Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Taoiseach has said a new set of controls is being introduced to ensure that ICT contracts proceed in accordance with best practice. Most taxpayers, who contribute their hard-earned euro towards the running of this State, including its health services, believed that was already being done. I am not at all clear regarding what will now be different, except that the Taoiseach is to ask a few favoured businessmen to give up their time to sit in on a committee some Thursday morning. I cannot see what change that makes to the situation.

An example of the capacity to use weasel words to get out of a series of ever more costly mistakes and errors can be seen in this morning's The Irish Times, in which a spokesperson for the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, when asked about the e-portal, raised by Deputy Kenny, that disappeared after €3 million had been spent on it, said all the Minister had been doing was announcing the launch of a concept.

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