|
|
Patsy McGlone
29th September 2010
McGlone: Murphy must be open
about NIW payouts
SDLP Deputy Leader Patsy McGlone has
demanded that Sinn Féin Water Minister Conor Murphy publishes details of an
out of court settlement involving Northern Ireland Water (NIW).
Last year, when the introduction of water charges was postponed, NIW
cancelled a £70m contract with Steria to provide bills to its customers.
Steria took NIW to court and a confidential payout has now been agreed.
Last year, a senior official at NI Water said that terminating the contract
could cost up to £3m, but that it would ultimately save money.
Mr McGlone, who is a member of Stormont's Public Accounts Committee (PAC),
said: “NIW’s figure of £3m appears to have been a very conservative estimate
which has given us, in the SDLP, further cause for concern.
“It is vital that Sinn Féin Minister Conor Murphy, whose department oversees
NIW, reveals to the public the exact amount paid out to Steria.
"Every day people contact my constituency office about the harsh problems
facing them due to existing cutbacks in public spending, whether it’s not
being able to get a bed in hospital, unemployment, holdups with school new
builds, or difficulties in getting care packages for a sick relative.
“It is therefore wholly unacceptable for public money to be frittered away
and government departments have a duty to the public to be totally
transparent about their spending.
“Taxpayers deserve to know how much has been spent from the public purse on
this payout. The more the detail is concealed from us, the more we will have
to dig until we get it."
ENDS
|
|