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DUBLIN CITY MANAGER Owen Keegan has said that the public private partnership (PPP) company behind the Poolbeg waste incinerator project may seek to recoup funds if the project doesn’t go ahead.
Speaking to the Oireachtas Environment Committee today, Keegan said that he “wouldn’t like to advise” the company behind the project but said that it is likely they would try and get some payback on their investment if the project was shut down:
It’s not a simple of method of just stopping. There’s a real possibility that the company might say that they have a argument that they had a legitimate expectation that this would go ahead.
The project has so far cost the taxpayer €96 million with just €4 million recouped by local government from the company behind it.
The rest of these funds would likely be lost if the project is shut down according to Keegan ,who argued that these could be recouped “over a long period” if it went ahead.
Keegan told the committee that the €96 million spent should be viewed in terms of the total budget of the project of €600 million, €500 million of which is slated to come form the PPP company.
If the project goes ahead, this would be sourced externally by the company with local authorities likely to pay only “about €4-5 million”.
Consultancy
In a submission sent to the committee, it was shown that the spend on consultancy fees for the process had increased from €8 million to over €30 million.
Keegan was not in the position of Dublin City Manager at the time but said that a decision was taken at the time not to break a contract with outside consultants. This decision in hindsight has proven to be wrong he said.
“I have no doubt that had we known that it would have gone on as long as it did then we would not have made that decision,” he said.
Delay
The original project board was formed back in 2004 but as yet no final decision has been made on whether the project will happen.
Keegan said today that the delays to the completion of the project were due to factors that “were largely outside of the control of the DCC”.
The DCC manager was asked straight out if he believed that the project would go ahead, “I don’t know”, was his response.
He said that the major obstacle to the project’s compaction is a challenge that has been submitted to the EU Commission which has been ongoing for three years.
A number of committee members outlined their criticism of the project with Sinn Féin’s Brian Stanley TD saying he is “very concerned” about the monies spent so far.
“€4 million has been recouped but the rest is being paid for by the public, and I don’t see any evidence of it on site, ” he said.
Fianna Fáil Senator Averil Power questioned whether the project could be compared to the money spent on electronic voting machines, asking if ”it had gone too far for people to admit they were wrong”.
The current CEO of Irish Water John Tierney was the Dublin City Manager from September 2006 to January 2013 and Labour TD Kevin Humphreys said that he would be seeking Tierney’s appearance to answer questions about the project.
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An absolute hero who gave everything and never thought of himself.
RIP, he was genuinely one of the good ones, saw through the religious divide and saw the good in everyone.
I had the honour of meeting Fr. Reid while he was at a seminary in San Sebastian in the Basque Country. The Basque people loved and admired him too. He was an inspiration and set an example for conflict resolution in that region also. Rest In Peace.
May he rest in peace. How many lives were saved because of this man’s actions? A real hero in the modern age.
Heard him described on the radio as “a fully paid up member of the human race”…cant add to that..RIP.
terrible news, he was a good man who done his best for the people in the North
He used to pop in to Comans in Rathgar to watch the football games, he never said who he was, nor I never asked him, as the match went on, he’d close his eyes for 40 winks, he never failed to say hello whilst out walking, but that wasn’t me, that was for everyone
What a contribution this man made towards the well being and safety of all of his fellow human beings on this tiny Island of ours.
Gosh, if in my lifetime I could do but a thimble full of the goodness which this man did, I would count my life as having been well worth while.
If ever there was a life worth celebrating and commemorating it would have to be the life of Alec Reid. Perhaps a scholarship in peace studies or some such educational endevour should now be considered in his honour of his memory.
We must never be allowed to forget the great good this man did in his lifetime.
The future of peace within the human family on the entire plot of land called Ireland will likely depend on it.
May you rest in peace Alec and may the good you did live on and be known to our children and our children’s children.
Nice to see a positive story about priests in news. They get a lot bad press over last few yrs,well done FR.
I believe that it was Father Alec Reid who was more instrumental than Bertie Ahern in initiating and mataining the momentum of the peace process.
Sadly, many prefer to ascribe the credit to Bertie but Bertie was not the sole mover in the peace process.
Father Red exercised personal courage, miral integrity and enormous skill in what he achieved. Many, many lives were saved as a result.
Atheist myself, but ‘God’ bless the peacemakers, of which this fine old gent was one.
If only more had the balls to act half of what he was. History will remember him to be the true architect of the good Friday agreement not the political fools that did kicking and screaming.
a sad day indeed
This priest went beyond the call of Duty. He was able to bring both sides together to try and sort out issues. That was no mean achievement. I heard an interview today on the radio it was said that he had a special gift of getting people together no matter what persuasion they were from. So I think Fr. Reid R.I.P. Deserves all the Great tributes that are being paid to him today.
Fr. Alec Reid, thank you for your unique approach that has transformed peace to this land.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
“May his soul be on God’s right side”
He never sought attention for himself but without him the Peace Process would never have come to anything.
A true Christian in that while he always condemed the sin he loved the sinner, irrespective of who he was & the photo of him praying over the dead soldier, one of the most iconic photos of the 20th century, was truly what Christ would have done in the same circumstances.
May he rest in peace.
We lost a good man today.
Goodnight Father.
We were blessed to have this man in our Country. I heard him described today on de radio as a reluctant hero, so true. Rip
is it not interesting that we are celebrating and remembering this mans great leadership and accomplishments on the day that he dies, 50 years to the day that another leader was cut down before he could show his qualities ….
A rarity in the clergy. He was a good man
What he did was to sit on the fence. By failing to condemn he indirectly supported the murder of the innocent.
Aaaaand here we go. You and your ilk bugger off you’ve no place here. He was a great, selfless and noble man. End of.
D**khead
Yeah just like your Idol and hero the great Rev Ian Paisley who did so much to try end Sectarian violence between two tribes. One majority tribe trying to keep the other in the gutter and trying to cling to power. But your days are up Kido
Imagine being you. I’d say it is terrible.
He condemned violence on all sides, his words and more so his actions proved that. Well done good and faithful servant. May he rest in peace.
Parm can’t be bothered to write your name properly (anyone betting on the cheap return shot) you are a complete and utter ignorant Sprat ( take away the s)
His years of work for peace in Northern Ireland, will always be remembered.
RIP to a truly great man.
There have been hundreds of comments on British Ex-Services sites thanking Father Reid for his actions and wishing RIP.
Saturday around 8pm over 500 on the Royal Signals site, both soldiers wereSignals.
Father Reid carried out his duty as a Priest in an exemplary fashion.
I also believe the actions of people present at the incident showed the respect he was held in
RIP
A great man of peace. ~~I’m surprised he didn’t join the “disappeared” for praying over the two murdered soldiers. people had been killed for much less!
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