A website to give TDs easier online access to what is going on in Leinster House ended up costing more than €1.88 million.
The digital parliament project had originally been budgeted at €1.78 million when it was given formal approval in the summer of 2020.
A business case for the project said it would make life easier for TDs to keep track of Dáil business, allow for publication in real-time, and for the sharing of content on social media.
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A detailed log of expenditure on the project reveals that costs in progressing it in 2018 and 2019 came to a total of just over €160,000.
A further €882,000 was spent on the digital parliament initiative in 2020 with bills for last year coming in at a combined €840,000.
The Oireachtas said the total cost of the project – including an estimated €1.77 million in costs for external providers – had been €1.88 million.
The business case for the initiative said order papers for Dáil business had previously been published in hard copy and as a “static PDF”.
This made it difficult for people to search for content with the new project intended to provide a new electronic “one-stop shop” for TDs.
The business case said: “Members will be provided with a dynamic schedule for the first time: business will be published in real time and members can check in and out when they choose.
“The system will make business flexible and useful to members, empowering them and removing barriers to access.”
A risk assessment for the project said there would likely be issues around integrating old systems and possible impacts due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It said the time frame for the project was predicted to be thirty months with plans for it to “go live” in May of last year.
The business case said some of the key benefits included ensuring nobody had to wait to see what was on the Leinster House schedule for each sitting day.
It would allow for social media sharing, work better with tablets and smartphones, and help government departments keep track of Dáil business.
It added that the old computer system for the order paper was old software and presented a “security risk” while savings would also be made on printing and photocopying.
The business case said: “Members need no longer wonder whether they have missed the notification of an item. They won't need to ring procedural offices, asking what has been circulated.
“The most up-to-date business will be in a location that members can access whenever they choose, on any device they want while on the go, and with added value in terms of information.”
A spokesman for the Oireachtas said the new system had been delivered in line with the provided budget, on time, followed all governance procedures, and had gone live last October.
He said: “The business website is also very much in line with where parliaments are moving internationally in terms of their modernisation, putting the Dáil on par with parliaments that have been future-proofed and successfully adapted to the digital age.”
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