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The majority of the money was spent on the main construction and installation of the project. Alamy Stock Photo

Eamon Ryan agrees the €335,000 price tag for the Oireachtas bike shed is 'incredibly expensive'

The transport minister said that the OPW must be asked questions around why the cost of the bike shed was so high.

TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT Minister Eamon Ryan has agreed that the €335,000 price tag of a bicycle shed at Leinster House was “an incredibly expensive cost”.

Yesterday figures released under the Freedom of Information Act found that €335,000 of public money was spent to install bike parking spaces at the Oireachtas buildings on Kildare St, in Dublin.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) said the high cost was because a high-quality structure was needed due to the sensitive location. The installation was part of a number of upgrades taking place at Leinster House by the OPW.

Speaking today, Eamon Ryan said he looked forward to engaging with the OPW as to why the bike shed was so expensive and added that, he believes, the Government should review the cost of the parking spaces should they be installed elsewhere.

“If it’s so expensive, that will reduce the amount of bicycle parking spaces that we get in,” Ryan said. “I know, it’s a sensitive site – they’ve got to get it right, they’ve their own resources, but I must admit, I myself was shocked when I saw the price.”

A breakdown of costs from the Office of Public Works shows that €322,282 was spent on the main construction and installation project.

A further €2,952 was spent on archaeological services while €10,816 was paid for quantity surveying services and “contract administration services”.

The OPW said: “The bicycle shelter is a new structure located within the setting of Leinster House, a protected structure of national importance.

“In response to the character of the historic setting a well-designed structure with an appropriate use of high-quality materials and finish were required,” it added.

Ryan previously welcomed the introduction of the new bike shed, at the time claiming that it was an example of what can be done at other places around the country to reduce the number of people who drive to work.

Asked today if he believes that this incident could give the ‘Active Travel Scheme’ a bad name, Ryan said he hopes it would not and that he is engaging with the National Transport Authority about adding more bus shelters around the country.

“But if they’re all that expensive, we won’t deliver,” the transport minister said, adding that the Government must question the OPW on the pricing of such infrastructure.

“I think it’s too expensive. Maybe, perhaps, they have a reason but I wasn’t aware of it. We need to show that we spend the public’s money wisely. And that sort of cost – it seems to me – very, very high.”

With reporting by Ken Foxe

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    Mute Pat Hazzard
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:13 AM

    We’re at full employment, time to start cutting the dole by 25% for every year the work shy stay on it, plus abolish the Christmas bonus for those on welfare, expect for pensioners, carers and disabled.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:49 AM

    @Pat Hazzard: It’s never going to happen. Get over your yourself .its a political thing. Wake up and smell the coffee.

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    Mute brit movment
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:52 AM

    @Pat Hazzard: nutjob

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    Mute YKwkSIqW
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    Jun 5th 2024, 2:11 AM

    @Pat Hazzard: Taxpayers are paying for 400-500 new (fake) asylum seekers per week coming in to this country and you’re harping on about dole spongers. None of the above should be getting a penny of our hard earned money. Give us some real politicians who can sort out this embarrassment. Sort it out NOW!

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    Mute Luke Windak
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    Jun 5th 2024, 4:43 AM

    @YKwkSIqW: I have no issues helping people genuinely fleeing war and conflict. It’s obvious they do need initial assistance and I am more than happy for my taxes to fund this.
    I do have have a massive issue; however, with my taxes being used to fund the dole payments for healthy and able people who simply choose not not to work or worse have never worked.

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    Mute Thomas Sheridan
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    Jun 5th 2024, 5:12 AM

    @Luke Windak: The fact is that neither our own dole scammers nor the fake foreign immigrant scammers should be getting any of our taxpayers’ money.
    The overpopulation numbers of the countries at war simply couldn’t be absorbed in Europe. Talk to people living in Sweeden, Belgium, and many other European countries that have been destroyed by uncontrolled immigration.

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    Mute alan wallace
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    Jun 5th 2024, 6:01 AM

    @Thomas Sheridan: ‘Sweden and Belgium are destroyed’ ,really?

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    Mute Peter Fitzgerald
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    Jun 5th 2024, 8:03 AM

    @Luke Windak: why is that a problem? There will always be a small percentage of people that don’t want to work and they should be supported. This is not a dystopian slave state where we force people to work.

