Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the people from Castlebar. It is my mother’s home town. She is a Quigley from Snugborough. It is great to have them here and it is good of the father of the House to bring them.

On a serious note, we had a debate in this House before the referendum. Serious questions were asked about the tax implications, the implications for social welfare law and other parts of the law. The answers that were given, I believe, misled this House. The Minister responsible must come to this House and explain how he answered as he did and spent €20 million of citizens’ hard-earned tax money to drive two referendums, one on family and the other on care, over the line. The citizens of this country never asked for them and promptly dismissed them when given the opportunity. The revelations in one of the newspapers today are extraordinary. In particular, my colleague Senator McDowell’s column in The Irish Times is shattering, from my perspective.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Dublin Airport Authority tried to buy the former Q Park some months ago. I referred the matter to the Competition Authority, which blocked the purchase stating it was anti-competitive. I learned yesterday that Dublin Airport Authority is attempting to enter into a short-term lease agreement for this parking at the airport. That would give Dublin Airport some 90% to 95% of all parking for Dublin Airport. It is utterly outrageous. I am shocked to hear the Competition Authority has expressed no interest whatever in blocking the leasing of this carpark. If buying and operating it is uncompetitive, surely to God leasing and operating it is equally so. Why has the National Asset Management Agency not gone back to the market? I understand there are people who are willing to pay in excess of €70 million for this site. NAMA’s job is to collect money for the hard-pressed taxpayers who pulled this country out of the terrible mess it was in in 2008. I ask that this matter be brought to the Leader’s office.