Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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On the oversight and control public of spending code the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has, we are in a situation now where we have a fairly large national development plan with many big projects being rolled out. There have been some substantial infrastructural upgrades done over the past number of decades.

In that context, I wish to ask about cases where there may be a level of collusion between companies that are tendering. In July, six Spanish construction firms were fined €200 million by the Spanish regulator for colluding on bids for public-private contracts, or public private partnerships, PPPs, as we know them. The regulator found that their behaviour resulted in fewer and lower quality bids being received. The Spanish state has moved to ban these companies from winning public contracts for the foreseeable future. Five of those Spanish companies have won contracts for PPPs in this State. Was Mr. Moloney aware of the situation that arose in Spain and the decision of the regulator there?