Mr. Michael G. O'Sullivan:

The Deputies are correct about the importance of consultation. It is also hugely important to us. The model we are adopting is one that has been very successfully employed on the other side of our organisation, namely, gas networks, where over the past 30 to 40 years we have put in place nearly 2,500 km of gas infrastructural transmission pipeline crisscrossing this country. Through that process we have engaged with approximately 6,000 landowners. We have a very good model in situin this organisation in terms of how we do consultation and engagement. As Mr. Grant outlined, we are in a consultation process at the moment. This is the fourth leg of the consultation process. This particular exercise has involved very extensive consultation in terms of open information evenings, of which we had eight in total, spread across the pipeline route. We had six landowner information evenings. Of the 500 landowners impacted across the 170 km we had a turnout of approximately 350 landowners at the information evenings. We are now actively engaging on an individual basis with the landowners who did not turn up to get their feedback and input into the process. We are in the middle of that process.

We have land liaison officers on the ground working individually with each particular landowner looking at the local issues associated with the 200 m preferred pipeline route. What we will do in the coming months is take on board the issues and concerns they have raised and, to the maximum extent possible, take them into consideration in the context of coming up with the final design for this pipeline option. Consultation is very important to us. It is how we operate as an organisation. We have successfully done it previously in respect of the gas networks infrastructure and we are taking that model and implementing it in the context of the consultation processes here. All of the Deputies are correct that it is really important that we get the consultation right. We are certainly not rushing in terms of the consultation process. It is really important to us that we get all of the views and opinions of landowners and other stakeholders and take them on board so that ultimately when we go into the planning process all of the stakeholders are on board in terms of what we are trying to achieve.