Pearse Doherty: Government Wasted €40m on IT Projects
Pearse Doherty confronts the Tánaiste over a Public Accounts Committee finding that the government overspent roughly 40 million euro on IT projects in the last two years. He details specific examples and demands accountability and stronger oversight of public expenditure.
Pearse Doherty cites the PAC figures and names projects that ballooned in cost: a DNA information system originally estimated at 760,000 euro finished at 2.7 million euro; a childcare IT project rose from 7.1 million to over 10 million euro; and a new Garda case management system collapsed after half a million euro was spent. He frames these as repeated failures that amount to waste under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Doherty challenges the Tánaiste directly: who is in charge, and what will be done to stop serial wastage? He stresses the role of oversight and the need for real accountability, arguing that repeated cost overruns show a systemic problem rather than isolated incidents.
The Tánaiste responds by pointing to the role of the Public Accounts Committee and argues many projects come in on time and on budget. Doherty rejects selective framing and presses for clearer answers on why so many projects have run over budget or failed.
Doherty presents these overspends as wasteful use of public funds and an issue of public trust. The exchange underscores ongoing political pressure for stronger procurement controls, better project management and firmer parliamentary scrutiny of government spending.
Key findings and examples
Pearse Doherty cites the PAC figures and names projects that ballooned in cost: a DNA information system originally estimated at 760,000 euro finished at 2.7 million euro; a childcare IT project rose from 7.1 million to over 10 million euro; and a new Garda case management system collapsed after half a million euro was spent. He frames these as repeated failures that amount to waste under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Accountability and oversight
Doherty challenges the Tánaiste directly: who is in charge, and what will be done to stop serial wastage? He stresses the role of oversight and the need for real accountability, arguing that repeated cost overruns show a systemic problem rather than isolated incidents.
Government response and rebuttal
The Tánaiste responds by pointing to the role of the Public Accounts Committee and argues many projects come in on time and on budget. Doherty rejects selective framing and presses for clearer answers on why so many projects have run over budget or failed.
Implications for taxpayers
Doherty presents these overspends as wasteful use of public funds and an issue of public trust. The exchange underscores ongoing political pressure for stronger procurement controls, better project management and firmer parliamentary scrutiny of government spending.
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Transcript
Another day, Tánaiste, another story of shock and waste on the watch of Fianna Gael, of Fianna Fáil. A Public Accounts Committee investigation has uncovered that your government has overspent to the tune of 40 million euro on IT projects just in the last two years. This is crazy stuff, Tánaiste, again and again. A DNA information system that was supposed to cost 760,000 euro, the final cost 2.7 million euro. A childcare IT project that was supposed to cost 7.1 million euro, its final cost was over 10 million euro. A new Garda case management system that collapsed with half a million euro already spent. Tánaiste, money wasted down the drain. What in God's name is happening? What is going on here? Nobody in charge, no oversight, no accountability. From bike sheds to IT projects, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are serial wasters of the public's money. It's easy come, easy go and people have had their fill of it. No accountability. I'm going to ask you again, what are you going to do to put a stop to the serial wastage that we're seeing under your government? Well, I didn't say no oversight, no over accountability. Isn't that exactly the role of the Public Accounts Committee and isn't that exactly why that information is in the public domain? Because we have oversight. We have oversight. We have accountability. We have accountability. We have oversight as well. Again, when you quote selectively, it leads us to one view. When you look at the thing in the round, you do see that actually many, many, many projects come in on time. Many, many, many projects come in on budget. Many, many projects come in under budget as well. And we must continue to call out and highlight those areas where they don't and continue to ensure that they do better. But it's not fair to say that you'd like to create this view that every bit of investment in cycling or somewhere to park a bike is waste. It's a little bit more complicated than that, Deputy. It mightn't work for you with the old TikTok videos, but it deserves a bit more of a considered response than you ever give here in this House. If you want to talk about wasters, get a mirror.