Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

As I pointed out, part of the decrease in my Department's Vote pertains to the transfer of the Information Society and e-inclusion functions from its Vote to those of the Departments of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and Finance. The Government considers that the funding would be better expended on the workload in which people in those Departments are involved in this regard. Obviously, the Government will continue to seek to implement this policy to the best of its ability. The transfer has been about ensuring that activities that are under way in other Departments are joined up with that specific project.

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