Mayo TD condemns government over 'staggering list of financial management'

A Mayo TD has launched a stinging attack on the government over what she describes as its 'staggering list of financial mismanagement across multiple government departments and agencies'.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh hit out: "It's downright disgraceful.

"People are really angry. They know the cases being made public are only the tiniest tip of the iceberg. We all know of the other cases.

"The cases that have been made public include the €9 million mobile phone pouch project; the €360,000 bike rack; the OPW wall; relentless overspending on the national children’s hospital; modular homes with a price tag of €442,000; and the scanner from the National Gallery that cost €125,000.

"They are only a tiny portion of the absolute waste of public money.

"Is it any wonder that what we hear most from people is that this government is a shower of wasters?

"I do not say that in a derogatory way but the waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned money is absolutely disgraceful.

"I refer to the lack of transparency and the hiding behind commercial sensitivity.

"We heard the Department of Social Protection was spending €1.4 million per week on IT consultancy.

"That is one department. What is the total cost? What is going on in our Civil Service and our public service and who is in charge?

"I thought the Department of Public Expenditure had a grip on this.

"I was absolutely shocked at the lack of oversight, and I remain shocked by it.

"This country is being run by consultants. That is how government policy is made - by consultants. That has to stop.

"We have to bring that expertise into government to make it properly accountable.

"We can contrast the overspending and waste of money with people being scrutinised to within an inch of their lives and sometimes being scrutinised beyond the grave in trying to get every cent back from them.

"There is an inherent unfairness within the system and it has to be put right."