Mr. John McCarthy:

I have been aware of the papers on this and, in the time available, we have had some engagement with Galway City Council in regard to it just to try to establish the facts. There are two things at play. One is that the purchase of land is an executive function under one provision of the Local Government Act and the raising of borrowing is an elected member function under section 106. In regard to the purchase of the particular site in Galway, while a contract was signed prior to the borrowing approval being secured from the elected members, my understanding is that a specific condition was included in the contract that provided that if the elected members' approval was not achieved within a six-week period, the contract would not be enforceable.