Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I do not dispute that those thefts took place. The point, however, is what the thief is able to do with the information stored on the processing machine that he or she has stolen. In the case of the theft of the Bank of Ireland laptops, it seems that the thieves were able to access sensitive customer data. I heard the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Cullen, say in an interview on television recently that in the case of the Oireachtas system, information contained on any stolen computer equipment would be inaccessible without access to the network, which requires passwords and so on. Some businesses should learn from the Government in this regard just as the Government does well to learn from business in other areas.

The Revenue on-line service is a fantastic and indisputable success story. The service is well advertised, drawing people's attention to the welcome incentives the Revenue offers to those willing to file on-line, including an additional 14 days to do so. Many accountants now seem to regard this extended date as the target date for the filing of their returns on-line. The Revenue is estimated to have saved some €49 million on postage, printing and processing since 2004 because of the increasing use of its on-line service. Those savings are likely to continue to grow as greater numbers become aware of and avail of the service instead of making written returns and submissions.

As well as the ability to file tax returns on-line, there is a wealth of information available on the website. This may be the reason that many of us have noticed fewer queries about Revenue issues at our constituency clinics.

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