THE GOVERNMENT has spent €25 million in just three years on commissioning reports and task forces, according to information supplied to Fine Gael Mayo TD John O’Mahony in answers to parliamentary questions.
Mr O’Mahony said the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, was the worst offender in commissioning reports that amounted to a waste of taxpayers’ money
“With such a massive black hole in the public finances, it beggars belief that Fianna Fáil and the Greens could spend so much on this type of expenditure.
“This €25 million could have been better spent on 900 special needs assistants, dole payments for 2,500 unemployed people or reinstating much-needed sports grants,” said Mr O’Mahony.
He said the Government’s addiction to reports and task forces had been demonstrated again with the establishment of a debt expert group.
“Fianna Fáil and the Greens would rather set up task forces than directly tackle an issue.
“As information I received shows, it is the taxpayer that pays for this,” he said.
“Spending this incredible amount of money on reports in just 36 months is a waste of money, paper and resources by all departments.
“While of course some reports are necessary, there is no way such an outlandish spend can be justified. All Ministers are culpable but some Ministers are far worse than others,” said Mr O’Mahony.
He said the figures supplied to him showed that Mr Gormley’s department far outstripped all others when it came to wasting taxpayers’ cash.
“In fact, the amount spent by John Gormley on useless reports increases year on year, with a massive €2 million spent in 2009.
“The Greens are the biggest wasters of all with Communications Minister Eamon Ryan also in the ‘top five’. This is pure hypocrisy by the Greens who love to lecture the country on reducing, reusing and recycling and then refuse to practice what they preach.”
Mr O’Mahony identified the top five “wasteful” departments as Environment, Foreign Affairs, Enterprise, Communications and Finance.