State rent payments - Questionable extravagance

In the past six years the state has paid over €700 million in rent to what are some of the country’s wealthiest property developers.

Beef baron Larry Goodman and property developers John Byrne, Liam Carroll and Bernard McNamara are among those who earned millions of euro from renting property to the state.

John Byrne earned €5.7m from five leases to the state. His companies have leased properties to the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Liam Carroll’s companies earned €5.5m from tenants that include the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Larry Goodman’s firms received almost €5m from tenants that include the Department of Environment, Department of Foreign Affairs, the Comptroller and Auditor General and Office of Public Works. Bernard McNamara’s firms received €3.7m in rents from Department of Foreign Affairs, Social and Family Affairs, and the Department of Justice, among other agencies.

There is no suggestion of any impropriety in any of these transactions, but the extravagance of renting property on long-term arrangements, instead of purchasing or building permanent structures to fulfil departmental requirements must be questioned.