Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

Today we are once again discussing the legacy of the Moriarty tribunal, a process that began in 1997 and officially concluded in 2011, yet continues to cost the taxpayer millions. The latest revelation is an additional €3.5 million payment to settle outstanding legal costs. This comes on top of over €71 million already spent with previous settlements, such as €5.8 million earlier this year. This is not just about historical inquiries; it is about accountability and efficiency in how public money is managed. When a tribunal has ended over a decade ago but its financial impact still grows we must ask, "Where is the oversight and where is the transparency?". That is why Independent Ireland is calling for the creation of a Department of efficiency and transparency, something very few in this House have supported. I would like to know why. It would be a dedicated body to monitor public spending, ensure timely resolution of legal disputes and prevent runaway costs in future inquiries. Such a Department would set clear timelines, enforce cost controls, and publish real-time updates for the public.

Today we learned Uisce Éireann, another Government body, has missed its leakage targets by a mile. A target of 176 million litres was promised but only 20 million litres was delivered. Now Uisce Éireann faces a €20 million penalty while €13.6 billion is being sanctioned for water investment over five years. This is another example of oversight matters. It is not acceptable in this island that this carry on is happening when others are suffering and we are trying to deliver services and infrastructure.

To put it in perspective, the €71 million already spent on the Moriarty tribunal could have funded over 350 new social housing units, given that the average cost of building a social home is approximately €200,000 per unit. Imagine the impact that would have on struggling families with housing insecurity. Our citizens deserve confidence that every euro is spent wisely. Endless delays, missed targets and ballooning costs undermine trust in this Government.

We keep asking for an oversight body on expenditure. To me it is a no-brainer but for some reason the Government does not seem to want to support a Department of efficiency and transparency. This is an opportunity for the Government to stand up and say, "Okay, this might deliver and it might deliver savings to the State and savings to the taxpayer, the hard working people". At the end of the day, all these bills and overruns happen but somebody must pay and that is the hard working taxpayer who gets up in the morning, the man or the woman who is trying to go to work at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., or 7 a.m. This is where their money is being wasted. It is no longer acceptable. We are not talking about €50,000; we are talking about hundreds of millions of euro.

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