Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This Government is spearheading a substantial shift in how the State delivers building projects in third level education. Essentially, PPP is a misleading name for an agreement where a developer delivers a project and the Government agrees to pay every year for 25 years for the right to use the building. It is essentially build to rent for the Government. It is good for the developer, but bad for the public.

We have not seen their use in third level education since the last time Fianna Fáil was in government. Now all new buildings of technological universities and institutes of technology are planned to be delivered exclusively through PPP contracts. Significant questions remain for citizens about value for money, accountability and the long-term impact on public finances. It also relates to the privatisation of public services. These contracts give rights to provide the related services which include building maintenance, cleaning, security, ground maintenance and IT support.

See this speech in context