Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand what the witness is saying. Since the committee hearings, I have been contacted by numerous other contractors. The numbers vary but the financial impact on some has been €20,000, which is sufficient to put them out of business. Others have informed me that they have taken a hit of more than €750,000. There is then everything in between. When one hears the stories about the products they have, whether it is furniture in the schools or materials such as floor coverings or the paint on the walls, is it not the case that the State could be accused of handling stolen property? While the State did not do the damage or stole the material from the subcontractors and took it without paying, it is satisfied to handle the material in the knowledge that blood, sweat and tears went into creating the blocks and mortar that built the schools, the chairs that students will sit on and the paint that decorated the schools, none of which have been paid for? Is there not a moral question for the State, particularly for the NDFA, which is coming up with a system to allow certification of work that only the contractors can, in many cases, certify?