PPPs contract details to stay secret

CONTRACTS to build and maintain schools and hospitals worth hundreds of millions of euro under the Government’s new Public Private Partnership system are to remain secret.

The Department of Finance has confirmed that details of agreements with private firms will not be disclosed because it says they are commercially sensitive.

While the full initial cost to the Exchequer is available, key details such as the firm’s obligation to maintain a building, their sources of financing and the cost for breaching a contract are not known.