Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On a point that is not within the Minister's control, the question listed on the Order Paper is not the question I submitted to the Department and leaves out a substantial part of the question, although the Minister addressed that part in her reply, for which I thank her as I had thought I might have to raise the issue separately. Nonetheless, as the Questions Paper should reflect the question that was actually submitted by the Member, I am disappointed.

Throughout last year, I was trying to carry out research in regard to child benefit payments and social welfare recipients. In trying to get the information for that through parliamentary questions, I discovered that different computer platforms, as they are known, in the Department cannot yet cross-reference with each other. This is a very out-of-date system for any Department, particularly one as important as the Department of Social Protection.

I welcome the answer that they are building a single ICT platform to deal with this. What is its delivery date? How fast is it progressing and will it be on target?

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