Ms Caron McCaffrey:

There are a number of security systems in operation in our service that relate to a sole supplier. They include some of our locking and access systems and our fire safety systems. As they are provided by a particular supplier, their servicing and maintenance can only be undertaken by that service provider. There were six such cases in 2017 which totalled €1.42 million. They will continue to be included until the systems are replaced. Similarly there are some ICT legacy systems within our organisation and the updating and maintenance of those systems can only be undertaken by one company. However, we are looking at opportunities to move away from that and develop our own in-house models. In one of the three cases in 2017, which totalled €0.396 million, we have moved towards putting in place our own system so we will not be wholly dependent on one supplier in the future.