Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will give a case in point. When I worked in a vocational education committee it was almost standard practice to purchase computers at the end of the year. The worst time of the year to buy computers is December when demand is at its highest and these products are most expensive. The cheapest time of the year to buy products such as computers is January when one has sales and new products. One can make a substantial saving by purchasing a personal computer in January. In my VEC days, could I have asked my line manager for permission to hold over a certain sum, let us say €4,000, on account and spend it in January. Making a purchase in January would have secured better value for the Exchequer.