Leo’s U-turn ‘is a legal risk’

ACCounTAnCy firm PwC is being paid to investigate the cost of building the Childrens’ Hospital – and when the terms of reference were announced two weeks ago it was stated that no individual could be found culpable.

But after a public backlash, the Taoiseach announced last Sunday in a radio interview that people would be named and shamed: ‘The terms of reference will be revised to enable PwC to find individuals accountable or to identify who made particular mistakes, if that’s what they did.’

A source told the Irish Mail on Sunday that the Taoiseach did not consult anyone before the public u-turn. The source said: ‘no one knew about [the terms being changed]. There are going to be a lot of legal actions over this…. A judge is the only one who can find you guilty of wrongdoing.’

A Government spokesman said yesterday: ’The terms of reference were already being changed when the Taoiseach made those remarks.’