Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy that we have no information on how the final sum was agreed. It just refers to the protocol for transfer. We are writing to the Valuation Office. The Valuation Office came into the process because it is a transfer between two State bodies and the Valuation Office acts as an independent arbiter of what is in the overall interests of the taxpayer - not necessarily either Department. It could involve transferring IDA Ireland land to a local authority for housing. There are many factors.

We are writing to the Valuation Office asking for a list of each property it was asked to value in 2017 and 2018 to date involving the transfer from one State body to another. We want a summary of the number of hectares and value per hectare it set. If we see this €23 million is the norm for valuations of other transfers between State bodies, it is well and good. If it is an outlier, we will want further information on that.

Does the Comptroller and Auditor General know if there are many of these transactions every year? Would there be dozens or hundreds?