Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

We cannot just walk away from the contract with NTR, which runs until 2020 and not pay the company. Legally, we cannot do that. We are advised it will take about a year to go through the procurement process and then to go through all of the technical arrangements. I personally believe that is an extremely long period of time, but I am advised that is the position. It should be possible to take a system operating elsewhere and do it quicker but I am told we must go through the EU procurement process so the NRA can get NTR out of the system. That is the reason.

I clearly stated yesterday that between now and the end of the year — it stated October but from what I have heard it is likely it will run into November and up to the Christmas period — there will be an enormously detailed assessment of the traffic requirements on the entire M50, which has not been done as part of the original An Bord Pleanála decision.

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