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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 11 Feb 1999

Vol. 500 No. 3

Written Answers. - Departmental Properties.

Brendan Howlin

Question:

48 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the report of the sale of Glen Ding submitted to his Department by the Comptroller and Auditor General; if his attention has been drawn to claims by a planning consultant (details supplied), who advised his Department on the sale, that he did not advise his Department to sell the site privately to Roadstone Ltd. in spite of the suggestion to the contrary contained in the Comptroller and Auditor General report; and the steps, if any, he has taken to examine these claims. [3801/99]

On 8 January 1999, I presented the special report prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General, into the 1990 sale of 58.65 hectares of State lands at Glen Ding, County Wicklow, by the then Department of Energy to Roadstone Limited to Dáil Éireann.

As indicated to this House on 30 September and 4 November 1998, I was happy to co-operate fully with any examination the House might wish to carry out in relation to the sale of the Glen Ding lands and to facilitate the Committee of Public Accounts in any such examination. Full co-operation was provided to the Comptroller and Auditor General in the preparation of his report in the matter, which I presented to the Dáil on 8 January 1999. I also supplied a copy of the report to the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and assured him my Department would provide any further assistance the Public Accounts Committee may require in examining the report. I noted the important conclusions of the Comptroller and Auditor General but as I indicated on 8 January, it is not for me to comment further on the method of sale used, over eight years ago to dispose of these lands. I accept the Comptroller and Auditor General's finding that all concerned acted at "all times in the best commercial interest of the State".

The report in question was considered today by the Committee of Public Accounts. I will continue to co-operate with the Committee in relation to this matter. As regards the second part of the question, the Comptroller and Auditor General's report is based on his examination of all relevant files held in my Department and on papers supplied to him by Deputy Dick Roche. I have no further comment.
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