more public service information and enables more electronic transactions online than other "tech savvy" nations in Europe such as Finland and Sweden. A new survey has found the State has the most comprehensive and widely-used online government services in Europe.

The Revenue Commissioners' online tax service scored maximum points in the benchmarking study prepared for the European Commission.

The online tax service, available at www.ros.ie, enables companies and self-employed people to declare and pay their taxes over the internet. A draft report compiled from the survey results also praised online Government services in the areas of building permission and third level enrolments.

Luxembourg, Belgium and Italy were ranked last in the league table, which represents the first European Union benchmark of eGovernment services. Norway was placed second.

The European Commission study measured the online availability of 20 basic public services throughout the European Union, Norway and Sweden.

These included the availability of personal documents and new car registration. It also included public services for business such as registering new companies and customs declarations.

The completed report will be presented at a high-level ministerial conference on eGovernment applications in Brussels later this month.

The European benchmark exercise forms part of an eEurope action plan to promote the information society and new technologies in member-states.

Industry experts said the results may encourage foreign investment in the Republic because companies wanted to interact with the Government online.

A spokesman for the Minister for Public Enterprise said the minister was delighted the Republic was a leader in eGovernment.

A draft report on the findings, seen by The Irish Times, was presented to the first meeting of a new Cabinet committee on the information society this week. The Taoiseach and 10 ministers sit on the new committee, which will promote technology and the development of an information society in the Republic.

Members also discussed the formation of a new Information Society Commission - an advisory body which will be announced shortly by the Taoiseach.

The first Information Society Commission ended its three-year term last November - the appointment of a new body has been delayed for several months.

However, Government sources indicated yesterday that the announcement of the appointment of a new commission was imminent.