David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Page 45 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, paragraphs 4.22 and 4.25, states:

OPW has also made payments totalling €1.24 million to principal contractors on two of the pilot projects in compensation for project delays and some additional works that had not been agreed in advance

- €636,000 – river Lee pilot

- €603,000 – Fingal/East Meath pilot.

These are precisely some of the concerns that were flagged. That, to me, is an overrun. Would that be an overrun to Ms McGrath?

The report goes on to state, "In terms of the national programme, OPW has made compensation payments to contractors, totalling €305,000 to the end of December 2014". We do not know what happened beyond December 2014.

It is clear to me that there were overruns in relation to project delays, compensation payments were made and yet there is no acceptance of that at all. The report merely records the Accounting Officer stating, "I do not agree that the recommended procedures were not in place in the OPW." How does Ms McGrath reconcile that?