John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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That would help us in our work. We will send a transcript and if there is no response, we will set aside some time next Thursday.

I think it will take more than ten minutes but we will get the explanation then. Does any other member wish to raise matters?

At the meeting with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, I asked that we would get some assurance that people involved in whistleblowing in the Department would be given appropriate protection in their employment in the spirit of the legislation that is coming forward. I cited a number of cases where employees of the State are being sidelined and are not being given work to do. They are victims simply because they are whistleblowers. I relate this in particular to FÁS. I was assured at that meeting that this would happen and that they would be given the appropriate protection in the spirit of the legislation but I am aware that this is not happening. I am asking the Clerk to write to the Secretary General reminding him of the commitment he gave and asking him to ensure that this commitment is extended to FÁS given recent developments there.

In respect of correspondence that came before us under the Department of Education and Science where the community-based Tipperary Hostel project was provided with funding amounting to €4.2 million, I reported to the meeting that I went down to see that project. The old church that is there has been properly and appropriately restored. The floorboards in it are now lifting and there is much maintenance to be done on what I imagine was a very good job undertaken by those involved. The main project of the building adjoining the church is half-finished. The €4.2 million that was invested in that project by the Government and taxpayer is now lying idle. It is unfinished and losing money in the process. The reply we received from the Secretary General was that it was his view that any matters relating to the continued development of the Tipperary Hostel project rest primarily with Tipperary Town Council and Tipperary Hostel Limited. That overlooks the point I made on the day, which was that we need to protect the investment of €4.2 million already made by the Government. It is simply not right that it would be left to fall asunder for the want of completing the job. Perhaps more money should be spent on it but it should be completed and the €4.2 million protected. I asked the Secretary General that day to provide a full report on the matter and now it has been pushed to Tipperary Town Council, Tipperary Hostel Limited, Pobal and others. We need to go back to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this and ask what is going to be done. We have more correspondence relating to this before us and it is a scandal that this matter would be let go without intervention from some Department or without bringing the various players in this together to find a solution. I ask the committee to agree that we write to the Secretary General to ask for a more comprehensive report on this matter with a view to bringing forward some sort of resolution to the problem that exists and to inform us as to how they intend to protect the investment of €4.2 million made by the taxpayer in that project.

The other matter we would like to get up to date on is the letter to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges regarding the investigation into the SIPTU fund.