Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I am talking about the fact that circumstances have worsened since last year's report. The Government has allowed the problem to deteriorate and has no defence in that regard.

Consider the transport budget that the Minister for mediocrity and his predecessor in that office have tried to defend. It increased from an original Estimate of €5.8 billion to an eventual cost of €18.2 billion. If one added up all the sums pertaining to excess expenditure by the Government since it came into power in 1997, the total would come close to a whole year's expenditure. One would find that the budget for one year in every eight is wasted through excess expenditure. When the Minister talks about the amount being spent and the amount of tax being collected, I think he should qualify his boasts by stating that quite a large proportion of that money is being flushed down the toilet.

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