Michael Fitzmaurice: Demands oversight and value-for-money in housing
Michael Fitzmaurice spoke in the Dáil on oversight, public procurement, housing costs and accountability, urging greater value-for-money and changes to tendering rules. He said his group had presented policy proposals to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, sought protection for agriculture from carbon taxes, and criticised inefficiencies in building projects and public bodies.
He corrected the record that his group had met the Taoiseach and Tánaiste and put a policy document before them. He said others later adopted some of those proposals and explained why his group was not brought into government.
He raised attempts to save the agricultural sector from a carbon tax and described a proposal to freeze it and apply charges to aeroplane travel - arguing people can choose holidays but not whether they must travel to work long distances.
He welcomed the announcement on Crossman Line, recalling visits in 2015 or 2016 and saying residents had lived at risk for too long. He criticised the high cost of building in Ireland, citing figures of about 3,300–3,400 euro per square metre versus roughly 1,000 euro in Spain, and argued this shows a failure to secure value-for-money.
He said the aim was not to scrap NGOs but to review whether bodies are getting too much or too little public funding. He cited an instance where the government withdrew "14 or 15 million" from a housing body and criticised the lack of accountability that, he argued, has contributed to problems such as the children's hospital project.
He argued builders who have not done state work in the last five years should still be allowed to tender for social housing, and that county council teams and group water schemes should be permitted to lay Irish Water pipes. He called for trust, balances and checks and proposed an independent oversight body with expertise to improve efficiency and deliver better value-for-money.
Correction of the record
He corrected the record that his group had met the Taoiseach and Tánaiste and put a policy document before them. He said others later adopted some of those proposals and explained why his group was not brought into government.
Carbon tax and travel
He raised attempts to save the agricultural sector from a carbon tax and described a proposal to freeze it and apply charges to aeroplane travel - arguing people can choose holidays but not whether they must travel to work long distances.
Housing costs and Crossman Line
He welcomed the announcement on Crossman Line, recalling visits in 2015 or 2016 and saying residents had lived at risk for too long. He criticised the high cost of building in Ireland, citing figures of about 3,300–3,400 euro per square metre versus roughly 1,000 euro in Spain, and argued this shows a failure to secure value-for-money.
Oversight, NGOs and the children's hospital
He said the aim was not to scrap NGOs but to review whether bodies are getting too much or too little public funding. He cited an instance where the government withdrew "14 or 15 million" from a housing body and criticised the lack of accountability that, he argued, has contributed to problems such as the children's hospital project.
Tendering rules and local contractors
He argued builders who have not done state work in the last five years should still be allowed to tender for social housing, and that county council teams and group water schemes should be permitted to lay Irish Water pipes. He called for trust, balances and checks and proposed an independent oversight body with expertise to improve efficiency and deliver better value-for-money.
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Transcript
First of all, just to correct the record, we did go in and meet the Thieus and the Tawnis, and we put a policy document in front of them. When we talked about trying to save the agricultural sector from a carbon tax, others decided to sign up to it. When we talked about freezing it and putting it on aeroplanes, you can decide whether you go on holidays or not, but you cannot decide whether you go to work 30 or 40 miles, others decided that they would let their people suffer that way. That is the reason why we weren't brought into government, just to put the record very very straight. I think there is no one here, including opposition and including government, that doesn't believe the better we can do something, the more efficient we can do something, the more services, the more social housing, the more buildings that we can supply around this country for the people that need it. Our constituents everywhere around the country. And I welcome the announcement on Crossman Line. I think you and I were below on it in 2015 or 2016. But you will agree, I am damn sure, that when you and I went down there, it was between 16 and 20, that it is too long that those people had to live at risk. The efficiency of getting a job done and the stumbling blocks that are in front of it, I am sure you will agree as well that it is a major problem in this country compared with other countries. Why is it if we are building apartments in Ireland that is costing 3,300 or 400 per square metre when the likes of Spain is 1,000? Mightn't be as fancy, mightn't be as particular, but there is a woeful difference in that price if you are trying to get value for money. This is what we are on about. I heard a few referring to Elon Musk. Well, you know, he must be watching Irish television. Because last January 12 months, which is 14 or 15 months ago, before that lad was ever heard of, he was building cares I think at the time, we had it in our document of what we were on about. And it is not about looking at every NGO and scrapping them. The first thing we said ever through the health service, the great work to do. What it is about is, and should anybody have a problem, should anybody have a problem if they are being reviewed to see are they getting enough money or are they getting too much money? We see in the housing sector, how many housing bodies have we in this country? We see where the government had to put their money into their arse pocket and pull out 14 or 15 million when a housing body was getting enough of money. Are we saying, oh I've written as hunky-dory there. But we are saying, it is not hunky-dory that there isn't accountability that way. If the computer or the controller and editor generated and if deeper were doing their job. And there is great civil servants, no one is criticising them. But the facts are, if they were doing their job as good as we are saying, would we have a children's hospital going the way it is going? And yes we need it. There is no one denying it. But it is an open book, and ironically enough, everyone is talking about, are we having a go at civil servants? It should be actually a private company that would get less money if we were looking at that or if it was done more efficiently. In the line of round the country, do we not agree this minute that every builder that is building houses should be able to tender for social housing? The facts are they are not. Because if you did not do one in the last five years, you cannot tinder for a state job. Is that the right way of doing things or should we be allowing more to do it? Are we saying under Irish water that the people that lay thousands of kilometres of pipes with the county council in group water schemes aren't fit to lay an Irish water pipe? Should they be allowed? Would that make things better? Should they be allowed to tender? My God, I think they should. Because that is how you get more efficiency around the country. Ministers cannot micro-watch or micro-manage smaller projects. This is about having trust. This is about having balances and checks. This is about bringing in, and that is why we are saying that if you have an oversight body brought in with the expertise watching this, that is all we are looking for. We are not saying you cushion, you cushion, you cushion. What you are saying is you try and get better value for money for all the different people around the country. And I would ask this government to just look at what we are on about. You know, everyone refers to be it America or our NGOs or whatever. We need to do an overview. And do you know what? I don't think anyone that is doing a job efficiently would have one thing to worry about. Because if you are doing a job efficiently, should we have county councils, and you are well aware of this, all the deputies, that they get their budget and if they haven't spent it towards the end of the year, they have to get rid of it. Or do you know what? You will get less money the next year. Why don't we look at value per kilometre for roads that they do. And do you know what? Give them more if they are very efficient. Them are the things we need to do under the lights of this motion this morning.