David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The City of Dublin ETB disclosed a non-compliant procurement of €2.7 million. Here we go again in matters relating to compliance in the area of procurement. I do not know how many times we have raised this and we have received a number of reports from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General when it has been flagged in audit opinions. Sometimes it has no implications for spending and sometimes it does. The Comptroller and Auditor General's special report into the Kildare and Wicklow ETB showed that there had been incomplete documentation in relation to certain procurements. There was a cost of €483,000 to the State in additional expenditure because of change orders relating to the construction of a school. We have to be more vigilant and start to go under the bonnet of some of this stuff. As Teachta Connolly has said in several meetings, it is almost like a David and Goliath situation for us as we try to do our work in this area.

Procurement is at the heart of the big issue of the national children's hospital, with which we will be dealing in a few minutes. Every time our attention is drawn to an issue with procurement we should follow up on it, rather than just note it. What was the €2.7 million for in this case? What can we do to get more information on it? Why was there non-compliance?