Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

This is not personal, but with due respect to Mr. Moran it is unacceptable from a taxpayers' viewpoint that a person who has been in a building rent free for the last 21 years is now buying that building at 1993 values. Maybe it would be a different situation if they were paying current values, but they are actually buying it at a price that was negotiated 21 years ago. It is as if I were renting a house near my home since 1993, having agreed at that time to buy it from an individual to whom I said: "I will pay you a deposit, but I will not pay you any rent because as far as I am concerned, I am going to stay in the house for the next 21 years, pay no rent in that period and then pay a price based on current values." It is laughable. It is so off the Richter scale that it needs to be put to bed quickly. I read the reports. I put it to Mr. Moran that we need a proper detailed brief on the circumstances around this. Ultimately, when it comes down to it, we are often inclined to lose sight of this. I accept that the harbours do fantastic work. Funding of €56 million was provided over the five-year period between 2007 and 2011 that we are looking at. How much of that would have been provided in 2012, 2013 and 2014? Would it have been roughly €8 million a year?