Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The bond has been rolled over for 12 months. One of the questions we have tried to tease out several times relates to the reason for going with this model when the contribution from the private investor is so small, at just over 9% of the contribution by the taxpayer, which accounts for in excess of 90%. Why would the Department go with this? We have learned that the investors are getting 12% compound interest, which, of course, can accumulate significantly, doubling in nearly six years, for example. The only answer we have been given on the few occasions the matter has been raised is this issue of risk. In the context of risk, I understand there are supposed to milestones and all that and there are three tiers of those. This is a project underpinned by the State. The State has ponied up the money. It is there. From the point of view of an investor, investing in this and getting 12% annual return compound interest on an investment underwritten by the State is a sure bet. If you were a gambler looking at this, it has to be the best investment in town. People try to play the stock market but this has to be one of the surest bets around.