Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 2 May 2024

Public Accounts Committee

Financial Statements 2022: National Transport Authority

9:30 am

Mr. Garret Doocey:

I will come in on that one from a departmental perspective because it is an important point about oversight of expenditure, and given the committee we are in front of. The money that was spent on metro north was expended in line with applicable Government policy and financial procedures at the time and subject to scrutiny through the Comptroller and Auditor General, etc., on a project that ultimately was cancelled. It was expended and it was a significant amount of money, but that project was cancelled, and that was a decision of the Government. It is a matter for the Government to decide whether projects proceed or do not proceed, and the decision at that time was taken not to proceed with that project, so it is a different project now.