Skip to main content

Ireland - What A Total Waste - It's A Scandal...

Pressure on Cowen as millions go to waste...

Millions of euro of taxpayers' money has been lost by state bodies and agencies, the report from spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) said.

In his first report, new C&AG John Buckley starkly uncovered the extent of the Government's failure to properly control its dwindling finances.

It was published as ministers prepare to slash public services in next month's budget, which has been brought forward by six weeks, in a bid to combat the deepening economic downturn.

The report revealed that the tax authorities had to make an embarrassing settlement of €1.7m to themselves for unpaid taxes, after failing to tax travel benefits awarded to their own staff. Mr Buckley's report exposed many of the same inadequacies as his predecessor, as he raised direct and specific concerns.

He identified:

"Shortcomings in the management of the State's financial resources".

"Questions as to the efficient use of public funds".

"Weaknesses and deficiencies in the procurement procedures and practices".

"Significant cost savings that could be generated".

The Health Service Executive (HSE) came in for the most stinging criticism of all, as it was lashed for being "fragmented, disjoined and difficult for patients to access".

The report said HSE management failed to act promptly on an overrun of €245m.
He also sharply criticised the managers for assuming they would be "bailed out" with extra funding.

"There was considerable delay in addressing the emerging deficit. In a number of instances where significant overruns were occurring, it could have been expected that specific action would have been taken but the review found no evidence that any such action was taken."

The Comptroller identified a plethora of areas where the taxpayer was being let down, including:

garda cars being bought but not used for a year.

councils building up over €1bn in levies.

border-duty bonuses being paid to soldiers, even after the peace process.

exorbitant management fees being paid on a savings scheme.

no competitive tendering in sections of the prisons service.

flood-relief scheme money not being spent for two years.

Despite Mr Cowen's promises to reform the public service, all of these incidents happened during his watch as Finance Minister.

Response
Mr Cowen's successor, Brian Lenihan, had no response to the highly critical report last night
. He instead referred it to the Dail Public Accounts Committee.

The Taoiseach himself also chose not to respond to the report's findings. However, his officials referred to the upcoming report on public-sector reform, which Mr Cowen says will outline actions to be taken.

The Opposition said the report pointed to the Government's continued failure to manage resources.

Labour deputy leader Joan Burton said Mr Lenihan should read the report, as it highlighted a number of areas for reform which "would undoubtedly lead to significant savings".

Fine Gael enterprise spokesman Leo Varadkar said many of the items related to wasted spending by state bodies, agencies and quangos.

"Fine Gael has already highlighted the problems associated with the explosion of quangos."

Report by By Fionnan Sheahan and Aine Kerr - Irish Independent

What a total waste - it's a scandal - no wonder the country is going down the tubes!

Popular posts from this blog

Ireland's Celtic Tiger Excesses...

'Bang twins' may never get to run a business again... POST-boom Ireland is awash with cautionary tales of Celtic Tiger excesses, as a rattle around the carcasses of fallen property developers and entrepreneurs will show. Few can compete with the so-called Bang twins for youth, glamour and tasteful extravagance. Simon and Christian Stokes, the 35-year-old identical twins behind Bang Cafe and exclusive private members club, Residence, saw their entire business go bust with debts of €9m, €3m of which is owed to the tax man. The debt may be in the ha'penny place compared with the eye-watering billions owed by some of their former customers. But their fall has been arguably steeper and more damning than some of the country's richest tycoons. Last week, further humiliation was heaped on them with revelations that even as their businesses were going under, the twins spent €146,000 of company money in 18 months on designer shopping sprees, five star holidays and sumptu

I fear a very different kind of property crash

While 80% of people over 40 own their own home just a third of adults under 40 do. This is disastrous for social solidarity and cohesion Changing this system of policymaking requires a government to act in a way that may be uncomfortable for some. Governments have a horizon of no more than five years, and the housing issue requires long-term planning. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was intended to tackle some of these problems. According to its website its remit is to “drive the delivery of better public services, living standards and infrastructure for the people of Ireland by enhancing governance, building capacity and delivering effectively”. So how is the challenge of delivering homes for people in 2024 and beyond going to be met? The extent of the problem is visible in the move by companies, including Ryanair, to buy properties to house staff. Ryanair has, justifiably, defended its right to do so. IPAV has long articulated its views on how to improve supply an

Property Tycoon's Dolce Vita Ends...

Tycoon's dolce vita ends as art seized... THE Dublin city sheriff has seized an art collection and other valuables from the Ailesbury Road home of fallen property developer Bernard McNamara. The collection will be sold to help pay his debts. The sheriff, Brendan Walsh, is believed to have moved against the property developer within the past fortnight, calling to his salubrious Dublin 4 home acting on a court order to seize anything of value from his home to reimburse his creditors. The sheriff is believed to have taken paintings from the family home along with a small number of other items. The development marks a new low for Mr McNamara, once one of Ireland's richest men but who now owes €1.5bn . The property developer and former county councillor from Clare turned the building firm founded by his father Michael into one of the biggest in Ireland. He is the highest-profile former tycoon to date to be targeted by bailiffs, signalling just how far some of Ireland's billionai