THE IRISH government has been accused of wasting tax payer money after mammoth payments for a speed van operating company were revealed.
Gardaí has been splurging €14.6 million per year hiring GoSafe vans to monitor Irish road users, but the operator is bringing in less than half of what their contract costs in speeding fines.
Last year, just €7.2 million was brought back in, leading many to demand a review into the partnership, which has been in place since 2010.
Speaking to , Sinn Féin's justice spokesman, Martin Kenny, said: "Well, I think certainly it needs to be reviewed. The amount of money it is costing the state at almost €15 million a year, is a very large piece of the budget.
"Most people recognise that having speed vans on the road has had an impact, particularly in areas of accident blackspots. But that said, it seems to be a ridiculously large amount of money for this service."
Mr Kenny said it would be "more appropriate" for gardaí themselves to carry out the work.
"The gardaí are equipped to do it and would provide a much better service and much better value for money for the taxpayer," he added.
GoSafe provide a minimum of 7,400 enforcement hours and a maximum of 100 survey hours per month across the country.
