David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

I certainly agree that we need to put pressure on the Department of public expenditure and reform, whether it is the Minister or the officials, because there has been pushback. I submitted freedom of information requests on this subject. I have read some of the responses. Other officials in previous hearings would be aware of some of the concerns. I understand those concerns because there has been a number of scandals with digital systems. PPARS, for example, seemed to have paralysed the health service. Never again will we go anywhere near it. We have to move away from that.

When we are spending money on very costly systems, we have to get it right, which is why discussions like this are important in order that people can fully understand what we are doing, what we are getting, what the benefits are and how much it will cost, although cost is somewhat sensitive if procurement processes are in place. There is work to be done with regard to the Department of public expenditure and reform. It and the Department of Health are not fully aligned. If we, as a committee, can help in any way to push the former Department on, we should play a role.