Ms Helena Fitzgerald:

One important aspect of the motion that the council passed was that the executive was not to recommend a route in Carlow. This has been an ongoing problem with our county council executive. In 2012, the county council executive issued a letter to EirGrid, welcoming it to the county and selecting the route which runs west of Mount Leinster. I think it is the D7 route. Therefore, last year our local authority welcomed EirGrid to use one of the most scenic landscapes in the country. That letter was issued without discussion in the council chamber. I do not think the councillors were even copied the letter. I am part of the group affected by that letter. When the county manager asked for this other report, it stated, in a work of genius, that the shortest route through the county would have the least impact on the county.