Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will concede and accept that getting value for money and ensuring that the taxpayer always gets value for money has been the hallmark of this Government for the past five years, unlike the profligacy of what went on before we came into office. That is why we established the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service. For the first time, we have a professional cohort of economists and valuers to evaluate, on a neutral basis, any proposal. In fact, I have been criticised about a number of the papers published by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service because they have been critical of Government. The idea behind this service is that it is to stand alone and make an evaluation. Not all proposals that come from Departments stand up to that level of independent scrutiny. I think that is the way we should proceed in future.

In terms of the issue of prefabs, it was this Government, in the worst of times, that got rid of all prefabs in our school system, which were a blight on the school system that existed in the so-called best of times.

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