An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-10
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Aubrey McCarthy (IND), University of Dublin

Over the past number of months, there has been a lot of waste, mismanagement and a lack of accountability when public money is squandered. Last week, we learned of the Irish Rail IT project, which cost in excess of €50 million. This was €50 million in taxpayers' money. Before that, of course, it was about a bicycle shed and a printer room here and a bicycle shed in Kerry. We now have an extraordinary example, which has been released in the past two weeks, about electric buses. A total of €38 million of taxpayers' money was spent on these buses and they cannot be used because there are no chargers for the buses. Yesterday, €7 million was disclosed as being spent on storing the €38 million buses. How does that happen? Who signed off on it? Where is the accountability because the public is entitled to ask questions about what is happening to its money? Every euro that is wasted is a euro that cannot be spent on housing, healthcare, disability, etc. I am involved in the homeless sector. There are 17,517 people in emergency accommodation so people find it impossible to understand how we spent €38 million on buses that we cannot use. As somebody who is in business, I know that if I wasted money repeatedly, I would be held accountable. I am always asked to explain myself to my own staff, learn from the mistakes and put systems in place so they do not happen again. What frustrates people is the feeling that responsibility disappears into a maze of agencies, Departments, etc., and the taxpayer is left on the hook again to foot the foot the bill. I want to acknowledge Deputy Albert Dolan. His system for stronger oversight regarding where public money is going is a good thing. Public money cannot be seen as monopoly money. It belongs to the people of Ireland and they deserve better.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-10