Finance Minister says 'accountability' needed for 'waste of money' bike shed
The controversy over the €336,000 bike shed is continuing to rumble on as a review into how the structure ended up being so expensive gets under way
The bike shed in Leinster House is a "complete waste of public money", Finance Minister Jack Chambers has said.
The controversy over the €336,000 bike shed is continuing to rumble on as a review into how the structure ended up being so expensive gets under way.
The bike rack, which has been built on the Merrion Square side of Leinster House in recent months, contains storage for 18 bikes and cost €336,000.
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Minister Chambers has now branded the bike rack a "waste of money" and suggested that the person who signed off on the project needs to be held accountable.
"I think the public are rightly annoyed at this. It's a complete waste of public money," he told reporters at Leinster House.
"I think there is a need within the wider system for those who are responsible for capital projects to be cognisant of value engineering, value for money, and ensuring that whenever projects are advanced, and that they're at the lowest cost in terms of the taxpayer.
"I think people are rightly annoyed at this, and there needs to be full accountability for whoever signed off on it and they should explain why it cost what it has cost."
Kieran O’Donnell, Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, has now requested a full review of the "bike shed" which has been constructed at Government Buildings.
Elsewhere, Minister Chambers ruled out the prospect of further tax breaks for landlords in Budget 2025.
He also said that while "no decisions have been taken as part of Budget 2025", there is a "consensus that the present threshold around inheritance tax is too low".
"I am working on options to maybe shift some of that as part of Budget 2025 but no decisions have been taken on either the rate or the threshold," he said.
Minister Chambers also stated that "income tax is the central focus".
He made the comments as he met 20 business representative groups for an "enterprise round table" in Leinster House on Wednesday with Minister for Trade Promotion Dara Calleary and Senator Fiona O’Loughlin.
Sources at the meeting told the Irish Mirror that the increased VAT rate of 13.5 per cent was spoken about at length, with Ministers Chambers and Calleary saying that solutions will be found to help people with the cost of running businesses.
The groups and their members were also asked to support the Government in the upcoming election "on the back of what they have done and will do in the budget".
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