Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. In fact, TII did not include it in its submission to An Bord Pleanála. A certain gentleman, to whom Mr. Nolan is listening, made a recommendation at the oral hearing to the effect that the interchange should be included. The inspector from An Bord Pleanála agreed, as did the board, but the interchange was never built by TII. It is a small point, but when I read notes and they do not gel fully with my understanding, I like to note it.

At this stage, I am not in a position to recommend that we dispose of the 2016 financial statement primarily because we have work to do on the issue of PPP projects, on which there is a chapter in the Comptroller and Auditor General's annual report which affects Mr. Nolan's Department, schools and the Department of Education and Skills, as well as others. I am not saying there is an issue as the Comptroller and Auditor General has given a clear audit opinion, but from the point of view of the Committee of Public Accounts, we are not in a position to give an opinion on whether the income and expenditure related to PPP projects represent value for money for the taxpayers. That is one of our functions and the committee is not in a position to sign off on the statement because we do not have the information we need that would allow us to make a judgement on the matter and we will not be in a position to sign off on it until we have examined the matter of PPP projects specifically, on which the Comptroller and Auditor General has a chapter in his annual report. As I said, I am not suggesting there is an issue with the accounts, but TII will understand the committee has yet to revisit the matter of PPP projects.

On behalf of the Committee of Public Accounts, I thank the witnesses from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General for attending and the information and material they supplied. If there are issues on which either the Department or TII was asked to supply information, it may send it to the committee secretariat in due course.