Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has said the government is incompetent when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money and getting value for money.

Deputy Doherty said that this government is responsible for overseeing the most expensive hospital in the world, the most expensive bike shed in the world and now the most expensive security hut in the world.

The Donegal TD made his remarks after the Office of Public Works (OPW) told the Finance Committee today that a security hut at the Department of Finance cost €1.492m, on top of the bike shed at Leinster House cost €336,000.

Teachta Doherty said:

“This government is incompetent when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money and getting value for money.

“The OPW were at the Finance Committee where we were to hear from them how they managed to spend €336,000 on a bike shed.

“Inexplicably, they went one further, and told us that they spent almost €1.5m on a security hut. That eye-watering and indefensible.

“This is yet more waste of taxpayers’ money under the watch of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It is simply inexcusable.

“There are community groups and sports clubs right across the state forced to scrimp and save and in desperate need of support.

“Yet here we have the state, under the watch of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, squandering €336,000 on bike sheds and security huts of almost €1.5m, and that’s before you consider the runaway train that is the National Children’s Hospital, the most expensive hospital in the world, which is coming in at €2.2bn and rising.

“There is no leadership from Simon Harris’ government – they refuse to take responsibility for the squandering of public money under their watch.

“The bike shed was someone else’s fault. The Children’s Hospital was someone else’s fault. By this government’s logic, I can only assume that the €1.492m security hut was also someone else’s fault.”