followed by extended and rigorous testing once they have been so modified, the voting machine and related components can be confidently recommended for use. The embedded software of the voting machine is also of adequate quality, requiring only minor modifications followed by further analysis to confirm its reliability." Scrapping of project The prime issue was the lack of verifiability by the absence of an audit mechanism or verified paper trail. The former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had defended the flawed system in the Dáil, bemoaning the use of "stupid old pencils". The voting machines bought by the government from Dutch firm Nedap were kept in storage as the cabinet pondered what to do after the Commission on Electronic Voting said it could not recommend the system. Approximately €0.5m was spent improving the software. Ahern defended the system despite public scepticism and opposition from within his own party on the basis that having spent the money, it would cause loss of national pride if the system were scrapped. In October 2006, a group of Dutch hackers, including Rop Gonggrijp, showed how similar machines to the ones purchased in Ireland could be modified by replacing the EEPROMs with Nedap -Firmware with EEPROMs with their own firmware. On 23 April 2009, Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced that the electronic voting system was to be scrapped, due to cost and the public's dissatisfaction with it. A Department of the Environment website demonstrating how to use electronic voting machines was live until 2012. On 6 October 2010, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that the 7,000 machines would not be used for voting and would be disposed of. By that date, the total cost of the electronic voting project has reached €54.6 million, including €3 million spent on storing the machines over the previous five years. In 2012, KMK Metals Recycling paid €70,267 for 7,500 e-voting machines; 1,232 transport/storage trolleys; 2,142 hand trolleys and 4,787 metal tilt tables. Later discussions In 2018, John Paul Phelan, the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government responded to a Dáil question from Shane Cassells about online voting. Phelan said there were "no proposals to introduce measures to support online voting or to re-introduce e-voting"; he had an "open mind" on online voting, but there were other electoral changes which would take priority, including online access to the electoral register and the introduction of an Electoral Commission. Later in