asked the Minister for the Enviornment if he is satisfied that the moneys allocated to local authority projects are being spent efficiently; and if his Department have carried out any study of the cost-efficiency of such projects.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Projects.
19.
The aim of achieving cost efficiency is one of the reasons for the various controls and procedures operated by my Department in relation to expenditure by local authorities on the implementation of the major works programme for which funds are allocated to them. I am satisfied that these controls allied to the procedures operated by local authorities themselves are a reasonable approach towards ensuring cost efficiency, when account is taken of the statutory responsibilities of the local authorities and of their own accountability for their expenditure. While formal studies of cost efficiency have not been carried out on individual local projects by the Department, cost trends are constantly appraised in order to ensure that the controls and procedures continue to fulfil their purpose.
The Minister of State has seen fit to monitor the amount spent on realignment of roads and such like, but would he agree regarding the maintaince of roads that, especially during the last storm, anyone travelling from here to the Tyrone border on the Derry road would agree that of four local authorities concerned some spent a considerable amount of money in making the roads secure and safe and others seemed to neglect them?
That is a slightly different approach. Local authorities are given block grants to do that and are given additional grants for the strengthening of roads. We give the grants and it is a matter for local authorities to carry out the work. When local authorities get money the problem is that they complain that they are not getting enough. I am surprised that somebody tells me they are not spending their money to do jobs.
I ask the Minister of State to ensure that they spend their money on safety on the roads. Some of them were not spending as much as they should on that.
Would the Minister of State agree that a cost benefit analysis and an inquiry into value for money in his Department are very important? Is he aware that the breakdown of certain engineering works in one county revealed that administration cost 77 per cent of the money and materials cost 23 per cent? Does he not agree that that type of breakdown would not be condoned for a moment by any private individual or authority?
I would, but I would want to know the facts before I could say that it was wrong.
Would not the fact that this appeared in a local paper in County Kildare and was not challenged be sufficient? The figures were given by the local authority. If the Minister of State were carrying out his duty in a proper watchdog manner would it not have engaged his attention before now?
That is argument.
We do that, and we base our allocations to counties on the way they spend money.
The Minister of State does not read the Kildare papers.
No, I do not.
With regard to cost efficiency, is the Minister of State aware that in one year 5,000 manual workers within a senior local authority lost in sick pay 320 years when 21,000 medical certificates were issued? How can he regard that as cost efficiency?
I cannot comment on that, as the Deputy is aware. If medical certificates are received on behalf of workers who are ill, it is not for me to comment. We would be casting a reflection on the professionalism of the people who write these certificates.