A Waterford member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has described the controversy of costly structural work to fit a €808,000 printer in Leinster House as “an absolute mess”.
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane told RTÉ that “not a single document has been printed” on the printing unit even though it has been in place for some time.
He asked why full details of the cost of the printing unit and its installation had not been revealed by secretary general Peter Finnegan when he appeared before the PAC last July.
“Why wasn’t the committee told? All we got was a one word answer.”
Mr Finnegan had told the PAC that the cost of the unit was €1.3m, said Mr Cullinane, when the unit had cost over €800,000 and it was the substantial changes that had to be made to accommodate the unit that increased the cost to €1.3m.
“There is a €500,000 shortfall that is not fully accounted for.
“I want to see Mr Finnegan before the PAC again. I welcome the fact that he is conducting a review, but there should not be a need for a review.
"This is a question of accountability. I expected candour and didn’t get it.”
Mr Cullinane said that €500,000 was “a lot of taxpayers’ money” and there were community groups operating with very tight budgets who would welcome that amount.
“It is a complete mess and not one single document has been printed.”
