Departmental Agencies

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 March 2012

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Questions (166)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

207 Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, following a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts on 8 November 2011 when members were told the Department of Finance advised Campus Stadium Ireland Development that it would have to issue proceedings to recover VAT from Dublin Waterworld Limited, if he will confirm the instructions that were issued by his Department and if he was furnished with the opinions of both Campus Stadium Ireland Development’s legal advisers and taxation advisers on the VAT issue. [12646/12]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Deputy Brendan Howlin)

My understanding is that the Public Accounts Committee has been given access to Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport records among which is reference to the Department of Finance having indicated orally that it could not consent to abandoning an attempt to recover VAT in a case involving Campus Stadium Ireland Development. The relevant Vote section — which generally acts as a first contact point on a wide range of issues with the relevant line department and which at the time would have been part of the Department of Finance and is now part of my Department — has no record of any written instruction having been issued in this regard, nor any record of having received advice from CSID's advisers.