France services houses, a device to fight against the digital divide

2023-04-23 19:00:03

It is the secret weapon of the government to facilitate access to public services for all users: the France services houses. One-stop local counters, most of the time located in post offices, stations, prefectures or sub-prefectures, which bring together several administrations: the general directorate of public finances, La Poste, Pôle emploi, the National Fund for family allowances, health insurance, pension insurance, etc.

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“During the great national debate, the French expressed a feeling of estrangement from public servicesrecalls Stanislas Guerini, the Minister of Transformation and the Public Service. Hence the presidential promise to set up a France services center per canton, less than thirty minutes from the home of each user, ie 2,500 in all. An investment for the State of 12.5 million euros per year. »

The initial objective has been exceeded, since 2,561 reception centers are now open. One hundred and fifty others must complete the system by the end of 2023. But do not expect to settle a calculation error in your retirement pension.

Public service buses

” The advisers [au nombre de deux par site] are not agents of the various public servicesregrets the Defender of Rights, Claire Hédon. They can provide a first level of support and solve simple requests such as filling out their tax return or registering or updating at Pôle Emploi, but they do not have the software for the various services. They therefore do not have access to user files. »

If your request is too specific, they will direct you to an expert from the administration concerned. “Six hundred thousand formalities are still processed there every month, and four out of five procedures are completely resolved on the first visit”assures the minister.

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Ultimately, the government wishes to expand the range of services. Experiments have thus been launched with regional centers for university and school works (Crous) and with the Banque de France, to support indebted couples. “Another challenge is to strengthen our policy to “go towards”, intended for all audiences who do not spontaneously go to France services spaces”, explains Stanislas Guerini. This is the role of the France services buses: 175 are already operational, mainly in rural areas and priority neighborhoods for urban policy. A means, assures the Minister, of “to give back a part of humanity” in public services.