‘Cop yourself on’ - Dáil leaders clash over ‘scandalous’ cost of another bike shed

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Opposition leader Mary Lou McDonald have clashed over the “outrageous” cost of a bike shed at the new National Maternity Hospital. 

Last week, the Government's e-tenders website invited submissions for tenders to build a new bike shed at the new hospital, at an estimated cost of €100,000.

Ms McDonald raised the issue during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Tuesday. 

"It is bike shed groundhog day... scandalous money on a bike shed again,” Ms McDonald told the Dáil.

At the time of a cost-of-living crisis, McDonald described the bike shed as a “slap in the face” to taxpayers.

She went on to ask the Taoiseach if he believed the €100,000 tender represented value for money.

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In response, Mr Martin said he wasn’t going to address every aspect of active travel infrastructure.

On the bike shed in question, he said: "It should be done modestly and a very simple structure should be put in place. It shouldn't have to cost €100,000, but it should be built."

Mr Martin added that the bike shelter would be for the use of hospital staff cycling to work.

He then accused Sinn Féin of going for “a cheap headline” by raising the matter.

Ms McDonald rejected the Taoiseach’s answer and told him: "don't be smart with me".

“So you may smirk, if you wish, Taoiseach, but the reality is that your government’s track record in terms of wastage of public money is absolutely incredible,” she added.

Mr Martin responded by saying that McDonald’s accusations were “bogus”, “flawed” and ”nonsense”.

This was followed by what was at times an inaudible exchange between the Taoiseach and Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty. 

At one stage, the Taoiseach was heard saying "go away and design a bike shed for us" before adding "cop yourself on Pearse".

The exchange followed a similar controversy last year over the cost of a new bike shed at Leinster House. 

The cost of that bike shed, which was estimated to be about €336,000, was labelled as “ridiculous” and “shocking” by Mr Martin at the time.