Irish Politics, Current Affairs and Magazine Archive - Politico.ie | The law parades its privilege in lavish new home

Irish Politics, Current Affairs and Magazine Archive - Politico.ie | The law parades its privilege in lavish new home: At the committee hearings the chief executive of the Courts Service, Brendan Ryan, said the construction and fit out costs were €149m, including Vat. He added that there would also be a ‘‘€21.4m unitary charge for 25 years’’ ,which amounts to €535m.
Anyway, this ‘‘statement building’’ either did cost or will cost a very large amount of money - and the question I want to ask is: who decided that such a large amount of public monies should be spent on this PPP venture rather than, say, on the regeneration of St Michael’s estate in Inchicore, which is only a few stones’ throws away?
According to the St Michael’s website, the project was to provide for the physical and social regeneration of the estate, involving 720 dwellings (165 social, 75 affordable, 480 private). It would also have included a civic centre with a library, a parish centre, three creches, a youth centre, a family resource centre, a healthcare centre, two football pitches, play areas, a new urban square, a village green and a public square.
This was all abandoned in 2008, while the new Criminal Courts of Justice statement building was under construction.
How could it be that a courts building, an upgrade of existing facilities, got priority at such enormous cost, ahead of housing for thousands of people in a disadvantaged area?ANSWER MAY BE FOUND ON"PUBLIC INQUIRY"CORRUPTION IN IRELAND?