The public by accepting the harsh austerity measures imposed on them in the last five years, have earned the right to be consulted on all future major public expenditure projects.
This was proposed by Independent MEP Marian Harkin in the context of the planned €3.2 billion investment by EirGrid in a number of infrastructural projects and the acknowledgement by Minister for Finance of the great debt owed by the nation to its citizens for their acceptance of the severe austerity measures imposed on them.
She said:- “As the Irish people face into further erosion of their quality of life they have every right to be consulted on large scale capital expenditures that they will ultimately have to pay for. For example, no independent justification has been produced to prioritise investment in the national electricity grid. In a situation where demand for electricity will not meet originally made forecasts, and where cost of production will severely hamper the prospect of power exports, there must be absolute clarification on the need for the proposed expenditure of €3.2 billion on electricity grid enhancement.
”It is the consumer who will have to provide this funding and the least the public deserves before further erosion of their incomes is a full cost benefit analysis to justify the proposed €3.2 billion expenditure. The time is past when the public have to accept the word of ‘experts’ on what is necessary investment in infrastructure. The €multi billion overrun in expenditure on the inter urban motorway project is an example of spending control by ‘experts’. This must not be allowed to happen with the Grid 25 proposal and other projects which involve further cost impositions on the public.
“There may be a good case made for Grid 25 but having regard to the fact that it was devised with substantially different circumstances and prospects involved there is a need to review the project to establish its current relevance on a cost benefit basis. Accordingly I have written to Minister Pat Rabbitte proposing the initiation of an immediate study to ensure that already hard pressed citizens do not have a further €3.2 billion burden imposed on them without full justification on a cost benefit basis”, Marian Harkin MEP concluded.
