From the ‘monster’ printer to rats: Six expensive public spending choices
Leinster House budgeting has previously sparked some controversy
The bike shed purposely built to store only 18 bikes for TDs, staff and visitors at Leinster House cost the taxpayers an exorbitant €336,000. But it’s not the first time the spending of public money at Leinster House has caused controversy.
From a “monster” printer, luxurious velvet carpets, tailor-made staff uniforms and now a bike shed: here are six times Leinster House’s budgeting has made headlines in the past.
‘Extortionate’ bike shelter – €336k
An “extortionate” amount of money, as Taoiseach Simon Harris has labelled it, has been spent to build a shelter for only 18 bikes at Leinster House.
The revelation has sparked quite a reaction among politicians and public figures, with Green Party minister Eamon Ryan describing the cost as “incredibly expensive” and Mr Harris adding that public money should be “carefully spent”.
Now, the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kieran O’Donnell has demanded a full review of the cost.
The OPW has released a breakdown of costs which revealed that €322,282 was spent on the main construction and installation project, €2,952 on archaeological services, while a further €10,816 was spent on quantity surveying services and “contract administration services”.
In a statement, the OPW spokesperson has said a high-quality structure was needed because of its sensitive location.
“The bicycle shelter is a new structure located within the setting of Leinster House, a protected structure of national importance,” said the spokesperson.
“In response to the character of the historic setting, a well-designed structure with an appropriate use of high-quality materials and finish were required.”
The Dáil ‘monster’ printer – €808k
The state-of-the-art giant Komori printer, which sparked controversy and even made headlines in the UK, was bought for €808,000.
But when it arrived in Ireland in December 2018, it surprisingly didn’t fit into the building.
As it could not be returned, it was temporarily moved to an industrial estate where additional storage fees were paid, which amounted to €14,760.
The machine, which measured 2.1 metres high by 1.9 metres wide, was finally installed at the end of September 2019, but staff training was stopped in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
The building eventually had to be modified so that the printer would fit, which costed an additional €314,000.
The upgrade of the Dáil printing facility, including the purchase of the printer and modifying the building where it is housed, came to almost €1.8m.
On top of it, there was an additional €50,000 spent on further works at the facility.
The OPW spokesperson said at the time that the spending of €50,000 was in relation to “maintenance” and “upgrade works carried out on the ceiling of the print facility, including mechanical and electrical upgrades”.
‘Made to measure’ staff uniforms – €350k
More than €350,000 was spent on bespoke, tailored uniforms for staff at Leinster House and Áras an Uachtaráin in 2018.
Company Tailored Image secured a three-year contract to supply the staff with a variety of clothing, such as caps, ties, skirts, clip-ons, suits, belts and coats. The expense of the staff uniforms was estimated at €317,000 while the cost of uniforms for Áras an Uachtaráin staff was expected at €34,000, excluding Vat.
Lavish velvet carpets – €265k
In 2015, officials became worried about the “very poor state” of the carpet in Leinster House and how it was affecting the building’s image, according to Freedom of Information records.
A total of €265,000 of taxpayers’ money was spent on brand-new velvet carpets which replaced the old-fashioned ones. The new “cut pile velvet, 100pc new wool” carpets were placed on the ground, first and second floors of the building.
The move was described as “scandalous” by flood victims as Ireland suffered from flooding in late 2015 and early 2016, the Irish Examiner reported at the time.
Fighting rats ‘burrowing’ out of drains – €40k
In 2022, pest inspection reports at Leinster House revealed rats were “burrowing” out of drains, creating safety hazards and disease risks for staff at the Dáil.
Other rodents and insects, such as mice, ants and slugs also started calling the Dáil “home”.
So did one fox, with staff told to close windows at night to keep it out. The Oireachtas said it spent almost €40,000 fighting rodents, pigeons, moths and other intruders from January to November 2022.
Wild Man of the West and Oireachtas phone calls – €2.6k
Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae took part in RTÉ’s reality show Celebrities Go Wild back in 2007, in which some famous faces left their luxurious lives to spend a week in the wilderness of Connemara.
Mr Healy-Rae won the competition and was crowned the Wild Man of the West by receiving the most votes from the public.
However, four years later, it was revealed that he received 3,636 votes from a phone in Leinster House.
He announced he would pay back the cost of the calls, which amounted to €2,600 that led to his victory, but he denied that he or his late father Jackie were involved in these calls.