Imagine

• You are one of two staff in a community or voluntary group
• You have received 25-page consultation documents from each of 120 public bodies
• They have given you 8 weeks to reply

Reality

• It happened in June 2000, when devolved public bodies started having to consult the public.
• They had to consult on the equality impact of their policies.
• Under direct rule, they rarely consulted
• Unlike councils in England which have spent 20 years learning how to consult.
• Currently there are 41 consultations listed on the NI Executive Central Consultation Register

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E-consultation

• It is the use of electronic computing and communication technologies in consultation. This complements existing consultation mechanisms.
• Succesfully used by:
  • Dutch government agencies.
  • Researchers at the German National Research Labs. for Computing.
  • East Belfast Partnership Board
• As shown at our E-consultation workshop

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E-consulation research

• We aim to turn e-consultation from an experimental idea to a practical option for community, voluntary and public sector bodies in areas affected by conflict.
  • Engaging excluded citizens in governance.
  • Improving consultation processes.
  • Developing a more participatory democracy.
  • Contributing to the survival of the peace process.
• We cannot just copy what works in German town planning, US politics or business decision-making.
• We need to research consultation technologies and processes appropriate to local needs and conditions.