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    Mute ecrowley ecrowley
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    Jun 5th 2024, 8:55 AM

    @Peter Fitzgerald: The people that don’t want to work should be supported? Transported more like, to the nearest building site.

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 5th 2024, 9:43 AM

    @Pat Hazzard: Unemployment is a requirement of “our” economic system.

    Those that manage the economy plan to always have a certain level of unemployment. Otherwise the bargaining power would shift to the worker.

    Yet you blame the unemployed.
    And want to punish them.

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    Mute The next small thing
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:08 PM

    @Peter Fitzgerald: Hi Peter, I don’t want to work any more so I’ll send all my bills to you to pay for me. No one should get dole if they haven’t paid into the system, especially when there are vacancies throughout the country.

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    Mute Gerard Carey
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    Jun 5th 2024, 3:33 AM

    Someone please pass the memo onto Mr Roderic O’Gorman, he’s wasted ten’s of millions of Taxpayers money on one project alone,it wasn’t too long ago our kid’s were sitting in leaky prefabs because there was no money apparently to fix them or buy new ones, but O’Gorman seems to have been able to find Millions of euro to house all his new arrivals or IPAs as he calls them.
    What exactly is his agenda?

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:23 AM

    Will the government listen? Nah, not a chance. It’s election time freebies for everyone, even those living in D4.

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    Mute Brian Keelty
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:24 AM

    But they’ll try and buy the votes anyway…. they ignored the fiscal advice last year too.

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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jun 5th 2024, 5:31 AM

    I am still paying USC while the banks make billions in profit. I will not vote for these liars.

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    Mute did you every wonder
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    Jun 5th 2024, 6:18 AM

    @Sean Money: apparently, it’s for our 280 billion debt, but I’m not sure. In 2008, it was needed to bail the banks out. Now, it’s needed to pay the debt. Yet those responsible are drawing pensions of 300k of taxpayers’ money. Only in Ireland and the banks making billions profit.

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    Mute another one? what's going on is the semi state sec
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    Jun 5th 2024, 8:10 AM

    @did you every wonder: Govt spending has increased by 30+% compared to 2019. They’re also taking in around 25-30% more income tax and Vat since then…… We on the other hand have much less money in our pockets thanks to the cost of living crisis. Fiscal watchdog doesn’t care if we starve. They don’t even seem to care that the departmental budgets have exploded and they waste money left right and centre! Watch the tax “give away” and keep the regular Joe down is the game!… Problem is there won’t be any more to take when the next crisis hits and the govt want to hike taxes again

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 5th 2024, 9:51 AM

    @another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: But what was inflation during that time anyway?
    (The real rate, which seems to be higher than the official rate.)

    If inflation during that time was also 30%, then the state isn’t increasing spending anyway.

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    Jun 5th 2024, 10:00 AM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: W.O.W….. by that logic we should all have 20% pay increases and tax should be adjusted to match. Which it hasn’t, which is the point. They’re spending is OTT, we are suffering…… Real rate from Jan 2020 to now is 19.57% according to CSO.

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    Mute The next small thing
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    Jun 5th 2024, 10:22 AM

    @did you every wonder: The USC and other new taxes (e.g. property tax) were not needed to bail out the banks, the money used for the banks was borrowed. The new taxes were to pay for the day to day spending in the country e.g. pensions, public services etc as our tax take was decimated due to it’s overreliance on property taxes and it’s only in the last couple of years that the country has run a surplus, we had been borrowing every year before that, again paying for public services.

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    Jun 5th 2024, 11:07 AM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: I’ll dumb it down for you. Pay increases are nowhere near 20% for the period, not even in the public sector, but spending is 30+% more. Any pay increases over 42k the govt gets more than half back in tax. Say you get a 10% raise. The increase to net pay is a much smaller percent than 10% but you pay a much bigger percentage of it in tax. Tax credits need to be increased, bands need to be increased, thresholds need to be increased inline with inflation. They’re choking the life out of the majority of the population to increase their departmental budgets……. So you have an idea of the 2016/2019/2023 exchequer returns figures: Income tax €21B, €25.6B, €36.3B. VAT: €18.6B, €20.9B, €28.4B CT: €8.2B, €12.3B, €26.5B. Fiscal Counsel and ERSI scaremongering!!!

