THE eye-watering €336,000 bike shed at Leinster House has been blasted as an “utter waste of taxpayers money” by Sinn Fein.
Officials from the Office of Public Works have been ordered to appear before the Public Accounts Committee next month to be grilled over the ridiculous spend that caused public outrage.
Sinn Fein spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Rose Conway-Walsh TD said the money spent also shows “how out of touch” the government is with “the reality of everyday living costs for the rest of our citizens”.
She added: “The public are rightly appalled that this government has stood over the colossal cost for construction of a very basic bicycle shed.”
The 18-rack bike shed features a number of steel barriers, plate glass covering and regular U-lock type stands that could fit 36 bikes.
The OPW defended the spend by claiming that “high quality materials and finish” were required to keep to the character of the historic setting.
But one bike shed manufacturer previously told us that they could have supplied the Dail with a fully enclosed 18-cycle shed for just €13,000.
Teachta Conway-Walsh said that before the Oireachtas rose for the summer, she requested that the chair of the OPW went before the Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee to discuss “a number of issues” relating to public works and expenditure.
She said: “Since then, the revelations around the cost of the Leinster House bike shelter have proven just how important such a session would be.
“People are rightly concerned about what this matter says about accountability for public money.”
Conway-Walsh said is it “crucial” that the Finance Committee take the opportunity on Wednesday September 25 to discuss the construction of the bike shed.
She said: “It is particularly galling for people in rural Ireland who beg for bus shelters to shield them from the wind and the rain.
“They feel badly let down by this government’s total failure to provide basic infrastructure.
“Fine Gael like to claim that they are fiscally prudent. However, time and time again this is exposed as mere spin and bluster as they oversee major misspending of public money.
“They have not only built the most expensive bike shed in the world but are also building the most expensive hospital in the world.”
She added: “Sinn Fein is on the side of ordinary people who are struggling to make ends meet.
“That’s why we have brought forward policies to cut the cost of housing and childcare – measures which will make a real difference to people’s lives.
“That is also why we are determined to ensure accountability for tax payers’ money, to ensure that there is transparency and people can have confidence in how their taxes are spent by government.”
CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
REVELATIONS about the €336,000 spent on a bike rack for Leinster House have sparked public outrage.
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl described the saga as a “profound embarrassment” at the resumption of the Dail on Monday.
The Office of Public Works has been asked to appear before the Oireachtas PAC next month to answer questions about the shed.
The meeting, scheduled for October 10, will see members of PAC seek a briefing on the costs associated with the bike shelter.
Sinn Fein’s Brian Stanley, who is the chair of the committee, said it would also request all documentation related to the contract.
This includes a timeline for the concept to delivery and value-for-money report.
He said: “We’re agreeing to schedule a meeting with the OPW on the 10th of October, and we’re doing it on that date, because there is a report to come from The [Comptroller and Auditor General] within a couple of weeks, hopefully on this, which will have information on this matter.”
The demand for accountability over the bike shed spend was also heard in the Dail yesterday where Aontu leader Peadar Toibin claimed this was just one in a series of overspends by government departments.
He said: “I think that the Gucci bike shed we see is a microcosm of the Loreal attitude of this government that ‘we are worth it’. And again what is going to be the accountability?
“Lessons will be learned and a report will be published just when everybody else has moved on.
“The question I am asking is when are we going to have individual responsibility?
‘REALLY POOR MANAGEMENT’
“When will there be a cost for the decisions that are made such as this that cost the country so much?
“Who signed off on the government bike shed and what rank were they within the OPW?”
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien agreed with Deputy Toibin’s calls for accountability and transparency on the spend which he labelled “really poor management”.
Minister O’Brien said: “I cannot give you an answer directly in relation to that one particular example which you’ve raised as to who sanctioned it but I expect to hear that and we should know that.
“We should also know what process was followed and how in god’s name someone thought to spend €336,000 on a bike rack would be something that would be permissible.
