Read my op-ed in The Journal here - https://www.thejournal.ie/read...
IN 2019, IRELAND spent €12 billion on contracts for goods, services and construction. This figure is set to rise considerably in the coming years as €116 billion in major capital works projects are rolled out under the National Development Plan.
The public has a right to expect that when money is spent on their behalf, it is spent in a way that delivers the best results. That requires a carefully thought-through approach to the quality of standards and performance in areas like sustainability, social impact, decent employment and design.
On February 22nd, I addressed Shane Ross, Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport in the Seanad. I asked him how he intends to meet the targets set out in the National Cycling Policy Framework, including having 10% of all journeys made by bicycle.
Independent Senator Alice-Mary Higgins is bringing a motion before the Seanad this Wednesday in an attempt to stop the Irish Government signing up, later this month, to “provisional application” of the controversial free-trade agreement between the EU and Canada, known as CETA (The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement).