The former minister for the environment, Mr Brendan Howlin, has expressed concern about the circumstances surrounding the sale of state land at Blessington, Co Wicklow, in 1992. Questions now being raised in relation to the sale of Glen Ding Wood to Roadstone Dublin Ltd, a subsidiary of CRH, should be answered by Mr Bobby Molloy, minister for energy at the time, said Mr Howlin. The late Mr Des Traynor was chairman of CRH when the purchase was made.
Mr Howlin asked senior officials in his Department for a report on the circumstances of the rezoning of part of Glen Ding Wood for quarrying, shortly before he left office.
He said the sale of the land by the government in 1992 now merited a fresh investigation.
"There are questions to be answered in terms of the mechanisms used to sell the land, whether there was competitive tendering and whether there was an independent valuation of the land." The Fianna Fail TD for Wicklow, Mr Dick Roche, described the sale of the land and its subsequent rezoning for quarrying as "appalling". He said an inquiry should be conducted by the Dail Public Accounts Committee.
He said he had no doubt that the then minister for energy, Mr Bobby Molloy, had acted entirely on the advice of his officials in relation to the sale.
"It is going to be very difficult to explain how a piece of property of this value was not sold by public tender," he said.
The 147 acres was sold by the Department of Energy in January 1992 on the basis that it was unlikely planning permission would be granted, Mr Roche said. Wicklow County Council should now explain its decision in September 1996 to rezone 80 acres of amenity land for quarrying to allow Roadstone Dublin Ltd to extract sand and gravel reserves.
The vice-chairman of Wicklow County Council and former Labour TD, Mr Liam Kavanagh, said the sale and rezoning of Glen Ding Wood should form part of a tribunal of inquiry into Mr Haughey's affairs while he was in office. He said another sizeable bid had been submitted to the Department before the land was sold, but this was simply returned.
The Blessington Heritage Trust brought High Court proceedings against the county council following the rezoning and a judgment is expected shortly. Mr Frank Corocran, its chairman, said: "Although there were 1,415 objections from people who knew this was an area of archaeological importance, these objections were discounted by councillors because the OPW said it was of no archaeological importance.
"I was personally told in 1992 by the Department of Energy that an area of archaeological interest inside Roadstone's land was delisted before the land was sold."
Roadstone Dublin Ltd has denied suggestions that any improper influence was exercised by Mr Traynor in the purchase of Glen Ding. A recent statement read: "The apparent attempt to create a connection between Roadstone's purchase of its lands at Blessington and CRH's former chairman, Des Traynor, is a mischievous and spurious attempt to damage Roadstone's reputation."
It said Mr Traynor was a non-executive chairman and would have played no role in "identifying or negotiating any group purchases".