Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)

Is this not a problem when we are trying to deal with the public? We are looking at this from a political point of view. The perception publicly is different to what the Department has to deal with because of what was first announced as the cost of the project rather than being a bit more realistic. I will give an example. I dealt with the project team building a new children's hospital in Canada. One of the things that team put into the estimated cost was a 15% inflation rate per annum because it knew building costs would go up. We are a bit unrealistic, though. When we set out a figure for a project, we convince the general public that is what it is going to cost, when everyone knows that, in real terms, it is going to cost much more money. It is then very hard for us, from a political perspective, to justify the ultimate expenditure. Should a new approach be adopted concerning what we are presenting to the public as regards what the final outcome is going to be? I know there is also the question of having to ensure the contractors do not think there is a free-for-all. I fully understand that aspect too, but does the Minister of State not think there is a need for a better mechanism for dealing with this issue?