Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I know something about this issue. It relates to a facility that was to be built for students. A levy was collected for a considerable period and then increased. Students agreed to pay it in return for getting this facility. When the contract was awarded and work had started, it was discovered that the costs exceeded the original contract amount. I do not know how the tender system worked to allow that to happen.

We have been told in this response that members of the governing authority are drawn from the staff, students and graduates and external organisations. I am not sure who the decision maker is in this regard. The students seem to have been blindsided by this decision. I met with them afterwards. We are being told it is the governing authority that has responsibility. Was the governing authority the decision maker in this case? I am not sure. I think students would have known if they were represented on that body and they did not seem to know.

Further on, it is stated that following a decision by the governing authority to terminate the contract, the university is currently considering the scope for legal redress against certain parties involved in the project with a view to cost recovery. I refer to the contract being already terminated. I presume it is possible when something is terminated to still proceed with cost recovery if it was not within or deviated from the contract. It is difficult to understand this.