Site in Patrickswell was sold by council to Mr Collins’s wife, Dr Eimear O’Connor
A month later, there was a meeting of councillors who represented the Bruff Local Electoral Area in Co Limerick. One of the items to be considered was the disposal of that same parcel of land in Patrickswell.
Niall Collins was one of the councillors present at the meeting. He along with the other six councillors at the meeting was in favour of the proposal. This is the nub of the issue as far as his role is concerned. However, he was a councillor at the time the decision to sell the land was made at that critical meeting of the Bruff LEA in January 2007. Moreover, he attended the meeting at which the decision was made. All the councillors present were “in favour of the proposal”. So it seems Mr Collins assented to the sale.
The question around which this controversy resolves is how Section 177 of the Act is interpreted. Collins is clearly of the view that neither he nor a connected person had an interest in the site. And that an inquiry to the council expressing an interest in the site did not constitute an interest. It is clear that already Opposition figures hold an opposite view.
The auctioneer appointed by the council wrote to the council on March 22nd to say there had been “good interest to date” in the property.The offer was made by Eimear O’Connor who planned to develop a medical centre there, stated the letter. It is not known if offers were received from other parties or if the council asked for a higher purchase price from the successful buyer.
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