Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Covid-19 pandemic was the main reason. It is not rocket science that during that period we were not allowed to build anything. We were not allowed to go into another house. Nothing could be retrofitted because people could not go outside a 2 km or 5 km radius. It took some time to ramp up from that but we have really ramped up. We will spend all the money this year and next year. There is a reasonable, clear and understandable explanation for why there was a significant underspend.

Regarding reporting, the money does not disappear. It goes back to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform which has its procedures. The Comptroller and Auditor General will have to raise this with the Secretary General in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

Perhaps we should look at this. In manifestos or elsewhere, people might consider how we learn, iterate and evolve. Do we want to look at ways in which to legislate so that money is specifically directed? We can look at that. Looking back at the past four years, however, Covid-19 hit us. It killed a lot of building activity for the guts of two years. Money was not misappropriated nor was it not known where it ended up. It followed absolutely proper procedures. If it was not spent, it was returned to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and followed its accounting and reporting rules.

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