If all is as the Taoiseach says, why is there a necessity for change? It is the fear of the Government in the face of the motion put down by the combined Opposition. Last Friday, the Taoiseach said on the Gerry Ryan radio programme that the Government has changed the culture of the system and has installed tough controls and passed tough legislation. He said people are now accountable and are scrutinised to an extraordinary extent and that this might be a little over bureaucratic but it had to be done.

He says the tendering system is open and transparent so let us apply last Friday's test to that remark. The previous budget given to a company for the roll out of the pilot programme was €80,000. The tender in this case was for €4.5 million. The person who allocated this was the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a Fianna Fáil appointee who happens to be the Fianna Fáil Party's director of elections. Is it true that his personally appointed political adviser, Monica Leech, sat on the interview board which awarded this tender to a company which had only been in existence for nine months and whose principal personality is the former Fianna Fáil general secretary? How can we have trust in the system?

Shame.

Where now stands the fully open and transparent tender system with regard to this contract of public money to the extent of €4.5 million?

I ask the Deputy to conclude as his minute is long concluded. As the Deputy knows, last week Members raised the question of fair play in the timing for Leaders' Questions.

This Government cannot be trusted. I want the Taoiseach to explain to the House how a politically appointed adviser sat on the final interview board for the awarding of a tender of €4.5 million of public money. The Government cannot be trusted.

Deputy Kenny also made an allegation against a person outside this House who is not in a position to defend herself.

I did not. I asked the Taoiseach to confirm whether or not that person sat on the interview board. I did not make an allegation.

I am trying to be serious about electronic voting and to talk about independent verification in Germany and Holland. However, what this is really about is people trying to stir around a small issue.

We are not voting in Germany.

The Deputy asked a serious question. He asked why it was €80,000 the first time and then €4.5 million. The first €80,000 was for three constituencies. It is slightly more costly to do the 42 constituencies. That is the reason. The contracts were put out in the proper way under a transparent system which has already been explained by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen. I am sure he would be glad to explain it in the House today.

He never explained it. We got the information under freedom of information.

I would be glad to put the system of tendering into the public domain and to get somebody to explain it. Deputy Kenny said we changed our position because of the Opposition motion. Points were made by a number of Deputies over a number of weeks about this issue. As I have stated time and again, I have been advised both legally and constitutionally, as has the Minister and the previous Minister, that there is no need to change this. The right to vote is a fundamental right of a democracy and we must take account of that. When I hear valid points made here or elsewhere — I have read a number of articles and editorials which made valid points — I try to ensure we are sure. That is a fair position to take and we have taken that into account.

What about an answer to the questions of who was on the interview panel or who got the job?

The High Court stated recently that in the principle of legislation, matters should be set out not just in secondary but in primary legislation. It made that statement in regard to the McCreevy case which concerns Carrickmines. It seems like the Government's position that we should follow good practice. The Government has tried throughout the five years of this, from the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, to do things correctly.

This is another attempt to hoodwink the people.