An investigation into cost overruns at the new Parliament building went over budget, a report by the Auditor General shows.
A company was appointed to investigate the budget overruns at a cost of €74,692. One individual who carried out work on the report was paid €320 per hour, while a fee of €130 per hour was paid to two other individuals. In June 2015, more funds were requested by the Infrastructure Ministry for the investigation.
Information showing the nature of the work carried out by these three individuals and when it was conducted was not traced in the files provided to the Auditor General.
The Auditor General was informed by the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, who commissioned the report, that no supporting documents were available. The relevant report was presented in October 2014.
Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi was a vocal critic of the lack of controls, coordination and overruns in the Parliament project. He said the cost of the project was estimated to be €45 million, or 50 per cent more than the original estimate.
Contractors involved in the building of the new Parliament were slapped with a €20,000 daily fine for the delays while the works were still ongoing. The investigations into the budget overruns was tasked to an unnamed consultancy firm by direct order.
The Auditor General said approval for additional funds by the budget office for the investigation was given in August 2015, 10 months after the report was submitted by the company.
It was noted by the Auditor General that no information was traced showing the rationale behind the appointment of the company and no approval to grant the direct order was never sought from the Finance Ministry.
No contract agreement was traced for the services provided by the company for the investigation into the Parliament cost overruns.
The Auditor General said his office was not in a position to assess whether the amount paid to the company was justified and correct.
Expense claims amounting to €6,724 for flights, taxis, car park fees, accommodation, and the reimbursement of a meal were also not backed up by supporting documents, the Auditor General found. In its replies to the Auditor General’s report, the Ministry justified its appointment of the consultancy firm by saying that immediate action had to be taken to get the process under way, due to the nature of the project and the urgency of the investigation.