Dáil spending watchdog asks HSE to explain €127k staff bike shed at Kerry hospital

Eva Osborne

The HSE is to be called before the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the cost of a new bike shed for a Kerry hospital.

€127,000 was spent on the shed at University Hospital Kerry, despite options of €7,000 being considered.

The shed holds up to 40 bikes and is only available to staff. It was opened in May last year.

It comes less than two years after a similar project at Leinster House was revealed to have cost over €330,000.

PAC chair, Sinn Féin's John Brady, said answers are needed.

"In the first instance, we're going to get a briefing from the HSE. We're going to establish as to why all other options were ruled out, why the most expensive option was decided to be the preferred option.

"And, absolutely, we need to establish who and why this decision was taken.

"This comes on foot of an announcement yesterday of recruitment fees within the HSE due to a shortage of money and overspends at a time when people are being hard-pushed, the cost of living, Government continuing to say that they haven't got the money to give out energy credits. And yet we see a continuous waste of taxpayers' money."