Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan that this has dragged on for years and years and that there was never an agreed solution to the issue. That is why I believed it appropriate that the Government should acquire Nos. 14 to 17 for the Irish public, including the diaspora. That is why a purchase price was agreed and a sum was provided for the proper restoration of the building.

What I should do for the Deputy is to arrange for her to meet the experts from the Office of Public Works who showed me the plans for what they intend to do with the buildings, in a sensitive manner, internally and externally. As somebody who has an interest in the place, the Deputy should understand this. It is not the case that people who were passing by were suddenly working on Nos. 14 to 17. The work is based on a very specific and sensitive plan. There are some elements inside the buildings that are genuinely authentic and that can be restored or reproduced to give a feeling for the colours and materials that were evident in the houses. There are other elements that are not in this category. I can arrange the meeting for the Deputy so that she may see for herself the professionalism of the proposal. Perhaps she does not agree with me. Believe me, it is not a case of a subcontractor moving in and saying he believes we should do this or that. The proposal is based on a very sophisticated and detailed analysis of the work to be carried out on Nos. 14 to 17. The evidence will also be produced for the Deputy in respect of the buildings on either side. Effectively, she is claiming the State should have purchased all of Moore Street up as far as the Rotunda-----

See this speech in context