Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The receivership of Roadbridge is leaving a trail of human and economic destruction across County Mayo. In the short time I have I will make a couple of requests. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment needs to establish a task force to identify what bonds and insurance are in place for the various projects in which Roadbridge is involved. The Government has responsibility for this because, as recently as July, it awarded a major tender to Roadbridge to complete the N5 from Ballaghadereen to Scramogue, thereby sending a message of confidence in the company. Subcontractors, who have been in business for generations, have been left on the hook for this. They have secured contracts from semi-State companies and Government agencies.

They are entitled to their money and their employees are entitled to their wages. I cannot tell the Minister the level of distress this is causing throughout our county.

I know the Minister will not have the answer to this but for those listening from the Department, where stands the Construction Contracts Bill 2013 championed by the late former Senator Feargal Quinn, which is supposed to protect suppliers in situations like this? It is an indictment of Government tendering policy, going back several administrations, that it seems to be price above everything. When the foundations were not there for the company, it collapsed and it is bringing subcontractors and employees with it.

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