Sir, – I read Dr Brenda O’Hanrahan’s letter about the provision of online services with dismay (February 20th). First, as someone who has used a PC daily since the MS-DOS era, I can assure her and your readers that modern computers are absurdly simple to use. Indeed advanced users often get frustrated at how this simplification has impeded functionality for more technical tasks. But filling in forms, making payments and booking travel is as easy to do online as off. Even for those who do not possess a home internet connection and PC, local public libraries usually provide both access and help.
Second, Dr O’Hanrahan’s request that companies provide a full range of “offline” options at no extra cost is unreasonable. Having a phone booking option usually requires someone on the other end of the phone, who needs to be paid for his or her time. Given that the overwhelming majority of Irish people do not require or wish to use offline services, the cost for them rightly falls to the minority who do. This, needless to say, doesn’t apply to public services where universality of access is critical, but it still means the Government spends quite a bit on under-used call centres.
Finally, Dr O’Hanrahan’s letter gave off the overwhelming impression of technophobia, and yes, Luddism. Like it or not, basic computer and IT skills are a requirement for almost all types of profession in modern Ireland. And as mentioned above, they are more user-friendly than ever, meaning there’s no excuse for people not to learn how to use their PC, and a whole host of reasons why they should. – Yours, etc,