Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Within our IT section we have people on short-term contracts who come in to write code and redesign systems. We are responsible for distributing €1.2 billion in direct payments and an additional €405 million this year under the rural development programme. That equates to a substantial structural requirement in terms of dependable IT systems. We are putting a system in place that will ensure the correct distribution of approximately €12.5 billion over the next seven years. In that context, an investment of €10 million in ensuring we have effective systems is reasonable. If our system is not dependable, we will be subject to fines from the EU and all types of problems will arise in terms of the farmers' charter.