Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

Given that the Minister is effectively saying the machines will be held in publicly owned storage, what will be the net cost to the State from now on? Most Deputies are having their computers in the House upgraded to Microsoft XP. Is there a situation whereby the Minister might consider upgrading the machines, or can they be upgraded given the original comments by the commission? In other words, is there any possibility that the machines will be used and, as Deputy McCormack said, would it not be better to charge it to the Ministers, Deputy Noel Dempsey and Deputy Cullen, and write them off as depreciation?

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