Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I do not agree, for obvious reasons. To compare the final cost of projects with the costs estimated before the project concepts went to the planning stage is a ridiculous and objectionable line of argument. The Comptroller and Auditor General's report concluded that real project cost overruns due to underestimation was less than 20%, in line with quoted international trends. That was the Comptroller and Auditor General's basic point.

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