Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I do not think Parliament can function in circumstances where, in a matter as straightforward as this, the Taoiseach can say with a straight face that no money has been wasted. There is no point in our continuing if he continues to treat the House in that manner. What does he mean when he says no money has been wasted? We know from a reply to a parliamentary question last week that €52 million has now gone down the drain.

We also know that the Taoiseach, from the summary he gave the House, misrepresents the electoral commission's findings. It clearly stated that the Government was prepared to proceed with a system the accuracy of which nobody could certify following exposure that the software version proposed has not yet been finalised. It also stated that the tests exposed in error could lead to incorrect distribution of surpluses — scarcely a minor matter — and that further tests might expose other errors.

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