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

The original Comptroller and Auditor General report found that the Government indicated no business case. He found that the Government made decisions in 2004 and 2005 that formed the basis of the PSC project, and that a business case or project plan was not developed at that time. However, following examination of key project data and documents that were supplied to our Department by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Comptroller and Auditor General then found that the elements of a good practical business case were included in several documents he had examined. Despite this, he found that there were still a number of omissions relating to a comprehensive estimate of the total projected cost, including the allocation to existing Departments. It has since been provided and I have just provided it to the Deputy. There was no initial assessment of the Department's ability to deliver the project, and a formal assessment was not provided at the initial stages of the project. It has since been provided to the Comptroller and Auditor General and been accepted. He also highlighted that there was no plan setting out how the project's benefits would be measured. We have replied to that, noting how recipients feel about the card and how valuable they find it.

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