Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 28 November 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

9:00 am

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I wish to declare that I am also a member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission and I expect that there will be another discussion at its meeting next week on this because some of the information would not have been fully appreciated or declared.

The purchase of this printer from my understanding is to replace two old Heidelberg printers. They were 12 years old and cost in the region of €150,000 annually in repairs and maintenance. Printers have a lifespan. We also have to question the extent of the printing. There does not seem to be a forum that deals with that and that is a very obvious gap at a point where we communicate very differently now, using social media and other platforms. Even if we are not dealing with its detail we should be identifying the thinking about the requirements for the future as a point of oversight. It appears to be an extraordinary amount of printing and it is only when we see it captured in the report that its full import is obvious. My understanding is that some of this expenditure extended over two years and that is part of the reason we did not see it. We need to have it categorically stated that it is likely to be in two sets of accounts.