Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for his support for the project as it is important. A number of cost benefit analyses have been carried out on this project. The latest analysis gives an indication that the benefit to cost ratio of the project is approximately 2 to 1, when the wider economic benefits are taken into account and to which the Deputy referred, rather than just the provision of the metro alone. The ratio is in excess of 1.5 to 1, using the traditional economic appraisal methods. It stands up from the point of view of a cost benefit analysis. As the Deputy correctly said it also stands up from the point of view that it would generate much needed employment during the construction phase, amounting to approximately 4,000 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs. Fingal County Council produced a separate independent report on the project which showed that it will support up to 37,000 jobs in the Fingal-north Dublin city area. This is an extremely important project. As the Deputy said, it will probably be the biggest public infrastructure project. We will make as much of the business case available as is possible so that people can make their own judgments on it. The Deputy will understand there will be some commercially sensitive information which cannot be released.

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