Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Minister of State is aware of the old adages of "The easiest way to make a pound is to spend a pound" and "Mind the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves". It is fair to say that during the Celtic tiger, the realisation was made by many that many poor investments are made when an abundance of money is there and money is plentiful. It is also fair to say an abundance of money is often also inversely proportional to the care with which it is spent. We have wide evidence of that at the moment in our public spending code. Look at the children's hospital, the bike shed and the security hut. I could go on. What about the national maternity hospital? Look at the money invested in metro north already, and what chance have we got of that project coming anywhere close to the scope it will be started with? What to do is the question. We need to mimic what happens in the private sector. How many CEOs or CFOs would remain in post were some of the dysfunctional spending decisions this Government has taken to happen in the private sector? Very few would, I can tell you. We are robbing the most needy in our society with this wanton, profligate waste of public purse money. How many of the families of those who are waiting on supports in disability and home care, scoliosis and spinal treatments or respite for carers, could understand watching money turn to smoke while they need and want so much, with nothing coming their way? We need order, responsibility and accountability. A price must be paid by those in leadership who are making these decisions. We need reform of our Civil Service Act and of our procurement procedures.

Tomorrow, I will move a Private Members' Bill, the Capital Supply Service and Purpose Report Bill, which has been undergoing scrutiny for the last six months. That report would require every Government and Minister to provide a report at the end of each year on all capital expenditure in their Department in excess of €500,000. That might be the start of offering some transparency of where spending is happening in all the Departments in the State. It might also, and this is something I would like to see, provide some evidence as to where money is being spent and where it is not being spent regionally. Certainly in the south-east region, we have much evidence of that. We need reform. We do not need talk of it, we need action and we need it now.

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