John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I am not aware of any issue regarding compensating underbidders. With regard to the actual repairs to the facility, CSID's first priority was to make the building safe and that work, together with the weather proofing, was undertaken straight away. At that point Kavanagh Mansfield & Partners, Consulting Structural and Civil Engineers, were commissioned to provide an independent report to examine the damage and provide a preliminary report as a matter of priority. The loss adjustor for the insurer also commissioned engineers to examine the damage but because of the weather conditions, in particular the high winds experienced during January, access to the roof proved to be very difficulty and that delayed the work of the engineers.

The Kavanagh Mansfield report was received on 28 January. Rohcon Limited, the company responsible for the design and construction of the centre, was supplied with a copy of that report on 4 February and it was asked to supply its proposals for immediate works. Rohcon, in turn, required some time to study the findings of the Kavanagh Mansfield report, including consultations with the roofing contractors who were based in England, and to do its own investigations before it could bring forward acceptable proposals for remedial works, which it did on 22 February. Discussions between the various parties, in particular between Kavanagh Mansfield & Partners and CSID on the one hand and Rohcon Limited and its sub-contractors on the other, and also involving the insurance company and its assessors, have taken place over the past three weeks and a schedule of remedial works was discussed at a meeting on 15 March between CSID's engineers and the contractors and their engineers and architects.

Work has commenced. Some further discussions are necessary to finalise the schedule of remedial works. Following finalisation of these discussions, the contractors expect to advise CSID tomorrow as to when the remedial works will be completed and of the consequent reopening of the centre. As I said, the best information available to me at this point is that the work will be completed within a six to eight week period.

I should explain to Deputy Deenihan and the House that there are many parties involved in this process, which is part of the reason it has taken so long, but the health and safety of the members, staff and general public has been CSID's primary concern in dealing with this unfortunate event.

As far as I am concerned, the State and the taxpayer will not be responsible for restoring the National Aquatic Centre to its former state. This is an issue for the contractors and their insurers to resolve. That is the manner in which I am approaching the issue at this point.

With regard to Dublin Waterworld Ltd., I would have hoped that it would have employment insurance cover in respect of its own staff. I have no plans whatsoever to compensate Dublin Waterworld Ltd. In fact, I do not have plans in regard to this matter which will cost the taxpayer any money.

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