Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I ask the Leader for a debate on public private partnerships, PPPs, in the autumn in view of the recent problems at the Ringsend wastewater treatment unit and the amount of money that the relevant local authorities had to pay under the PPP, which amounted to €35 million. A number of PPPs are based on this model. The former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, stated in the House that the Ringsend plant was based on best practice although there was no comparable PPP in the country. Not only should the debate I request cover PPPs but also the funding of local authorities. I am disappointed we have not had a debate to date on the Green Paper on local authorities. We should have this also.