Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

If we are to deal with the public services card issue at that meeting, the issue of not having a business case is critical, not just in respect of that spend but other large spends as well. It is a process issue. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is not the only Department involved. It rolled the card out, but my understanding is that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is the main Department as the sponsoring Department. Why did it not look for a business case? Let us use this issue as an example, as there could be other incremental, longer-term initiatives affected. If a Department invests in IT, for example, it is often the case that, although an argument is made for a modest investment, it ultimately grows. That incremental approach could be costly, and this case is a very good example of that.