Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that, as do all other members of the committee. This is now March 2013 and there is clearly an issue for which Ms Creedon seeks a remedy through the courts, which is as it should be. We all place the interest of the taxpayer at the centre. There is also an issue for the committee, not just in terms of moneys expended or forgone in any particular arrangement but also in terms of the decision-making structures and the level of oversight that was at play. For me, the latter outweighs the issue of moneys in this particular case. It struck me, in private or public session, that we cannot have or the witnesses are not prepared to have a discussion on these matters. We need to know the precise sequence of events of the acquisition and the remodelling of the premises which were never occupied. We need to know the exact whos, whys and wheres of how that transpired because that is where the taxpayers' interest is best served.