O’Keeffe intends to build on ‘value for money’ mantra

LIKE any good minister, Batt O’Keeffe is anxious to ensure he gets value for money for the €9 billion that he controls.

But in the current economic doldrums, he will be keeping a closer eye than any of his predecessors on spending, and nowhere so much as in the Department of Education’s school building programme.

Since becoming Education Minister in May, he has repeated the mantra that he is reviewing spending and particularly so on the capital side of his budget.