Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am surprised we have allowed this to get to this stage. If officials and NAMA have been involved in talks and been haggling over price, which I presume is what the Minister of State said, how have we let it be publicly put up for sale? Media reports suggest it has an asking price of some €2.5 million but the problem is that, when it is opened up to other bidders, it will be difficult for the State to get the price right between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and NAMA, though I hope there will not be any difficulty in this regard. The Minister's response confirms that we are all agreed on the fact that this makes absolute sense. A national park beside the existing national park would increase the park by 10% and is a perfect fit for what we already have. It would add huge value to the State. How does the Minister of State propose entering into talks with the Minister for Finance and NAMA to stop this and not allow private people to come in?

If the price reported in the newspapers is correct, it is only about €500 an acre. I believe the Minister has done some work in auctioneering and he will know that is not a high price. In terms of some of the benefits that would accrue, this site is located beside a huge population and is used frequently for recreational purposes. The health benefits alone of encouraging people to walk there and enjoying the natural benefits of it would mean we would get a very quick return on that price.

I ask the Minister to intervene directly in this matter. I know there are sensitivities around NAMA in terms of how he can approach it and so on, but this is a perfect example in that there is no possible commercial development. It makes sense for us to get hold of it, finish this quickly so we can stop a private bidder coming in and increasing the price to €3 million or €4 million. If that happens, we will have real difficulty in getting it back to the State. How does the Minister of State think he might do it?

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