Labour seeks to highlight waste of taxpayers’ money
Taxpayers are being hit twice by the Government’s wanton waste, the Labour Party said today as it stepped up the pressure over expensive public projects which have failed to deliver services.
The party’s leader Pat Rabbitte today unveiled a public admobile campaign outside Government Buildings, which labels Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tanaiste Mary Harney as ‘wasters’.
Mr Rabbitte said: “Taxpayers are hit twice by this Government’s wanton waste: First of all, when hundreds of millions of euro are wasted on projects that just don’t work, or are not needed and hard earned taxpayers’ money is frittered away to no value.
“And secondly the money wasted could be spent on other projects that will work and are needed.
“In recent weeks in the Dáil we have focused on big ticket waste items like the €160m squandered in the health services on a computer system that doesn’t work.
“But this is only the latest in a long list of waste scandals under this Government,” he said.
The Port Tunnel, plans for the ‘Bertie Bowl’ stadium in Abbotstown, E Voting and prison development have also been labelled as examples of wasteful use of public money by Labour.
The party says the funds could have been used to pay for extra gardaí, primary school teachers, pre-school places or the redevelopment of hospitals.
Mr Rabbitte pledged that in government the Labour Party would put in measures to eliminate waste in public spending, including tighter annual budgets and a central evaluation unit within the Department of Finance to check on day-to-day government spending.
“Having pursued this campaign vigorously in the Dail we are now taking it to the people.
“We will ensure that this issue will not disappear quietly as the Government might like it to,” Mr Rabbitte said.
