John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

Yes. I apologise for it not being circulated. We have not received copies of it yet. Some of what I am about to say is not contained in my script. I am simply responding to what has been said. The point was made by some speakers that a developer may walk away from a signed contract at any stage without incurring penalties, but I take this opportunity to assure them that that is not the case. The contract agreements for housing PPP projects are extremely comprehensive legal documents which deal with a range of circumstances around default by any party to the contract or lack of agreement between the parties. I emphasise, however, that these matters of contract breakdown must be treated with the utmost sensitivity, as I as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government am not a party to any contract. That is an important point. Inappropriate interventions could compromise the ability of the local authority to exercise the terms of the existing contract. This is the process in which the city council is now engaged.

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