Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Regarding electronic voting, it is almost a case of the less said the better. It is an embarrassment to a country that would see itself as a leader in the field of e-government. The Government now knows that the computers, or e-voting machines, work. Big deal, what an achievement. One reached the stage where one might worry about even this. However, the Government bought bargain basement software that was not validated. One of the world's foremost authorities on software validation works in a third level institution in this country, not, incidentally, the one in which I work. He was not asked to validate that the e-voting software would do what it was claimed it could do. It has now come to light that the software must be properly designed.

It was two members of the Labour Party, who are computer experts, who first raised the questions on what are now accepted as the flaws in the system. There is a suggestion in the report that these machines could produce incorrect answers resulting in the elimination of the wrong person from an election. If a returning officer makes a mistake using the current system there is a process by which to make checks and, if necessary, rectify the mistake. We know who decided on this and it is extraordinary that people will not let the initiative go. Speaking as someone who has lost as often as he has won in elections, I would prefer to lose under the current process than lose the way a well-known Member of the other House lost using the experimental method.

The money is not entirely the issue. The issue is the absolute refusal to listen to good sense because it did not come from within Government ranks. Perhaps, in the future, for a host of reasons, we may see an approach from this Government that is a little more humble and a little less domineering.

There are reports in today's newspapers that the incidence of MRSA in our hospitals has not declined. There is also information on the number of cases of MRSA, which the chief executive of the Health Service Executive, Professor Brendan Drumm, did not want released because he felt it might frighten people. He had good reason to think they might be frightened. People have good reason to be frightened when they feel going to hospital puts them at risk of becoming more sick.

Today's reports indicate that the HSE had planned to recruit 50 staff to deal with infection control and that it was refused permission to do so because there is an embargo on recruitment in the public sector. I do not know what sort of ideological hammer is being used to decide that nobody can be recruited anywhere. Why does the Minister for Finance deem it better to have a surplus to reduce public expenditure than to provide money to deal with the incidence of MRSA in hospitals? Until we show that the HSE can, and is allowed to, manage this problem properly and can reduce the incidence of a potentially fatal illness, there is no hope for reconstruction of our health service.

As an appeal on the Order of Business, it is important that the future of Aer Lingus be debated. For once I agree with my colleague Senator Ross, we are in grave danger of having our national airline sold for a bargain basement price. I no longer know who this is to pacify. I am not sure the unions approve of the sale though we will wait and see. I am never too sure about the unions on these issues.