Editorial
The Brønnøysund Register Centre has an important and responsible role in society, both as exerciser of authority and as a central source of data. Of those who use the Centre’s services, 84% are very happy with what we deliver. Eight of ten managers in business and industry say that they spend less time on official forms because of Altinn. As a result of greater simplification and coordination, it is estimated that society benefits greatly from using Altinn as a tool. Hence we were particularly delighted about the recognition we received and the customer service prize awarded to us at the ‘Callcenter Dagene’ customer service conference in 2010.
Social responsibility is becoming increasingly important in our modern-day society and it is important to understand that it has more to do with how value is created than charitable causes. For business and industry to be able to assume responsibility, in the ethical as well as the legal sense, it is essential that everyone agrees about who should be responsible on behalf of the individual enterprises. In the final instance, responsibility for how an enterprise conducts itself will always rest with individuals.
The division of responsibility follows from the role that each person has taken on, for example as board member, auditor or director. Formal requirements are regulated by legislation while the person with the role is authorised and issued with guidelines and instructions by internal governing bodies. The operation of the Brønnøysund Register Centre is largely concerned with keeping an overview of who has committed to do what. The Register of Mortgaged Movable Property makes it possible to mortgage assets, because both the borrower and the lender have faith in someone being able to ensure compliance with what has been agreed between them. In the same way, the Register of Business Enterprises and the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities ensure that there will be no doubt as to what type of responsibility has been assumed by whom.
It is also a fact that our electronic solutions have a favourable environmental aspect and are very forward-looking both for the private business sector and for the public sector. Since Altinn started up in 2003, 63 million individual forms have been submitted through Altinn. We have demonstrated great responsibility by helping to develop an efficient tool for simplifying and coordinating the authorities’ work, and, not least, reducing paper consumption. In light of the above, our annual report for 2010 will, of course, only be published online.
Social responsibility is about honesty and fairness. It is also about trust. And public opinion puts great trust in the Brønnøysund Register Centre. In terms of overall impression, we were ranked number seven in the annual reputation survey of 83 public agencies and organisations. At the same time, the Brønnøysund Register Centre’s international efforts to establish good register solutions are an important social responsibility. During his talk at Expo in Shanghai this year, State Secretary Roger Schjerva of the Ministry of Finance said that Altinn is the best example of how information should flow electronically between business and industry and public agencies in a way that is conducive to prosperity, transparency and financial growth.Registers are a necessary aid to control by the authorities and to preventing corruption.The Brønnøysund Register Centre’s contribution to the transfer of competence on the operation and electronic management of registers in Africa as well as Asia are good examples of this from 2010.
Another good example is the internal and local social responsibilities assumed by the Brønnøysund Register Centre. An extensive apprenticeship scheme has been followed up over many years. We have also taken the initiative to establish a bachelor programme in informatics in South Helgeland. Competence-building is among the most important driving forces for growth. Competence-based jobs at the Brønnøysund Register Centre have ripple effects far beyond the local community and help to develop the local community and make it more attractive. In this context, we can also look at the work that has been carried out in 2010 to explore the possibility of erecting a new building for the Brønnøysund Register Centre of approximately 16,000-17.000 m2 by 2015.
In this online annual report you will find a lot of interesting information about the Brønnøysund Register Centre and Altinn and also about the status of Norwegian business and industry.
Erik Fossum
Director General
