Mr. John Sydenham:

Many issues have been raised. Statements about 2 m high walls are not helpful to what we are trying to achieve. Everybody is looking for the best solution for the people of Cork. We want to protect the city. The previous illustrations I have shown the committee have depicted what we are proposing to do. I do not think anyone could construe that we are proposing to erect 2 m high walls anywhere. My colleague, Mr. Leahy, will deal in much more detail with the issues the Deputy raised in his specific questions. There has been a great deal of discussion and a vast amount of analysis on this issue. Many detailed studies and surveys were conducted before we arrived at the solution that is being proposed. These complex and involved engineering projects required a vast amount of analysis and study before the optimum solution, which is what we are presenting, was arrived at. It is almost being implied that we are providing for something outdated that will not work. That is completely misleading. This solution is based on all the factors we studied. We studied the possibility of a tidal barrier in tremendous detail. Mr. Leahy will talk in more detail about the level of rigour with which we analysed the possibility of a tidal barrier. Taking into consideration the level of protection required, the risks and the issues in the broader catchment area, we are recommending a solution that is the optimum one from the perspectives of cost and efficiency. It will deal with the challenges presented. My colleague, Mr. Leahy, will speak in more detail about that and respond to some of the specific questions that were asked.