Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The basic truth is that we know we are going to put potentially €3.75 billion on our balance sheet, representing a cost to us. The consortium's risk is €175 million. There is just no comparison.

I asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment about my next point. Given that we are not in a competitive tendering process, given that we are providing €3.75 billion and the consortium is providing €175 million, why does an Oireachtas committee, be it this or another, not have the right to know what the rate of return is? The developer may not want it because of other business interests or whatever. Given the imbalance in the financial investment in the project, the lack of competition and the very unusual process we have ended up in, with all the resources ploughed in over seven years, why do we not have the right to know the rate of return? How can the Minister possibly justify that?