John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

The Deputy raised a number of issues. If the Deputy is seeking the costs in regard to storage, as I understand it, cessation of the electronic voting project involves dealing with the legacy of storage. Pending the disposal of the equipment, the machines must still be stored somewhere.

The cost of storing the machines at local premises has been significantly reduced in recent years. In 2004 up to €658,000 was spent on storage, which was reduced to €204,000 in 2008 and to €182,000 in 2009. It is important the job is done right in line with legal and regulatory requirements. We do not want to expose the Exchequer to further risks or liabilities arising from the disposal of the equipment. The key objective is to achieve the most economically advantageous outcome while limiting any further potential costs and, where possible, recovering some of the investment.

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