Mr. Maurice O'Gorman:

In response to Deputy Ó Cuív, I met the Department about two weeks ago. That is the stated Government policy as issued in 2013 and it is anxious to see that it is implemented as quickly as possible. We are in that process and we are working with the city council now. We are going through the transfer. I do not see it as a major issue. It is similar to a shareholder register where one is moving from one named shareholder to another. It does not make a huge difference to us in terms of funding because we are not eligible for EU funding under the current policy. I have a good working relationship with the city manager and I have talked through this with him. I do not believe it is a big issue.

With regard to the line from Athenry to Claremorris, what Mayo has done for freight is fantastic. The fact it managed to keep freight open and is moving so many goods through rail freight after Irish Rail closed it down is excellent. If we could move more traffic by opening the Athenry to Claremorris line, so we could move goods from Claremorris to Athenry and on to Galway harbour, it would be excellent. It would be a great idea to re-open it.