It costs twice as much to run Ireland today as it did 10 years ago. Total government expenditure in 2015 was just over €63 billion; today it is about €130 billion. I am saying “about” because no one is really sure of the exact figure. This year, the State will spend €15–20 billion on public procurement: buying stuff on your behalf from private contractors. The reason we can’t be more specific on amounts is that, as things stand, the State can’t say precisely whether it got what it paid for, at the price agreed, nor whether projects delivered what they originally claimed they would deliver. The reason for this messiness is there is no total figure for what the State is buying, from whom and for what. Yes, you read that correctly.

There is no aggregate accountability in Ireland because each spending department is its own fiefdom, with different systems and different budgetary procedures.

Nothing joins up. What’s more, no one is in charge. There is no one person whose job it is to add up all the departments’ expenditure and give a precise figure. In the turf war that is intra-departmental politics, the departments don’t give details unless forced to by public pressure. Within the public service, a culture of secrecy shrouds even the most basic transactions. Tax money seems to disappear into a black hole and what often comes out are second-rate services, budget overruns and projects that are not completed on time. The disparity between what we pay in tax and what we get from the State is a source of deep frustration, particularly relative to the public services delivered by similarly wealthy European social democracies.

The question is why is this happening?

Billion-euro expansion announced for country’s most congested rail line

Unlike Joe Duffy, Kieran Cuddihy doesn’t ramp up the drama on Liveline

Democrats remain split over their longstanding leniency towards Netanyahu

Government may explore ‘other approaches’ to ensure........

© The Irish Times