Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am baffled but as a layperson, I may not understand the issue. A vendor and legal person stood over the contract, or whatever one wishes to call it, the Department took on the contract believing in good faith it had planning permission but subsequently found out that planning permission had not been granted, then spent money furnishing the premises and then, ten years later, settled a case out of court and gave the vendor €1.8 million in compensation. I would have expected the taxpayer to have been compensated.