Sinn Féin has called for a spending audit of all departments, criticising what it describes as a “Government of serial wasters”. 

The last few months have seen several examples of wasteful spending hit the headlines and cause nationwide outrage. 

First, the Office of Public Works (OPW) was revealed to have spent €335,000 on a bike shed in Leinster House, then €490,000 on a wall outside its office in Dublin. 

A cyclist uses the bike shed at Leinster House. Image: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Earlier this week, it emerged that the Art Council has spent €7 million on an IT system that does not work. 

On The Anton Savage Show, Sinn Féin’s Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty described wasteful spending as a “serious issue”. 

“The big fear here is that we are only finding a lot of this out because of the work of journalists,” he said. 

“Really, what we don’t know is what lies beneath the bonnet; how much more of millions of taxpayers’ money is this Government wasting? 

“We know, for example, the National Children’s Hospital is the one that takes the biscuit. 

“A contract that was originally supposed to come in around €700 million is now over €2.2 billion - and today the Government can’t even tell us if that’s going to be the final figure.” 

Construction underway on the site of the new National Children's Hospital in Dublin. Image: BAM Ireland

The Donegal TD said he is concerned that the OPW is not a rogue department and that others also could well be splurging large amounts of cash on minor projects. 

“That is why we were calling for not an audit just within one department but actually an audit right across all of the departments,” he said. 

“A waste audit to find out what’s going on and to call a time in relation to this waste of public money. 

“I think what you’re seeing, in sum, from Patrick O’Donovan is trying to deflect and also to paint this picture to the public that they’re aghast, that they’re shocked, that this has come out of the blue. 

“What we know from the Arts Council, from their annual report and, indeed, their public statements… They’re very clear that they kept the Department informed at all stages. 

'The tone is no accountability'

Deputy Doherty said it is important that Government Ministers ultimately take responsibility for spending in their departments.  

“I don’t believe a Minister can be over every single level of expenditure,” he said. 

“That’s not expected of them, but what a Minister does do is they set the tone within their Department. 

“It is clear that after 14-years of Fine Gael in Government that the tone is no accountability. 

“There is no accountability when they’re not asking questions in relation to waste of public money and that allows for this culture to fester.” 

On The Pat Kenny Show earlier this week, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said wasteful spending is not universal in the public sector and he knew of “so many examples where the country’s money is used well.”

Main image: Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews