Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh míle maith agat a Chathaoirligh. Maidir leis an ceann eile ón ollscoil i nGaillimh, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an uachtarán nua. Beidh an post á thógáil suas aige i mí Eanáir an bhliain seo chugainn. B'fhéidir go bhfuil cuimhne ag an gCathaoirleach ar an uachtarán a bhí anseo agus ar na deacrachtaí maidir le Gaeilge. Tá ardú meanman orm go bhfuil duine faighte acu a bhfuil sárchumas Gaeilge aige agus is as an tír é. Ba mhaith liom é sin a rá i dtús báire.

Maidir leis an rud seo ón Department of Education and Skills, I welcome that we are beginning to get some clarification on this. We now have a document from the Department that sets out properties without a single date as to when this process started. I would like a comment from the Comptroller and Auditor General. We are doing our best to bring accountability. We know about the Ryan report and the deal that was entered into following that. Properties were to be transferred. My attention was drawn to this because of the Lenaboy site in Taylor's Hill in Galway, which is the last building on that list. That building has been empty at least since 2009. When this item came before us, it was confirmed that the decision was made to hand it over in 2009. I and other Deputies raised questions about other properties. I will be general and specific. Precisely when was the decision made to hand over all these properties? Where are the dates? They should be included in the document from the Department of Education and Skills. We should not have to drag this out given the painful history, which I will not go into here, of the children who suffered in these institutions. When was the decision made to hand over all these properties? Why is there such a delay? What is going on?

I will finish with the specific building in Lenaboy. It has been empty since 2009. At the most recent meeting of the council there was a positive news story, which I welcome, that this building was donated to the council. There is no donation involved. It is a welcome news story but it was part of a negotiated settlement. The questions are why it sat vacant and why it has deteriorated. Why are we reduced to getting a positive spin on a story that it was handed over with a substantial cash contribution, which it would appear is now going towards addressing the deterioration of the building? I think the sum to be handed over is €750,000. If this is just one building where it has deteriorated, I do not think this is the way to deal with it. There should be absolute facts which tell us this is part of this agreement, it was to be handed over on this date, this is the delay and this is the total package. There should not be the spin of a donation in 2017 of a building that has remained derelict since 2009. My question is specific and general and applies to all the other buildings on this list.