Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I am of the view that if particular facilities are being provided for workers, in particular, or for people visiting any public institution, for that matter, value for money should apply and they should not cost outrageous sums. It should be done modestly, and very simple structures should be put in place. It should not have to cost €100,000 to provide a bike shed. Again, I am not into the detail of a bike shed at a national maternity hospital. I do want it built. A lot of messing went on here for a couple of years about getting that project off the ground, and delay cost us far more than any bike shed will cost us in respect of that maternity hospital. There was an inordinate delay in getting that project off the ground, but some Members preferred to spend time talking about theocracy and the Vatican and everything else rather than the project getting the green light much earlier and getting it through. They will never have any public accounts committee assessment of that or the delays that can occur in this House or the delays that can occur by politicians objecting to this, that and the other. They will never do any value-for-money assessment of that; they will just go for a cheap headline. So it is time for the bike shed again, and Deputy McDonald arrives in with a contribution on a bike shed. This time it is €100,000; last year it was €300,000. It was too much last year. Go talk to the unions who fund some of you.

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