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Taxpayers Snubbed by Luas Builder's

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  • 06-11-2003 2:29am
    #1
    Bee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 430 ✭✭


    From the Irish Independent
    Fury over Luas firm 'snub' to transport probe call

    THE consortium building the troubled €775m Luas tram system yesterday refused to appear before a joint Oireachtas committee to answer questions about the chaos it is causing.

    The decision was only communicated to the committee on the eve of this morning's scheduled showdown at Leinster House, the Irish Independent has learned.

    AMB Joint Venture told the high-powered committee in a letter received late yesterday it would not get involved in a public debate on the progress of the project and that disruption to business in Dublin by the Luas works was "outside the contractor's remit".

    The contracting consortium had been due to appear before the Joint Committee on Transport at 9.30am this morning along with the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).

    Last night committee chairman Fianna Fail TD Eoin Ryan lashed out at the refusal to attend.

    He said: "It seems strange that a company which is spending over €700m of taxpayers' money will not come in and answer questions that every citizen in Dublin is asking."

    The chairman said the move amounted to a snub.

    "They should come in and explain what they are going to be doing between now and Christmas," he added.

    AMB Joint Venture in its letter obtained by this newspaper said it would not be appearing before the committee after consulting with its partners.

    The consortium said that the RPA - which is still appearing at the committee this morning - was its employer on the contract and maintained a constant monitoring of day-to-day progress.

    "Therefore as they are well informed on the progress of the works, we consider it is more appropriate that they answer to the committee on the issue raised," stated the letter signed by Giovanni Cavalli, chairman AMB Joint Venture.

    In their eleventh hour refusal, in which they apologise to the committee for the lateness of their response, the consortium said there was no precedent for a private contractor appearing before the transport committee to account for performance and progress on a public works project.

    The consortium said it had taken this decision following clarification with the Construction Industry Federation.

    Last week the ESRI warned that "serious cost-creep" had dogged the Luas since its beginning, and the economic think-tank also accused Luas planners of changing crucial design aspects "on the hoof" without analysing the impact on costs.

    Treacy Hogan
    Environment Correspondent


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