New law pushes state agencies to adopt electronic processes under digital government policy
Thai citizens would no longer need to produce photocopies of their identification card or household registration to receive services from government agencies after a new law took effect on Wednesday, a government spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Deputy government spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul said the new Act on Electronic Performance of Administrative Functions of BE 2565 (2022) was published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday and has come into effect.
She said the act is aimed at prodding government agencies to use electronic processes to provide services in line with the digital government policy and bureaucratic reform.
However, she said the new act would not be enforced by all government agencies. The spokeswoman said agencies of the legislative branch and judicial branch as well as independent organisations under the Constitution and agencies under the Office of the Attorney-General would be exempted from the new act.
Among several provisions, the new act requires government agencies to provide an electronic channel for the public to communicate with them to receive services.
The government agencies must also have an electronic channel for communicating among themselves.
The act also requires government agencies in charge of public services to link their online databases and safeguard their databases so that they can provide public services faster with data security.
Among the highlighted provisions is Section 12 of the act that allows people to show just the real ID card or original documents to state agencies to receive services, Trisulee said.
If a government agency needs to keep photo copies of such documents, Section 12 requires them to make photocopies on their own without charging a single baht from the public, she added.
The spokeswoman said Section 7 also allowed public members to choose to file electronic application to the state agencies concerned when they seek permission or licence from the state agencies.
Section 7 will regard electronic applications as having the same status as paper applications, Trisulee added.
She said the second paragraph of Section 15 also required all government agencies in charge of providing public services to amend their law, directives and regulations that pose obstacles to the electronic services to the public and electronic document handling among government agencies.
Trisulee said Section 19 of the act also required government agencies concerned to jointly plan electronic functions and IT and electronic communications standards for linking their services for the Cabinet to approve within 240 days of the new act taking effect.
While the Cabinet has not yet approved the electronic methods, the government agencies can use their current electronic practices, the spokeswoman added.
She said Section 22 of the act also required government agencies to report the progress in the implementation of the act to the Cabinet every two months.
The agencies must also inform the public of the electronic channels and methods that they can use to obtain services, the spokeswoman said.