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 5th 2024, 11:20 AM

    @another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: My point is that if government spending has increased by 30% but inflation has also increased by 30% then government spending is really at a standstill.

    Irrespective of anything else.

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    Jun 5th 2024, 11:32 AM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: yeah except inflation isn’t at 30%, it’s 20%. It’s an irrelevant point when the topic is a giveaway budget when we are being taxed as if it’s still austerity times!….. In your terms, Govt budget has increased by 10+% relative to 2019 adjusted for inflation, value of my paycheck has decreased by 17%. I got a 5% raise. Worth funk all after tax. See the point!?!?!

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    Mute bruce banner
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    Jun 5th 2024, 7:41 AM

    Its ok to give BAM another contract to build something that no one asked for, just dont help out the vunerable in society.

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 5th 2024, 9:52 AM

    @bruce banner: We badly need a state infrastructure company.

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    Mute The next small thing
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:15 PM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: That’s the last thing we need if we want to control the costs. We do however need a state department/company that can draw up a detailed tender so costs can be controlled and not allow contractors to move the goalposts after the contract is signed.
    As for the new bridge, surely that money could have been better spend on coastal protection schemes in this country (where the coastline is being washed away with each storm and, as we’re being told, these storms will become more frequent and stronger) rather than a vanity project between 2 somewhat rural areas.

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    Jun 5th 2024, 7:51 AM

    Inflation is up over 20% since 2020. Tax bands need to be widened to reflect this. Total tax reform needed. Income tax take has increased massively since 2019, as has VAT. We’re getting bled dry. Govt budgets have increased by 30% with all this extra cash coming in people have much less disposable income. Maybe the fiscal watchdog should call out the govt wasting of money and departmental budget management and realise how Funked most peoples household budgets are with the taxation on-top of the cost of living crisis

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    Mute AnthonyK
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    Jun 5th 2024, 5:28 AM

    When election nears, governments ignore economical advice to buy elections. Sadly, voters tend to be as short sighted as governments are.

    Let’s face it though. You are more likely going to vote for parties offering you money etc then a party saying they intend giving you very little or even advising tax increases for services.

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    Mute Jerry LeFrog
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    Jun 5th 2024, 9:19 AM

    @AnthonyK: spot on

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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jun 5th 2024, 5:02 AM

    It’s lies

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    Mute Mick Hanna
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    Jun 5th 2024, 9:36 AM

    NEVER is always the answer from these people…Tell me their thoughts on the RTE Scandal!!!

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    Mute Hector turtlehead
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    Jun 5th 2024, 10:07 AM

    Regular detached house in Navan for 600k for example.
    Yes, give us more money but it still won’t be enough, even for navan

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    Mute Hector turtlehead
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    Jun 5th 2024, 10:04 AM

    Mmm. Rings a bell.

    Crash on the way

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    Mute Oh Mammy
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    Jun 5th 2024, 7:55 AM

    I think the watchdog outfit needs to get a pit bull.

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    Mute Clare Power
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    Jun 5th 2024, 10:22 AM

    @Oh Mammy: an ill-timed comment considering the tragedy last night!

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    Mute Athena
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    Jun 5th 2024, 10:36 AM

    @Clare Power: True that. However, had he said “a Mali” most people wouldn’t understand.

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    Mute Sun Rise
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    Jun 5th 2024, 12:01 PM

    @ Hector turtlehead: There is no ‘regular detached house’ in Navan for 600k. There are however a number of 4 and 5 bedroom detached properties that could be considered ‘regular’ priced between 380k and 450k. Still a significant wedge but a long way from the 600k you used to try and make your point. These things can be verified so presenting false facts is not very clever. As for 600k homes, there are people who can afford them and I don’t begrudge them that. Why focus on a property one can’t afford rather than those on the market that are significantly cheaper in the same area?

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    Jun 6th 2024, 12:13 PM

    Just leave it as is. Social welfare recipients are almost better off than those working on minimum wage already. Tax bands are just fine, no need to fix anything just because elections on the horizon.

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