Michael McCarthy (Labour)

It is a wonder the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform got so animated and emotional on national television last Thursday evening about the £8,000 the Taoiseach received in Manchester, whereas he rejected out of hand yesterday the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, which clearly states the Government paid almost twice the market value when buying 150 acres of land at Thornton Hall as the site of the prison that will replace Mountjoy Prison. Where is the value for money for taxpayers in the latter instance? The Tánaiste needs to come to the House to explain how such a squandering of money can be justified. How can he spend €30 million on land that is worth just half of that amount? I am talking about the same man who was annoyed, emotional and upset last Thursday evening when he was asked about £8,000 that was received in Manchester.

I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, to come to this House to discuss local government. The Minister has arranged to meet Whips in recent times to speak about the service given to Members of the Oireachtas by local authorities. I am not certain how the service works in most other counties, but I find it to be increasingly inefficient. I have to wait for replies from county managers and directors of services. I understand a great deal of money is being wasted on using Oireachtas facilities, such as e-mails and faxes, to contact people who are blatantly taking advantage of the fact that Members of the Oireachtas are no longer members of local authorities. Such people do not have to bump into us as often as they used to. The service we are getting has not improved. During the debate in this House on the abolition of the dual mandate, the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, gave a very clear commitment that Members of the Oireachtas would enjoy the same level of service after the abolition of the dual mandate as they enjoyed when they were members of local authorities. I cannot say that has happened, certainly in the cases of some of the officials with whom I have to deal. I ask the Minister, Deputy Roche, to come to the House to explain his plan, which was publicised in the media in recent times, to allow Members of the Oireachtas to attend special sittings of local authorities and to get a better service from local authority officials.