Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

It is regrettable that we find ourselves in this situation. It is very important that whatever can be done is done to ensure we reach the important targets set by the Minister. However, we must first consider the record. The Minister is saying that if he were in that line of business he would be very excited to take on such a project. However, a consortium with a good deal of experience in the area walked away from the contract, which it did not sign, after eight months.

Why did the Minister and the BCI allow for such an extended period before it came to this regrettable conclusion? When the announcement was made last July, the Minister stated that he was delighted at the speed at which the BCI has pursued this activity. Will the Minister not take some responsibility for the fact that there was a long period of negotiation which ended up in the sand? Will he assure us, in terms of his rather naive confidence in the process, that there is a deadline for the negotiations underway involving the BCI? The statement made was that One Vision now has the licence. However, it is accompanied by the rather large caveat that it is subject to contractual negotiations. What is the deadline and what restrictions are in place to ensure we do not end up in eight or nine months time with an unholy mess on our hands because of a repeat of what happened before? Has the Minister any concerns related to the Boxer withdrawal? The quote recorded in respect of its decision was that is was due to prevailing and anticipated economic circumstances. Does the Minister accept such circumstances prevail regardless of who takes up the contract? Has the Minister carried out any assessment in terms of the likelihood of the ability of the second consortium to step up to the plate?

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