Mr. John O'Connor:

I do not know how one distinguishes between the planning process and the preparation of projects, decisions relating to projects and so forth. The planning application derives from the consideration of the project and decisions relating to the project. That takes into account costs, environment and everything else. EirGrid must make the best proposal it can, balancing all of these factors, and then send it forward. Once the proposal is decided, I will have no further involvement in the planning application in terms of making it, drafting it, the oral hearing, making observations, responding to observations and so forth. I will not be involved in that, as I tried to say in my presentation. However, I cannot say, as chairperson of the company, that I will have nothing to do with making decisions about the main issues around the proposals and the policies of the company which impact on those.