Mr. John Fitzgerald:

I thank the committee for its invitation to attend today. Our Department has not had a central involvement in this project to date. At the committee's meeting last May, I set out some general background for information on how certain sites of nature conservation value are protected, the role of our Minister in nature conservation and as a prescribed body under planning law and also in relation to environmental assessments. While our Department does not have a decision-making role in the technical funding and planning consents in relation to any project that might emerge in respect of Ballycar, I wish to reiterate that the Department fully appreciates the importance of this issue and is more than willing to work with the proponents of any project that may emerge in a constructive fashion on this matter.