Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Do the witnesses accept that the manner in which the contract is structured is such that the greater the loading of investment by the company in a network that it will end up owning after the 20 years, the greater will be the reduction in the clawback to the State? The clawbacks are meant to ensure that the contractor continues to invest in the network that it will ultimately own. While this clawback sounds good, in essence, it was never included to benefit the State. Rather, it is a methodology of ensuring that the contractor does not cream off the profits while the contract is ongoing.