Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I was going to ask about Project Jewel, which seems to be the jewel in the crown, but perhaps somebody else will do that. It seems to be quite a successful achievement. It will give the witnesses the opportunity to talk about the good things as well as the question marks. I want to make a point which relates to the SDZ in the docklands. NAMA has been in existence since 2010 and we are half way through its timespan. We have moved away from a bargain basement market in Ireland where it was very hard to attract any investors. Clearly, NAMA has been successful in the recovery that has taken place. There is no doubt about the fact that it has given a base to the market through the property which has attracted foreign investment. Is it not the right time to do a complete review of NAMA's operations in the context of going forward on the basis of what it is doing in the docklands, which is a special development zone, where it is jointly involved with the developers and where there is planning for the future as distinct from simply an issue of the sale of properties? NAMA owns 75% of the debt that is there and there should be long-term investment and long-term engagement by NAMA rather than to simply dispose of property as has largely been the approach to date. Is it not time to engage with the Minister for Finance, come back to the table, and refocus the operations of NAMA rather than to come to a conclusion that it will shut up shop by 2018?