John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I am delighted to speak on this important motion. The Government talks about value for money but it does not have a notion of what value for money means. This country owes a huge debt of gratitude to the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Purcell. The Minister, Deputy Cowen, spoke about increased spending but the Government is taking €27 billion more out of the economy than it did in 1997. It is easy to spend double the investment.

With regard to value for money, a scandal per week is discussed in the Committee of Public Accounts. Now, the Minister speaks about introducing due diligence. The NRA does not even employ an accountant. That became clear at the Committee of Public Accounts. The Minister is the biggest spender in the economy but he does not have a due diligence accountant at the top level of the National Roads Authority. He then speaks about value for money.

Now there are recommendations of cost benefit fixed price contracts. This was identified by Mr. Purcell two years ago but nothing happened since then. There has been over-estimating and refixing and renegotiation of contracts. This is an outrageous scandal of mismanagement at the highest levels. If the Minister were running a business, it would have been bankrupt years ago.

Consider the level of indirect taxation and that every home is getting €50,000. This is a cash rich economy and the taxpayer is paying the money. The Government assessment of a project is how many millions have been spent. No cost benefit or output analysis is carried out. The Minister for Finance has left the House but he seems to have forgotten that the 1994 guidelines were not applied in the Punchestown project. Money was being spent in every Department without being sanctioned by the Department of Finance. The Minister calls that management and value for money.

It is high-handed of the Ministers to speak as they did this evening. They must think people are stupid when they recite their litanies.

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