Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have heard Mr. Keegan's phrase "We will have regard to what the elected members say" used many times during my term as an elected local authority member. The problem is that the elected members have been hung out to dry and have been left completely exposed to a roasting from the public on this waste of money. The public cannot grasp the reason this amount of public money could be paid from the coffers of the local authority. Mr. Keegan spoke of the prospect of the project being done but I would beg to differ based on what has been happening in waste management. Mr. Keegan's officials will be aware of the success of the recycling initiative, with increases in the rates of recycling. Further work has to be done in terms of waste reduction but it is hoped the volumes of waste will decrease, which means there will be less raw material to feed an incinerator.

I will now question Mr. Keegan on the payments to consultants. As of 2011, €28.4 million was paid to consultants. The estimated cost had been €8 million, but three and half times more than the figure in the Estimates was spent. How much has been paid to consultants to date?