John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is my point. It has happened before under somebody else. It also happened in the case of the other building, which was raised earlier, as well as this building. I am simply making that point. The reports from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General on this and other buildings, which may have happened before Mr. Purcell's time, bear that out.

There should be far greater control on the spending of public money on projects. I am sure there is no single person who will be convinced there were no plans for the overall costs of a building on which €3.8 million was spent. There must have been a plan to get funds after €2.8 million was spent and arrangements must have been in place to fund the difference, notwithstanding the arrangements and the difficulty experienced with the contractor, who walked away with €3.8 million.

I will now deal with the cost of tribunals. How much will the tribunals cost this year? Section 6.4 the Comptroller and Auditor General states there are ten.