MARTIN Cullen may have been basking in the glow of his announcement of the metro system for Dublin but he spent last week taking a battering in the Dail chamber. Pat Rabbitte . . . who a week previously had labelled the transport minister "hapless" . . . was out of the traps again on Tuesday afternoon. The Labour leader once more returned to the government's troubled e-voting system.

Three ministers have had responsibility for the system which has cost over 50m . . . Noel Dempsey proposed it, Martin Cullen launched it and now Dick Roche is trying to salvage it. "The Three Stooges, " Rabbitte described the ministerial trio. The Taoiseach defended his patch: "We have to correct the software. . . and try to move forward. Otherwise, this country will move into the 21st century being a laughing stock with our stupid old pencils."

There's a clear sensitivity on the government benches over e-voting . . .

50m spent and nothing to show for it. Rabbitte quoted Cullen's previous declaration about the next general election: "The system Ireland will use next year is the most secure electronic system that exists in the world."

Cullen's prediction has proven to be wrong and there were more problems for the Waterford man later in the week when Labour pressed the sale of the former national airline in the Dail. "The minister for transport has played a personal role in the disaster we have on our hands, " Roisin Shorthall said, adding, "The minister has been reckless in the extreme but it is the Irish people who will have to pay the price."

Cullen can expect plenty more opposition criticism as debacles over e-voting and Aer Lingus will be two trump cards used by Fine Gael and Labour as they seek to undermine government assertions that they are the best economic managers on offer to the voters.

Shameful reading

THERE should be red faces in the education department with the reply to a parliamentary question on school library grants which was given to Sinn Fein's Sean Crowe. This year all the primary schools in the country will share a budget worth 2.07m to fund their library services. The government did make a special contribution in December 1999 as part of the 'national reading initiative'. That contribution came to 7.70 per student. The situation is a bit better at post-primary level where funding is available to provide library accommodation.

This money, however, comes in the form of bureaucratic madness . . .

schools with 200-499 students get grants for a library of 100sq m, those with more than 500 students can have 136sq m in library space while schools with fewer than 200 students will have their application examined on a case-by-case basis.

Minister Mary Hanafin will consider library space for post-primary schools but she has no money for books.

They did get 7.70 per student back in 1999.

Shameful is the only word.

Notes of caution

BERTIE Ahern's fondness for handling cash is not shared by the Revenue Commissioners. As is now well known, back in 1993 Ahern arrived home from a trip to Manchester with stg£8,000 in cash. But it seems he couldn't have gone into his local tax office to pay vehicle registration tax in cash (that is, assuming he owned a car on which he paid VRT).

Brian Cowen told the Dail that cash was not currently being accepted, but that the Revenue is reviewing "the overall question of accepting cash payments in the context of the safety and security of their staff and that of the public in VRT offices".

Perhaps the Revenue might ask the Taoiseach for some advice on security matters as he successfully operated his life with cash only for six or seven years while he also had access to IR£50,000 at a time when he didn't have a bank account.

On the same topic, it can only be assumed the 'Manchester Martyrs Weekend' in Bandon next month is a historical commemoration and has nothing to do with another fundraiser for Ahern.