Mattie McGrath lauds new Commissioner, slams public expenditure
Mattie McGrath congratulated the minister appointed to the European Commission and criticised the government's management of public expenditure and major projects. He opposed a proposed reappointment to the commission and spoke on behalf of the Rural Independent Group.
Appointment and congratulations
The speaker opened by congratulating the minister appointed to the European Commission and extended personal good wishes to the minister's family. He recalled shared work in the Dáil and expressed hope the new Commission role will suit the country’s economic needs.
Project cost escalation and examples
He criticised runaway costs on state projects, citing an originally estimated pipeline from Shannon to Dublin that he said has risen from €700 million to about €6 billion. He also referenced the National Children's Hospital and other high-cost projects as examples of poor cost control.
Local infrastructure and consultant spending
The deputy highlighted a local bridge left closed for over a decade and warned about councils and government bodies paying large sums to consultants - for example an alleged €250,000 - while projects remain unfinished. He urged practical fixes such as addressing leaks nearer Dublin instead of remote, expensive schemes.
Public expenditure, accountability and contract concerns
He attacked the stewardship of public expenditure, criticised contract terms that he said allow change without caps or penalties, and called for greater accountability for senior officials. He referenced a reported promotion with a €60,000 uplift for an official as symptomatic of weak oversight.
European Commission reappointment and group position
On European affairs he said he and the Rural Independent Group would oppose the reappointment of a particular candidate to the commission, arguing it would be a bad start, and he criticised perceived meddling in statements at the start of the war in Israel. He closed by reiterating personal good wishes to the new commissioner while maintaining his political objections.
Keywords
Public expenditure, project costs, Shannon-to-Dublin pipeline, National Children's Hospital, consultants, accountability, European Commission, Rural Independent Group
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Deputy Minister McGrath Dorn si eesbwadam mcogardas, gawaldan, gawth takti, takti McGrath, ar Aram McGrath agus ar Aram Chambers I want to congratulate, compliment Minister McGrath on his appointment to the European Commission I think it's a wonderful day for him and time for him and his, wish him well and his wife Sarah and Tom and Jack and the lads and indeed his mother and brother Seamus and the whole McGrath family I committed it all here same day as Minister McGrath, now to be Commissioner McGrath and we indeed shared a lot of different endeavours in our early years here in this house and indeed one I remember especially, not with any sense of pride to be honest, but it was a sad occasion when the late Brian Linehan and the bailout for the banks and I remember you were looking for me around here and you picked me up and carried me to Dublin and I was sorry I didn't go missing and stay at home because what I wanted to do, I did vote for that, biggest particular mistake I ever made in my life for that bank clean out, not a bailout but unfortunately that stretches life within from our experiences, but our friendship remained and I wish you well in that position and indeed Minister Chambers, I wish you well in the position of finance and you did visit Al-Vinan a year and a half ago on a kind of a road show looking at the bridge and leaving its own promises money, now you'll have to fix this bridge that's closed for over 10, 11 years now you'll have the first thing so hopefully you'll be able to deliver on your promise, giving 250,000 to consultants on top of what they already got and sort of the gobbling up money in this country at an enormous rate and that's an issue I have with both Minister McGrath as well is his stewardship as a public expenditure and the Cabinet signed off yesterday now on a project that was meant to cost 700 million about 10 years ago to bring a pipeline from Shannan to Dublin to give us all extra here in Ballyardley and I get good stuff out here from the Ushers they don't charge me for it, but it's now estimated it costs 6 billion, what has gone wrong in the Department of Public expenditure, I know you're not here now Minister McGrath, it's been in the O'Donnell Hospital, you've swapped chairs the National Children's Hospital has been already mentioned, a runaway train, no accountability how could a project that was estimated by Ishki and I know there's Irish Water, it costs 700 million now can't be in the region of 6 billion, that's outrageous, I mean children in second class school wouldn't do maths like that it just can't be that kind of a cost and it's a mad project in the first place, you should look after this fix the leaks in Dublin here and get water from near to Dublin, not pumping up to the whole I'm surprised that Minister Ryan, you were going to give us tales from the Cabinet rooms while I go out and you started but you declined again, but no doubt we look forward to your book when you retire you'll give us some of the claims, I believe you've got, why there's such friendship and cordiality in the Cabinet rooms because you've got your own way, you literally wrote out the book the Green Book, for your colleagues sitting beside you, tarnished them out and wanted to be in power and you wrote it out, blank cheque, you got it and you've destroyed so many issues and a great time for you personally, but carbon tax and all those other issues and the scaring about the country going on fire and the world going on fire the only thing that's on fire is the payment of finance and the spending and the public expenditure and the costs, runaway costs of so many projects the cost of the reality now is just, a contract from government now is like go to us because you can change it, rewrite it, do anything you like, there's no cap on it, no penalty clauses, no nothing and no accountability for any senior officials an official was mentioned a few moments ago by Deputy Tobin, and where's the accountability? he got promoted to a different department and looked for 60,000 extra to go there after leaving a message in the other department it's time that the public officials were reined in and you, the elected government did the business for the people, to have proper management of our finances to have proper services delivered for our people and not to have the rip-off Ireland that's going on across the country so it's very, very sad to have to say those things but that's the fact of the matter of what's happening as a result of continuous government here of which you're both are members but on a personal note, I do wish you well, Mr McGrane I do hope that the cordiality will continue and that the Taoiseach and the Tarnished and Minister Ryan and many others who have contacts with different groupings ensure that you get a portfolio fitting to the needs of this country and that will suit yourself in the economic brief, we hope and I really hope that happens, that we will get something better from European but I do, on behalf of the Rural Independent Group as well oppose the re-opinion of Oster-Brande-Lyne and I think that will be a bad start Trust Ockmar Lahan-Ober that will be a very bad start if that happens in that commission because the people of Ireland don't want that and we can see that quite evident her meddling in her statements at the start of the war in Israel we saw that so listen, good night and good night and good night and good night and talk to Chambers Fresson now now now now now now now
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