Printer firm may be asked for ‘gesture’ on costs of Dáil blunder
DÁIL authorities are considering asking the manufacturer of a controversial printer that didn’t fit in Leinster House if it will offer some sort of “gesture” to the Oireachtas.
Clerk of the Dáil Peter Finnegan revealed he was exploring an approach to the printer company to seek an “ex gratia” contribution. Mr Finnegan said he understands public anger over the €1.8m in costs related to the purchase of the massive Komori printer.
He said “it is an awful lot of money” and admitted the project was not well managed.
“There’s no one sorrier than me that we’re in the position we’re in here today,” Mr Finnegan told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Overall costs for the printer, related equipment and building works required for it to fit come to almost €1.8m. Of this, €429,000 is directly attributable to the Oireachtas ordering a printer that was too big for the printing rooms.
“Serious mistakes were made. There’s no denying that,” Mr Finnegan added.
Fianna Fáil TD Shane Cassells asked if there are legal avenues open to the Oireachtas
given that representatives of Komori had examined the room where the printer was to be located.
Mr Finnegan told the PAC his legal advice is that the Oireachtas is not in a position to argue that Komori breached its contract.
That is because the firm warned about the “limited” head height in its tender response and sent drawings of the room which also noted issues with the ceiling height that were apparently missed by Oireachtas staff.
Mr Finnegan said he is exploring – along with legal advisers – the possibility of setting out Oireachtas concerns about how the provision of the machine was dealt with in writing and asking Komori if it would make an ex-gratia contribution or “gesture”. “That’s something that I’m pursuing,” he said.
Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell said: “They’re not going to write you a cheque.” She suggested Komori might make an offer in terms of maintenance of the machine in future years.
Mr Finnegan was also forced to defend his claim that the business case for buying the massive printer was “sound”.
It came after Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster pointed out the business case didn’t include the cost of “knocking down walls” or “raising ceilings”. Mr Finnegan said: “When we have to do a piece of major equipment installation, it invariably involves structural works.” He said the cost of installing the old printing machines in 2004 was twice the sum spent on the work related to the new printer.
“We are not an organisation that has the luxury of installing equipment in a greenfield site,” he added.
“We’re not Google down in the docks. We’re an organisation that functions from Dublin 2 in very, very cramped conditions. And invariably costs arise as a result of that”.
Ms Munster replied: “I’m amazed how you can say it’s still sound.”
Mr Finnegan said the old printing machines would have required spending of more than €500,000 to keep them in operation and he would have been challenged by the PAC if they hadn’t been replaced.