Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Clarity is sometimes lost in attempting to set out the complexities of the issues for the public to consider in an accurate manner. It is not appropriate to apply project concept costs relating to mid-1990 figures to work done in 2002, 2003 or 2004. Clearly, the outturn costs on the projects involved would be different. Those in households know that in terms of capital works they undertook, there were cost differences. It is not fair to compare apples with oranges.

I accept, as was pointed out in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and that of the Committee of Public Accounts, that because we never undertook such a huge capital programme before, deficiencies in cost appraisals arose in the past. The NRA has dealt with those. One can see that the projects coming forward, such as the road developments in Monasterevin, Kildare, Cashel, Limerick, Ballincollig and Youghal, are coming in on time and within budget. The structural problem is also being addressed.

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