Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It would be interesting for us to see all of the correspondence together. By making these inquiries, I wanted to help build a case for my fellow committee members that there was an area of public spending we needed to examine as a committee and to clarify who would be best to come before the committee for that purpose. The site is Whitehall College of Further Education on the Swords Road. It is a significant building that is deemed not fit for purpose. There is a contractual issue in that regard with Western Building Systems. Contractual and legal issues are trundling along in the background, which are costing money. The education and training board, ETB, is also developing a significant site adjoining the college and there is also Home Farm Football Club. Different decisions are being made on the broader adjoining area due to the metro alignment by the National Transport Authority, NTA. This site prevented it from making good strategic decisions. It was proposed to reallocate a pitch but that could not happen because of the legal issues on this site. This matter needs to be brought to an end. There needs to be some accountability for what happened, whether that lies entirely with Western Building Systems, the procurement process or elsewhere. Without prejudice to the other documentation coming to us, I would like there to be a committee hearing at some point related to it. I appreciate other committee members may wish to see the correspondence from the OPW.