Mr. Michael Nolan:

It is an 80 km scheme. It is huge. There are nine junctions, many landowners and a great deal of land, so it is complex and there are complex issues to be dealt with. Typically on such a scheme and if one had a consultant procured, from that point it would take three to three and a half years before one has a fully compliant business case, that is, compliant with the public spending code from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with the Department's capital appraisal framework and with our internal project appraisal guidelines. There are quite onerous bars to jump with regard to the economic analysis to ensure we are going forward with the right scheme in the right place. The right time is something we do not have control of. It takes about three and a half years to get to An Bord Pleanála. It can take up to six months to get a date and a hearing in An Bord Pleanála. The hearing can take quite a long time. On the last occasion it took a long time because the hearing was adjourned and we had to go back and reconsider the addition of a new junction at Buttevant, so that delayed the process. It can be six months before the hearing starts and the hearing could take three to six months. The board can sit on that for up to 12 or 18 months. Therefore, one is facing five years, at best. After a decision from An Bord Pleanála, there is a period in which disaffected parties or members of the public can seek a judicial review of the board's decision. Who knows how long that can take? It can take two years for the procurement of contractors and there is a construction phase of three to four years. Ten years is a best case scenario for the full progression of the scheme from a mid-term review that gives a green light to the scheme, and that is getting green lights all along the decision points I mentioned.