19/04/2013

Dail Spending Watchdog To Investigation €290,000 Chairman Office Refurb

A €290,000 refurbishment of the office of the Daíl’s spending watching, it to be investigated by his own department.

It follows revelations by the Irish Independent of the extent of lavish spending for the work on the office of Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness when he was Junior Minister for Trade in the previous Government in 2007.

It is understood the work included a specification that only luxury toilet roll could be used in the en suite bathroom for the office.

At the Public Accounts committee, Mr McGuiness agreed to set up an investigation into the spending, saying, "I have nothing to hide and I want the whole thing investigated."

Mr McGuinnness insisted that the refurbishment of his office was carried out by the Office of Public Works with no imput from him.

"At no stage did I have any involvement in designing or asking for particular furniture or whatever. If I had known it was going to cost that money, I would have stopped it," he said.

(H/CD)


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