Dáil debates

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

3:00 pm

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

I have heard Deputy McLoughlin's suggestion that €200,000 be ring-fenced for the repair of housing within the Sligo Borough Council area. That is from the €2 million being allocated to the Cranmore development. As I understand it, that has been delayed for a considerable period but has now been given the green light. I will ascertain if commitments were given in that regard and I anticipate that if they were, Sligo Borough Council would furnish full and comprehensive detail in respect thereof. I am not in a position to give a commitment standing here without examining the file on the matter for Sligo and the Cranmore area. I will have the matter reviewed in that context.

On the question of contracts, Deputy McLoughlin is well aware that once the project values exceed €1 million, they must be advertised in the Official Journal so everybody has the opportunity to participate in the process. Deputy McLoughlin may be alluding to the fact that tendering procedures should be looked at so that contracts can be broken down. The Deputy has alluded to people trying to secure some valuable work in order to provide very important employment to some of the 440,000 unemployed people. There may be a way to ensure the people referred to by the Deputy have a chance to secure some of those contracts in order to provide much-needed employment. Perhaps that is the way forward.

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