Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On behalf of the Government, I thank the chairman, Mr. Justice Matthew Smith and the members of the commission for their thorough work and the resulting second report on the Nedap-Powervote electronic system. The report is, undoubtedly, one of the most comprehensive official reports ever produced on the matter of electronic voting.

I am particularly pleased with the commission's overall validation of the €46 million investment in the voting machines and associated software, which is clear to anyone who reads the report. I have had the opportunity to do that because the report was given to Deputy Roche over the weekend.

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