Mr. Peter Finnegan:

Before I talk about lessons, I want to acknowledge the reputational damage that bike shed caused to Members and to the Houses. This time last year we were in the middle of it and the public anger was fully justified, 110%. In terms of lessons, what we are doing now with the OPW is that when we are discussing projects, every project has to be costed and those costs are now brought to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. The relationship between us - the Comptroller and Auditor General mentioned this in his statement - is a landlord-tenant relationship, in that the OPW owns the building. We do not have authority to spend money on capital projects, but the bike shed demonstrated the reputational risks to the Oireachtas and its Members where a project like that happens. Everything now is heavily scrutinised. Mr. Errity chairs a working group with the OPW. Those proposals are all reviewed, there are costs attached to them and they go to the commission. The commission, at its meeting on Tuesday, considered the first item from that new process.