Digitizing public services means ” a chance “, recognizes Claire Hédon, but, warns the Defender of Rights, we must not forget those who do not succeed. Everyone should be able to circumvent the Internet if they wish. This is, in essence, the alert launched by the report published Wednesday, February 16 by the independent authority responsible for ensuring respect for the rights of citizens.
The document is actually a follow-up report. Because the institution had already drawn the attention of the government, three years ago, to the risks associated with the dematerialization of public services. This is a constant objective of Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term: to digitize the 250 procedures most used by the French by the end of 2022. In 2021, 86% were, according to the Ministry of Transformation and the Public Service.
Three years later, there has certainly been “sometimes progress”. ” Since that dateadmits Claire Hédon, the public authorities seem to have become aware of the risks run by a large number of our fellow citizens by a forced march to dematerialization. » It recalls the effort made in favor “people in a situation of digital vulnerability”, or the opening of France services spaces, bringing together the main public services in one place. There are over two thousand so far.
The fact remains, she notes, that “the number of alerts and complaints related to dematerialization is not declining, and is even increasing”. The Defender of Rights does not hide her concern: “We observe a distancing of public services due to dematerialization”, she points out. The Defender’s delegates on the territory evoke “more and more claimants, but also more and more desperate, sometimes even revolted, by the fate that the administrations inflict on them”. Some users are particularly vulnerable: the disabled, the elderly, prisoners or foreigners, for example.
An “insidious slide”
When everything is done via the Internet, and it is not possible to reach a civil servant, the use of public service can quickly turn into a headache, even a nightmare. There are still 13 million people in the country struggling with digital; depending on the institution, 22% of French people have neither a computer nor a tablet at home. And nearly a quarter of them consider that they live in a territory neglected by the public authorities.
Claire Hédon is not lacking in examples. She cites the case of this 80-year-old gentleman who did not have a smartphone, and had not been able to take a ticket in a station without an agent. “He was considered to be in fraudsays Claire Hédon, and was fined 50 euros when the ticket cost 3.50 euros…” She also mentions the example of a person who lost her active solidarity income because she was unable to file her quarterly declaration of income in the France services space, because it was closed during the summer. “It’s crazy that she was removed from the lists without anyone contacting her to find out what was going on”, protests the Defender. And public officials are not in question, she wishes to emphasize. “They seek to do wellinsists M.me Hédon. They themselves are suffering for not being able to respond well to users. »
You have 26.31% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
