Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. The council received an application form from the Department. It is quite an onerous form, as he may be aware. Part of the application process was the requirement to carry out a significant cost benefit analysis. My information is that Atkins has completed that analysis and that was the reason there was a delay. The application form is almost complete and will be ready to go to the Department for further consideration. I appeal to the Minister of State to consider what I said about the emerging situation in Bantry vis-À-vis the new amalgamated school.

I take the point about 2012 allocations and funding. We have made significant progress with regard to the troika and sale of State assets. There is potential to invest in projects that provide a good cost benefit analysis, are beneficial to local economies and are shovel ready. The Bantry relief project ticks all those boxes. If it cannot be done before the sale of State assets or in 2012, I ask when the application is submitted from the county council, which is very proactive in promoting the project, that the Department give it a favourable mention.

It has been going on for as long as I can remember. I have been on the council since 1999 and it was an issue well before then. It is getting worse and needs to be addressed. The total cost is in the region of €15 million, which is not a large amount compared to that spent in counties like Tipperary and elsewhere. We are not trying to be greedy. We just need this project to get off the ground.

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