Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

Mountjoy should have been replaced 40 years ago and it certainly needs to be replaced now. In doing so, the Government should take account of best practice. The Minister should recognise that he is not spending his money or that of the Government but the taxpayers' money. The Minister should also recognise that the procedures involved should be in accordance with current best practice. The basic requirement in this situation is the one incorporated in the motion whereby the Comptroller and Auditor General could examine all the procedures relating to the acquisition. If the Comptroller and Auditor General says it is fine then let us proceed, but he should have the opportunity of examining the details. Let us have a professional opinion on such matters following which it is to be hoped we will at least know what is in store.

In the course of the economic boom in recent years, there have been countless overruns and overspends which have all been bemoaned after the fact. This has occurred in almost every area, including electronic voting, the Luas, the M50, the Red Cow roundabout and the port tunnel. The latter project will not take the traffic it was intended to cope with, so people are now trying to figure out how lorries will access the tunnel to get to the port. We should examine the procedures concerning such projects beforehand to be happy that they represent value for money. The Houses of the Oireachtas should know where the Government stands before we go any further.

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