Pringle: Many do not trust government’s ability to handle public funds – who can blame them?
- Updated: 9th October 2024
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said many people do not trust the government’s ability to handle public funds and invest in much-needed services, asking, “Who can blame them?”
Addressing the Dáil on Tuesday, Deputy Pringle said: “There is no doubt that this government has mishandled the spending of public funds on so many occasions, too many to list, but the fact that the National Children’s Hospital has now risen to more than €2 billion is outrageous.
“I remember in this House Mick Wallace, when he was a member of the House, said that the Children’s Hospital would run over €2 billion and he was laughed at and the government said there was no way that would happen. And here we are today, and he’s been proven right.
“It is, without a doubt, the biggest misuse of public funds in the history of the State and this government should be ashamed of the fact that children in desperate need of life-saving healthcare are being forced to wait years and years to see its completion.
“And yet the Taoiseach has the audacity to claim the overspend had nothing to do with him despite being the Minister for Health between 2016 and 2020. And despite the fact that he is the one who signed the contract for the hospital as Minister for Health in 2019,” he said.
The deputy was speaking on the Sinn Féin Motion re Spending of Public Funds by Government.
Deputy Pringle said: “The hospital is turning out to be one of the world’s most expensive hospitals, and also one of the world’s most expensive buildings, while children across the country struggle to get basic services.
“It is an absolute disgrace.
“And yet, the government, in their amendment to this motion, claims that the opposition is making ‘baseless accusations’ regarding the mismanagement of public funds.
“There is a long history and many examples of this government’s mismanagement of funds, and the public are very aware of this. Many do not trust this government’s ability to handle public funds and invest in much-needed services, and who can blame them?
“The government, in their amendment, claims that they are investing significantly in mental health services and CAHMS when we know that the allocation announced at the budget wasn’t nearly enough to ensure adequate services.
“They claim they are providing housing while over 14,000 people are homeless in this country and hundreds of people in Donegal watch their houses continue to crumble year after year because the government refuses to introduce an adequate defective blocks scheme.
“They claim that they are providing sufficient school funding while teachers tell us they need more support, more special needs assistants and smaller class sizes.
“The government can dress their failures up all they want, but people can see through their spin. People know that this mismanagement of funds will continue and nothing has ever or will ever change under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“The people deserve a government that works for them, that invests in public services and that prioritises people over vulture funds, big corporations, private contractors and profit,” he said.
