Mr. Michael Malone:

While we are reluctant to comment on any schemes other than our own, a lot of the decisions on schemes revolve around the issues of scale, complexity and cost. Some schemes can be very costly and the more costly they are, the more difficult it is to secure funding for them. We have undertaken a range of schemes ourselves, some of which are minor and some of which are major. When we set up the dedicated team within Kildare County Council we were in a position to draw up schemes and to ensure that any cost-benefit analysis would support them. That went a long way in terms of enabling us to make our case to the OPW. When plans are being prepared, one must ensure that one ticks all the boxes in order to secure funding.