The Revenue Commissioners issued a rather interesting tender during the week. It wants somebody to supply it with up to 2 million blank cheques.

I thought blank cheques were the Department of Health’s forte...

The tender notice is seeking a printer with experience in “the manufacture of high security documentation... and currently involved with deliveries to cash-in-transit standards”.

The notice describes them as “repayment cheques” and says the 2 million will be required over a four-year period. Does Revenue really envisage giving an average of a half million of us a tax refund each year?

A 2013 report by the National Payments Plan steering committee, chaired by a Department of Finance official, lamented the stubbornly high use of dastardly cheques in this country as banks push for a cashless society. Someone should tell Revenue.

Meanwhile, there is absolutely no truth to the rumour that the next big State tender is for brown envelopes.