Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. The landlord, far from being unscrupulous, is in business and is not going to say, "If that is the rent you are happy to pay, I am happy to accept it." The OPW was to go back after the fact when a lease was signed and say it was paying €10 million too much and ask if there is any chance of a reduction.

Fair play to the landlord if they do give one but they are not bound to and I do not blame them for not doing so. My issue is that this will all happen again in another six months.

There was another issue with the OPW; while we would be inviting the office to attend in any event, and not being parochial, it concerns a large amount of money. It bought a site for €1.35 million for a new Garda station in Sligo and it was announced by the Government that there would be no Garda station built now. I want to know what that site is going to be used for and the reasons for this. Perhaps the Garda or others are involved but we are going around and dishing out €1.35 million for sites but are not proceeding to build something that we are now saying was not needed within a year. My understanding was that this particular Garda station was in a public-private partnership bundle with new Garda stations in Clonmel and Macroom. Not to be political about it but I highlighted in my run in to the election that this was my fear. It was, of course, all going ahead up to the election and the ballot papers had not gone into storage when it was decided that the Garda station in Sligo would now be done up instead. We now have a €1.35 million site and I do not know what the implications are for the people of Macroom or Clonmel, who I am sure are waiting for their new Garda station. That is another issue that we could deal with when the OPW attends, together with Deputy Munster's item. One will find when we have the opportunity to chat with that office is that there will be plenty of other matters to discuss.