Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Minister's role in securing the site although, unfortunately, it continues to be breached. The Department incurred significant expenditure in attempting to secure the site.

I deplore the fact that Kildare County Council did not achieve ownership of the site when it was offered to it in 2009. It is a disgrace that the local authority did not proceed at that time. I put it to the Minister, given that he is now the owner on behalf of the Irish people, that it is incumbent on him to be proactive in this matter.

I would suggest that Kildare County Council has a role, but so, too, has the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. Gone are the days when we want to see this site developed for affordable housing. That proposition is certainly a dead duck and it is not one about which I was ever wildly enthusiastic. However, it is a site that has considerable potential in terms of job creation and, perhaps, recreational amenity facilities, as it has for educational facilities. The Minister has a role and I would call on him to be proactive in engaging with his ministerial colleagues on the matter.

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