The new Garda computer system, PULSE, has had to be scaled down because of cost overruns. The original estimate of £35.5 million put before the Government increased by £20 million, the Dail Committee on Public Accounts was told yesterday.
The cost of the project now was £46 million and reductions in the system were necessary to remain within the Government-approved budget.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, in his annual report presented to the committee yesterday, said the scaling down of the project raised questions as to whether the service being delivered was what the Government had approved and whether the original objectives were realistic.
The number of Garda stations where the system is to be installed has been reduced from 242 to 181, the volume of hardware cut back and the number of modules for different sections, such as incident response, firearms and warrants, has been reduced from 27 to 17.
The report also noted there had been delays in bringing the project into operation and the completion date for the 17 modules was now March 2001 rather than September 2000.
In 1993, the Government approved the IT plan at an estimated cost of £36.5 million. However, before the project commenced, the estimate for implementing the 27 modules had increased to £55.6 million. This led in March 1996 to the agreement to scale down the system.
Yesterday, Mr Tim Dalton, secretary general of the Department of Justice, told the committee it was planned that the system would be completed by March 2001 at a cost of £46 million. He said so far 14 modules were in operation and had proved a considerable success.