Mr. John Reilly:

Obviously, we have been trying to develop the Mayo project for over ten years. We received planning permission in respect of it in 2003 and, effectively, we have been waiting for a grid connection.

The original planning permission expired last year. We sought an extension to that planning permission under the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 but we are waiting for the grid element to be built. While some element of the project can go ahead with the upgrading of existing lines, to develop the full 350 MW of capacity will require the Grid West project to go ahead. It is still something we want to do. We began to build roads up there this year and employment was provided as part of the road construction element but, as we discussed previously, the critical issue for us is that we appoint contractors to do that work for us. We do not manage it within Bord na Móna, and our ability to be prescriptive through the procurement phase in regard to what we ask people to do under European employment law is quite limited. We have taken on board some of the points the Deputy raised recently and we are examining that. She can rest assured that where we legally can move in that direction, it is something we will endeavour to do, but it is not something on which I can give a commitment because we are bound, in essence, by employment law and how prescriptive we can be in terms of procurement laws.
On the community benefit aspect, I agree completely with the Deputy. She mentionedthat there was an ad hoc approach to it. We in Bord na Mona believe that a more prescriptive approach to community benefit would bring consistency and clarity for everybody concerned. I understand that Mayo County Council has adopted a proposal in this respect of €10,000 per megawatt installed. That would be a level of payment that would effectively make these projects unviable.