Mr. Mark Griffin:

What EirGrid has done on Grid Link in terms of setting out the corridor options and so on was the right thing to do. There was always the risk, if it did not take that approach, that it would be accused of rushing to judgment and deciding on a single route option without having taken account of all the possibilities that exist. This approach has led to concerns at local level, about which I am sure Members as local representatives are hearing. I know that EirGrid wishes to address these concerns and to continue the engagement process. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next month in terms of how this works out.

The Minister has spoken extensively on this issue in the Dáil and Seanad over the past ten days. He dealt with the matter in the Seanad last Tuesday week and again in the Dáil last Thursday night by way of a Topical Issue matter, at which time he set out as best he could at this stage Government policy on the matter. He also made it clear that it is not his role or that of the Government or his Department to direct infrastructure developers to particular sites, routes or technologies. This is clearly set out in the Government policy statement. I am not prepared to say much more than that at this stage. It is important we allow the consultation process to continue. Members will have an opportunity to go into detail with EirGrid next week on its thinking in terms of route selection and overgrounding versus undergrounding.

The consultation document published in September by EirGrid, which kicked off this phase of the consultation process, sets out the rationale and considerations around the overgrounding versus undergrounding option. There are technical and cost considerations involved. This is, unfortunately, a hard issue with which to grapple. I read the material submitted by EirGrid. It is technical, complex and difficult to get behind. Next week's committee meeting with EirGrid is an opportunity for the agency to explain the issues around overgrounding, visual amenity and how this can be dealt with in terms of the planning process. It is also an opportunity for EirGrid to explain its thinking in terms of the next stage of the process as the route options are considered and the feedback is received from the public consultation process.