The Government may be close to scrapping 7,500 unused electronic voting machines to save taxpayers’ money.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley said he is referring the matter to the new public spending taskforce, dubbed An Bord Snip Nua.
E-voting machines were piloted in some constituencies in the 2002 general election but have remained idle since then. The average storage cost of the equipment was €650,000 between 2004 and 2007.
Mr Gormley said of the e-voting machines today: “I certainly will be discussing that and other issues with an Bord Snip Nua to see what recommendations they have in relation to that.”
He added: “It is clear the voting machines will not be used in the local or European elections. But I will await the outcome of those discussions with An Bord Snip Nua. We have to ensure that we are getting value for money and that any decisions must be taken in that context.”
Some two-thirds of the machines, which cost more than €50 million to purchase, have now been moved from local depots to a central warehouse in Co Meath to reduce storage costs.
Plans to introduce the system across the State were postponed after concerns arose about the possibility of tampering with the machines and the lack of a paper trail.
PA