At a time ordinary workers and families are counting every euro, the Government continues to be a serial waster of public money. There is the €127,000 designer bike shed at the Kerry hospital, a bike shed that is actually letting water in - you could not make it up. Hot on the heels of that, we now discover that €50 million of taxpayers’ money has effectively been torched on a failed IT system for Irish Rail. That is €50 million gone. While the Government burns through public money, ordinary people are being stretched like never before and it expects them to pick up the tab for this incompetence. It treats public money as if it were Monopoly money. The Minister knows it is not an isolated incident. It is one scandal after the other. It is one grotesque waste of taxpayers’ money after another and the public are sick of it. Ministers come in here, shrug their shoulders and expect the people to pick up the tab, but it is not on. Who will be held accountable for any of this? This is €50 million of taxpayers’ money being wasted again under the Government’s watch. What is it going to do to end the culture of waste, incompetence and contempt for taxpayers and workers who are paying the price for what we are seeing over and over again?

I was also concerned by the reports that I saw on the front of newspapers today. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who has informed me that the Department received the accounts for the CIÉ group only just this week and he has not had a copy at this stage. He will obviously read it and will have to take action or respond to what is in the report. I have spoken to the Deputy about this many times. The Government is absolutely determined to make sure that every penny that we spend is spent appropriately.

It is €50 million.

I have been asked twice this week to open a Passport Office in Northern Ireland, which could cost up to €6 million. We know that fewer than 500 citizens-----

Come on. There was €50 million of waste.

Order, please.

-----are using a front desk at the moment.

Do not justify that with giving Irish citizens the right to have their passport.

We now move to the next question, which is in the name of Deputy Robert O'Donoghue.

That is ridiculous stuff from a Minister.

Deputy Doherty, please.

The Government burnt through €50 million and it blames citizens-----

Deputy Doherty-----

It is disgraceful for the Minister to blame citizens in the North for the Government's complete and utter incompetence.

Sit down, Deputy.

Resume your seat, Deputy.

There was €50 million of waste and it was a cheap shot.

I call Deputy O'Donoghue.

I did not blame anybody.

You did.