Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Obviously when a contract is under way in the first phase, one knows the price. The second and third phases have been priced also. Based on the assessment, the feasibility study and the cost analysis done by the RPA we will go to the market before Christmas. Then we hope to see, although we can never be certain, interest from serious international operations. Not many companies in the world would be able to get involved in a project of this scale. There are probably only six to ten companies. That will give us the ballpark figures against which we will do a further cost analysis. For strategic reasons, we will not provide that figure. The RPA will carry out a second analysis at that stage against the tenders. It is not a project that will happen overnight. It is fair to say the cost assessment analysis, the tendering projects and the timescale, including on the Luas, have improved dramatically. Eighteen of the last 19 contracts came in on time.

To go to the market and state where we believe the market will be and not to allow the companies to compete against each other would not be wise. Nobody in the business has advised us to do anything other than what we are doing. I do not think we will have to wait many months to see what happens. There is no doubt it will be a very large contract and will take several years to complete but we do need it. That is clear from the figures at Dublin Airport this year where there were 21 million passengers. Only a few years ago we were told that by 2010 there would be 15 million passengers but in 2006 Dublin Airport already has 21 million passengers. We are now told that within a decade 35 million passengers will pass through the airport. A project such as this is required, as is the development of Dublin Airport. The plans of Dublin Airport Authority and the work on the M50 are all major construction projects that must be done as cost effectively as possible. They will be done over a 30 year period on a pay-back system from the State. That is the wise way to do this work. The Minister will keep the House informed but to set it out now is not the way to proceed.

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