Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I had a suspicion Deputy Burke would ask me about this so I very specifically asked for the most up-to-date information on the matter. As the Deputy will be aware, in December, the Government approved the preliminary business case, the site was selected, the procurement strategy was put in place and the pre-tender process was carried out in line with the revised public spending code. The Deputy will be very happy to hear that a design team has been appointed. It is in place, it is taking forward the planning permission and it is now working on the detailed design. I expect that we will be able to move to tender by the final quarter of this year. That means planning will be secured, it is hoped, and the detailed design will be done and signed off on. It is going to be a game changer for the region, as the Deputy and I agree. This is some really positive news. It has been a long time coming. It is expected that, by the fourth quarter of this year, we will move to the tender stage.