FINAL approval for the sale of the failed Celtworld, leisure theme park at Tramore, Co Waterford, will not be given until Bord Failte holds its next board meeting at the end of February.

A Progressive Democrats' attempt to raise issues concerning the project was disallowed in the Dail yesterday.

The project, which lost more than £4 million before it closed at the end of the summer, has been sold to a Northern Ireland based building consortium for £475,000.

The Bord Failte board, which must approve the sale, held its monthly meeting yesterday, but had not been notified by Celtworld's directors of details of the sale, according to a Bord Failte spokesman. It is expected that the deal will be approved at next month's meeting.

The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Sean Treacy disallowed a questioned by the Progressive Democrats spokesman on Trade and Tourism, Mr Bobby Molloy, on Celtworld.

Mr Molloy had asked tourism minister, Mr Enda Kenny, "if he had satisfied himself that proper procedures were at all times complied with" concerning the project's funding and asked him to make a statement on the matter.

The Ceann Comhairle said the Minister "has no official responsibility to the Dail on the matter.

Mr Molloy accused Mr Kenny of hiding behind Dail procedures and said the reply was most unsatisfactory. He said when there was good news about Celtworld the Minister would speak in the Dail, but when there was bad news he would refer it to Bord Failte.

"Mr Kenny's department is the accounting department for the dispersal of monies to Bord Failte," he pointed out.

Mr Molloy said certain BES investors were very unhappy about the way grants for the project had been allocated. It is estimated that BES investors lost around £230,000 in the venture.

Mr Molloy said he wanted the Minister to outline whether he was happy with the way the grants - which included EU monies and public funds - were allocated, how the project was operated and its assets valued.

It is understood that the Northern Ireland based consortium will continue to operate the theme park as a leisure project. However, the Celtworld theme is likely to be abandoned.

Celtworld was built by Mahon McPhillips, a subsidiary of MF Kent, which had a 33 per cent stake in the venture.