Revelations that more than €1.7 million was spent on a bike shed and security hut are “deeply frustrating” ahead of the Budget, the Green Party leader has said.
Politicians and members of the public expressed outrage after it was revealed that work to build a bike shed on the grounds of Leinster House cost €336,000, while a security hut near Government Buildings cost €1.4 million.
Mr O’Gorman said: “I’m in the middle of my Budget negotiations with (Minister Paschal) Donohoe at the moment, and we know that every cent has to be fought over.
“So it is deeply frustrating for me as a minister and indeed for many other ministers who are looking to get greater investment into key public services and public infrastructure when we see situations where it looks like public money was not well spent.”
Mr O’Gorman said the issue has been raised by members of the public: “People do not like to see their public money being spent inappropriately, and it is a source of frustration out there.
“It is also a source of frustration for us as ministers who have to run tight tight budgets, who have to make difficult decisions, particularly now at Budget time, in terms of where we can put additional funding.”
Pressed on what the Government can do about it, the Green Party leader endorsed comments by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who has sought amendments to public procurement law to allow for evaluation of a contractor’s past performance.
Mr O’Gorman said this was a “really good idea” but said some of the work would need to be done at EU level, especially for large-scale projects like the National Children’s Hospital.
