Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. I compliment Deputy Ó Cuív, who is just leaving, and Deputies Sherlock and Phelan who spoke knowledgeably, intelligently and very honestly about their time here and their experiences. A special buíochas to Deputy Ó Cuív and his wife, as well as his staff. When I got in here in 2007, we went on a visit to see how a constituency office runs. It was a couple of my team, my family and I. By hell did I learn a lot that day and got treated well in Galway at the office of Deputy Ó Cuív. I wish him well and thank him.

I thank everybody here and wish everybody who is retiring all the very best and good health. I also thank each and every member of staff from the people we meet outside the gates, the gardaí, the ushers on the gate and all the staff everywhere, including those in the canteen and the restaurant, the printers, the porters and everybody for the courteousness and the help they give. They have a tough job too and they do it with a smile all the time. I thank the Secretary General and his team as well as the Ceann Comhairle's office. I think the Ceann Comhairle chairs the commission and there are a lot of questions to be answered there, but I wish the Ceann Comhairle well and thank him too.

The Appropriations Bill, which outlines the Government's spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year has once again highlighted the chronic issues of cost overruns, lack of value for money and rampant overspending across all Departments. The Bill is intended to allocate funds to various government operations, but instead serves as a glaring reminder of the inefficiencies and lack of accountability that plague our public sector. That is not the fault of any one person, but is just the chronic system that has evolved. It is just not acceptable. The purpose of the Bill is to give statutory authority to the amounts voted by the Dáil during the year, including original Estimates, further Revised Estimates and Supplementary Estimates. The Bill also provides for definitive capital carryover from 2024-----

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