THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS that led to €336,000 of public money being spent on a bike shed at Leinster House in Dublin must be investigated, according to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.

Both leaders said that rather than one person being held accountable for signing a purchase order, the Public Accounts Committee and other watchdogs should be probing the entire procurement process.

The new bike shed for Leinster House, which allows for storage of eighteen bikes, cost €336,051.30 in total. The cost of construction and installation was €322,282.78.

Last week, Finance minister Jack Chambers said that whoever signed off on the price of new bike shed at Leinster House must be held accountable. Today, Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that the entire decision-making process must instead be probed.

The Taoiseach questioned why there was no “back and forth” between the contractor and the Oireachtas over the price of the project, reasoning that – he believes – those in charge of running Leinster House wouldn’t have approved a project with that price tag. 

“They’re the sort of answers we want to know. I hope they’re forthcoming very quickly,” he said.

Harris said that infrastructure, such as bike shelters, at other locations have been “a hell of a lot less” and added that there needs to be a “serious reflection” on the cost when pricing projects in the future.

Asked today if the matter could be resolved and discussed in one phone call, Martin said: “It’s important to go through it properly.”

He added that while he didn’t know who it was that approved the purchase, he understood that the matter was due to come before the Public Accounts Committee where it will be examined.