When 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes likened his ideal government to a Biblical monster, the leviathan, he wished to convey the immense complexity and power of the sovereign state.
Even in a relatively small country like Ireland, the apparatus of 21st century government is immeasurably larger and more complicated than Hobbes could ever have imagined. In a democracy, that can create problems of accountability. Suspicion that the public purse is being carelessly managed runs deep and individual examples of waste are taken, sometimes accurately, as symptoms of a broader malaise
Such was the case in 2018, when a printer purchased for Oireachtas use at a cost of €2 million was found to be too large to fit into the assigned space. More recently, expenditure of ¤322,000 on a modest bicycle shelter at Leinster House, a price tag of €490,000 for a wall, and the loss of several million euro on a failed IT project at the Arts Council have all fuelled public concern
The most recent of these excesses was brought to light by Minister for Arts Patrick O’Donovan this week, when he released details of an X-ray scanner purchased at a cost of €124,805 by the National Gallery in 2018 . The device has never been used because no appropriate space is available.
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None of these cases casts the individuals or organisations involved in a flattering light. But when the clamour on the airwaves subsides, it would be wise to examine whether the fault lies less with individuals than with the State’s system of procurement. Too often, capital budgets incentivise the recipient to spend first and think later. And sometimes capital investments are approved without account being taken of operating costs.
For the general public, such controversies have the merit of being easy to understand. It is far more difficult to disentangle the impenetrable mysteries of a financial fiasco such as the one that has unfolded at the National Children’s Hospital. Perhaps the Government should amend the old adage: look after the millions and the billions will look after themselves.
