Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

We are lucky to have Mr. John Purcell as Comptroller and Auditor General. I had the pleasure of being a member of the Committee of Public Accounts for a number of years. Regardless of who is in government, it is vital that this watchdog organ of the State is given all the power necessary to carry out its balanced and forensic investigations. Any Government worth its salt should take note of this report.

It is true that every year the same sins seem to be committed. I sincerely hope the new Fine Gael-Labour Party Government will stop that. Contrary to what Deputy Fleming said, Fine Gael and the Labour Party are far from wanting to stop progress in the economy. However, we want to ensure that if a road is built from A to B and it is done through good management and in the best and most efficient manner, there will be money to build one from C to D. That is the issue.

Several major roads are being built. We were told in 2000 that the Galway-Dublin road would be ready this year but it will not be ready for another four years. What about the two feeder roads, the N17 and the N18? Not only will they not be completed until seven or eight years later but they will cost millions more euro than if they had been built on schedule. The electorate will decide this issue at the next general election. People will agree they have never had it so good but they will ask if they got added value for the amount of money in the economy and what could have been done with it.

Thornton Hall has been mentioned by many Members. In farming terms this could be compared to a man who wants to buy a €1,000 cow. He will surely get a €1,000 cow from the first man who has one to sell. However, that might not mean the cow is worth €1,000. What obviously happened in the Department was that somebody got it into his or her head that €30 million should be paid for a site for a prison. The deal was done with the first person who could be found who would sell land for that value. Many people would sell their land for €30 million. That is the bottom line. CBRE, the property consultants, said its fee would be €184,000 but when the deal was done, it was €256,500 plus €53,000 VAT.

In regard to medical cards, I refer to something that happened a couple of years ago as well. Several doctors got paid for medical card recipients who had been dead for years. Some of the former health boards did not check that and it has happened again three or four years later.

I would like to go into many aspects of this report. The buck must stop with somebody. I sincerely hope a real difference will be made by the Fine Gael-Labour Government, which will get its opportunity next May and every member of the electorate will thank us.

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