State must answer fire safety questions

The case for a widespread audit of Celtic Tiger-era buildings has never been as strong, writes Michael Clifford.

THE events of the last week strengthen the case that the State is involved in a major cover-up over how things operated during the building boom. The cover-up involves a gamble that nobody will be killed or seriously injured, at least until the next election, after which it might be somebody else’s problem.

The cost of coming clean could run into hundreds of millions, probably impacting on the capacity to distribute goodies in the next budget or two.