Ms Aingeal O?Donoghue:

My information is that the environmental assessment involves a four-week public consultation. It is believed it can be done relatively quickly but I do not want to get ahead of colleagues who are much more involved in the matter. I will come back to the Deputy on the specifics if I have misled her. There is a question as to whether we can publish the report in the absence of the Executive. That is something we are talking to colleagues in Northern Ireland about. The report is an overview; it is not a commitment to spend. It has to go to both Governments. It is a report to both the Executive and the Irish Government. We are looking to see if there are ways to get it out there but the absence of an Executive is potentially a pinch point. Senator Blaney already touched on that. We also believe that the public consultation on the strategic environmental assessment will allow some of the report to come out. It may be possible to do it in that way.