Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I support the motion. There is widespread public concern at the revelations of the incredible waste of hundreds of millions of euro by this Government. Last year, it was the Punchestown event centre and €60 million for electronic voting. This year, it is the purchase of agricultural land at exorbitant rates for a prison and €160 million for a botched computer system for the health service, and these are just the more glaring examples of incompetence and mismanagement which have become the trademarks of Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats misgovernance. Meanwhile, the scandal of tax evasion remains widespread and, as always, the overwhelming burden rests upon the pay packets of the PAYE sector. Anger is increasing among PAYE workers and this Government's squandering of resources is fueling that anger.

People are outraged that incompetence results in the loss of vast amounts of taxpayer's money whereby essential social and educational facilities for communities might have been financed. Schools such as Gaelscoil Bharra in Cabra are left in sub-standard prefabs. Accident and emergency wards are in deplorable conditions. An autistic child was refused funds for specialist help. Pre-school and after school projects for the disadvantaged would be non-existent but for the efforts of local people. Organisations such as Women's Aid are unable to cope because of inadequate funding. A whole range of school building projects is put on the long finger, while a vast amount of taxpayers' money is literally thrown away. That is the perception and people are asking when they can rid themselves of this Government which has shown itself incapable of proper management of resources to benefit those sections of society in urgent need of a range of facilities and services.

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