THE CELTIC TIGER 1997-2007
1997 - Bertie Ahern and Fianna Fáil took charge. The Department of Finance are so flush with money, they go on a binge:
1) E voting, Feb 2004 - an ultra modern computerized scheme couldn't be trusted. The government didn't do a feasibility study. It cost 52 million euro. Maintenance [2004-2007] was 2.5 million euro to store the computers. It cost another 28 million euro to try to make the computers work which won't happen.
2) The new Leinster House for politicians cost 800,000 euro - the lawn cost 200,000 euro.
3) The government spent 50 million euro for outside consultants including 2 million euro for value for money reports.
4) The new courthouse's original budget was 3.8 million euro - actual cost 28 million euro.
5) FAS, a government agency funded to help financially vulnerable citizens, submitted these bills in September '07:
- banquet 9,100 euro
- banquet 8,100 euro
- sundries and cosmetics 435 euro
One of its directors took his wife with him all over the world. Executives and wives flew first class and business class. They took golf trips. Mary Harney, Minister of Health, charged the tax payers 410 euro for a trip to the beauty salon.
In 2007, 5.7 million euro was blown on travel, etc.
EDUCATION
Despite increases in budgets, children are still crammed into overcrowded classrooms which aren't even real classrooms. 400 schools are renting pre-fabs. 2006-2008 rentals cost 112 million euro.
The Ballybun regeneration project was to cost 442 million euro. It is now estimated at 942 million euro and isn't completed.
New curtains for one government member cost the taxpayer 12,000 euro.
The government paid 700,000 euro to promote the speaking of Irish in other countries.
The National Aquatic Centre cost 63 million euro. It leaked and the roof blew off.
HEALTH
Many main hospitals don't have enough beds. Entire wards get closed due to lack of funding.
The new Health Service Computer Payroll System doesn't work. It was to cost 9.1 million euro; so far, 220 million euro.
TRIBUNALS
One tribunal cost Taoiseach (President) Bertie Ahern (whose new office cost 220,000 euro and whose annual make-up bill was 20,000 euro) his job and the nation's respect.
These tribunals cost the taxpayer 434 million euro.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
• The Flood Relief Scheme in Kilkenny was to cost 13 million euro - actual cost 48 million euro.
• The Government invested 35 million euro in the Medialab Europe Project - it went bust.
• The Dublin Port Tunnel had leaks and was too low for trucks. Projected cost - 450 million euro. Actual cost - 752 million euro.
• The Department of Defense sold off 4 helicopters for 336,000 euro to a company who resold them for 19 million euro.
• The LUAS Dublin Tram System was to cost 279 million euro. Actual cost - 750 million euro.
• The government paid 30 million euro for land in North Dublin for a mental health facility and penitentiary - projected cost was 10 million euro.
• Road cost overruns between 1997 and 2007 amounted to 2.6 billion euro.
DECENTRALISATION
The concept was to spread state offices in Dublin all around the country. However, 10,000 state employees didn't want to go which ended up in idle land and buildings for the proposed relocation cost of 24 million euro.
PROPERTY BOOM
The bank's bad debts are worth 90 billion euro - a potential waste of 45 billion plus euro. The I.M.F. predicts Ireland will have to pay more than any other country to stabilise its banks.
Benchmarking was a bonus to salaries making Irish civil servants the best paid in Europe. Since 2002, 70,000 more have been employed at a total cost of 17.5 billion euro.
IN CONCLUSION
More than 400,000 Irish are unemployed and the Irish government must borrow 40 million euro a week to keep the country running, because the luck of the Irish ran out.