Gavan Reilly: Auditor’s report is a reminder of the cost of carelessness

With all the extra cash swashing around government coffers this week, it was lucky that the State’s spending watchdog put out its usual annual report in the eve of the Budget, thus minimising the embarrassment of money being frittered away for nothing.

Take for example the €225 million spent on three major transport projects which don’t exist. Of the €166 million spent on Dublin’s Metro project in its first phase, only €6 million (properties bought at the time) still retain any value. €48.6 million was spent on a DART interconnector route, of which only €2.6 million still exists in assets. Grand little country.

But while it pales in comparison to the Leinster House bike shelter, or the ornate gilded security pavilion on the side gate to Government Buildings, the spend on modular housing to accommodate Ukrainians fleeing war is pretty embarrassing.

We all remember the rush to find accommodation for those fleeing the invasion in early 2022, and the well-intended idea of finding modular accommodation on public land as an interim housing solution. When first announced, it was to entail €100 million to house 2,000 people in 500 modular homes - an average cost of €200k each.

Fast forward a couple of years and the projected average cost of those units is €440,000 – an astonishing amount to spend considering the sites were already in public ownership, and some already had utilities.

This isn’t a warning against building on State lands - rather, it’s a warning to plan properly. When the scheme was announced and budgeted for, there wasn’t an agreed list of sites to use; nor a guarantee that utilities would be available at scale; nor a business plan produced… and suddenly, the cost of what was considered a ‘cheap fix’ is dearer than simply building a traditional home.

A salutary tale…

Gavan Reilly is Political Correspondent with Virgin Media News and Political Columnist with the Meath Chronicle. Column appears first in Tuesday's paper!