Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The suggestion relating to public infrastructure and having the processes and various consents running concurrently, rather than sequentially, is an important point. It must be incredibly frustrating to have parts of the consents for a large project time out and have to go back to get fresh data because of the delays and then have to get a new consent to get fresh data or surveys. There is strong logic to trying to run it as concurrently as possible. In the written submission provided by Uisce Éireann, there is reference to the solution being to have one lead authority. Is the suggestion that the EPA or An Bord Pleanála would be the lead utility authority? I ask Mr. Gleeson to talk us through how that might work or what Uisce Éireann is proposing.