James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I confirm I am within the Leinster House complex. It is great to have the Secretary General here again. I thank him and his officials for participating.

This national development plan process is probably the most important since the foundation of the State, or since such plans were implemented, particularly given that we are facing an unprecedented climate emergency, a major transition towards electric vehicles and the ramifications of a pandemic for our transport infrastructure, on land, sea and air, in the context of expanding global trade and a number of other factors that are having an enormous impact on transport and logistics in Ireland. Therefore, the discussion we want to have with Mr. Spratt is critical.

In recent days, there have been very interesting proposals from the UK on the prospect of a direct connection between Great Britain and the island of Ireland in the North. Did the Department have any discussion yet with its British counterpart on the potential, under our national development plan, to liaise with the British Government on the potential for a direct land connection, via a tunnel or whatever is being proposed, that would link UK transport infrastructure to ours in the Republic?