Mr. Colm Mac Geehin:

In answer to Deputy McLellan, we did meet NAMA. We tried to persuade NAMA of the folly of this development. We understood, as the Deputy understands, that the agency holds the purse strings. Since then, the agency was totally non-committal in its replies to us. If one gives credence to what Chartered Land states in this letter that was circulated to all the members of the committee, NAMA is willing to give Chartered Land money to do some sort of a dickying up, as it were, of the four buildings to the front of Moore Street in the hope that such a move, somehow or other, will bring about a reconciliation, after which it can apply to the Minister for his consent and the whole place can be flipped, so to speak. That seems to be the scenario that is being played out.

What ought to be happening is that some of those involved, including those present in this room, among whom are included Dublin City Council, should admit now that they got it completely wrong and that they got carried away with the codology of building a suburban-style shopping centre. Why do they not now admit that they were wrong, ask the Minister to refuse his consent and let the whole house of cards collapse, after which we can start again?