Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious of the fact that our communities are depending on us to raise their fears and to try to have their concerns addressed. There are very much depending on the committee to be the buffer between them and EirGrid and to try to exhaust all the possibilities that exist before we set the landscape with 43 m pylons.

I am keen to move beyond the consultation process because it does not really matter how long we talk. All that will come out of the consultation process is one question, that is, whether to underground or over-ground. That will be the major and main theme of the EirGrid consultation process and this is the area on which we need to concentrate.

Yesterday, I asked Mr. O'Connor if this was the main theme that comes out of the consultation process whether he would give the committee a commitment that EirGird would consider an independent cost benefit analysis. That would allow us to consider this in an independent way in order that there might be some public acceptance of this project. From where I am standing, there is zero public acceptance at the moment. That is not because people want to be unreasonable for the sake of being unreasonable; they simply believe their concerns and fears are not being addressed.

We really have to do this. Mr. Slye has to take what Deputy Michelle Mulherin suggested on board. He needs to set out for the public every option with its pros and cons, why it can or cannot be done. Will Mr. Slye give us a commitment today to give us an independent cost-benefit analysis of overground versus underground cables?

This grid project will be of no benefit to the resurrection of the beet industry in County Carlow. I want that addressed. I also want the issue of childhood leukemia addressed. Is EirGrid engaging with any oncologists to allay that particular fear?

EirGrid needs to issue a statement pointing out that this project has nothing to do with the project to export wind energy to the United Kingdom because that is in the mix and does not help the situation.