McCreevy spurns criticism on funding

MINISTER for Finance Charlie McCreevy last night gave his first public defence of his role in the controversial decision to allocate €15.5m to the Punchestown event centre.

In a typically cavalier speech during the adjournment debate in the Dáil, the minister dismissed criticism of the decision out of hand.

However, he did not directly address questions raised by the Public Accounts Committee about why he and Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh had fast-tracked approval without subjecting the project to the usual application process.