Cantillon: Politicians transparent in their need for scapegoats

Transparency is suddenly in vogue. Amid the clamour of which charity paid who, how much and from what sources, legislators, commentators and even charity fundraisers are stressing the need for greater transparency in how the voluntary sector accounts for its use of public donations.

Belatedly, mind you.

The same could be said of Irish Water where the furore over spending on consultants is fuelled as much by the decision of Government to make the affairs of a public utility as opaque as possible, including making it exempt from Freedom of Information legislation during its crucial set-up phase.

Inevitably, the clamour will subside. And what then? Will there be any lessons learned? If so, a useful place to start would be contracts for the supply of State services. A separate, less heralded, story this week noted that Go Safe, the consortium that successfully tendered to operate speed camera vans has decided to change the status of the operating company – Road Safety Operations Ireland – making it an unlimited company.

The purpose, presumably, is to shield its business – and the scale of profits – from public gaze. What Go Safe has done is legal and increasingly common among firms with large government contracts. It is legal because the Government has done nothing to demand that firms tendering for State contracts must be limited liability operations – open and transparent about their finances.

If the Minister and TDs beating their collective breast on transparency are serious, this is one area where they can show resolve. Don’t hold your breath.