Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The first question the Deputy asked was on the costs. The Comptroller and Auditor and General estimated the costs of the public services card project to the end of 2017, which are the only current data figures we have, came to €59.7 million. That cost is made up of €30.9 million for the managed services contract, the software, the hardware, support, maintenance and administration of the card itself. An estimated €28.8 million was for the Department's staff costs, based on the Department's request for 200 additional staff for a four year period. The estimated staff costs only covered those directly involved in the public services card project and did not include the staff costs of anybody else from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, such as those involved in the internal upgrade of our IT systems that would have had to accompany the contract we issued. That is how the €59.7 million was made up.

I cannot say why the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, said what he said other than to say I am not responsible for the delivery of policy-----

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