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

If Mr. McCarthy intervened, the person responsible could give us the report and it would end the chase.

A question on funding of the Tipperary hostel project arose at the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts. It cost €4.88 million of public funds and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government was one of the Government agencies that contributed. It was taxpayers' money. The project has not been completed, although the money was spent on the renovation of a church and building there. I understand a local limited company funded by the Department was involved and that there are issues around this. A Garda investigation into the project took place. How will the State protect its investment of €4.88 million, or are the Department and the State prepared to leave things as they are?

The committee wrote to the Minister to bring this matter to his attention and received a reply that did not indicate much responsibility was being taken for oversight and the next steps to be taken. I want to end the chase on this issue. Can some branch of the Civil Service, a Department or an agency, intervene to protect €4.88 million of taxpayers' money and establish how the project can be completed in the best interests of the taxpayer? The church is falling into disrepair again and the project has not been finished. A Department must take the initiative and bring all of the players together to solve the problem. A letter was written to the Minister and the Department because there is a local authority element to the matter. It did not request that the Department take responsibility for the project but rather that it take responsibility for investigating a possible solution. I am not prepared to see €4.88 million invested in this way without oversight. Taxpayers worked a long time to raise the taxes to supply the funding.