Staff in Ministerial offices in my Department are equipped with a standard suite of computer hardware and software including a PC, access to a printer, network connectivity, standard office software and business applications to support their work similar to all other staff and exact costs for all aspects of the service are not readily available.
Computer equipment in the Minister's private office in the Department's Head Office does not change substantially on change of Minister. However, new equipment and services may be necessary depending on the location of the Minister's constituency.
My Department's records indicate that the cost to the Department of providing all computer hardware and software in Ministerial private and constituency offices from 2007 was:
€7,083 in 2007,
€4,771 in 2008,
€552 in 2009 and
€9,906 in 2010.