Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I take the Taoiseach's point about national newspapers and national news. Last week CIE announced that the DART underground project would be delayed until 2018. This was because of planning delays, even though a planning application has not been lodged. Somebody forgot to tell the Minister for Transport, however.

Will the Taoiseach say whether the communications unit monitors announcements from State agencies and if so, does it send them on to Ministers directly? How could a situation such as this arise, where the delay until 2018 of a major infrastructure project is announced by CIE and the Minister for Transport is not informed? Is it a case of the communications unit missing this important piece of information or is it because the State agency does not inform it in the first place, in order for the message to be transmitted to the Minister concerned? Is the communications unit supposed to be on top of this type of situation?

There was a situation in Shannon a couple of years ago where the Secretary General did not inform the Minister of another issue, as regards Aer Lingus taking away slots, which caused some controversy. Can we take it, then, that State agencies are monitored by the communications unit? In the event, why was the Minister for Transport not informed in this case?

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