Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I assure Deputy English and his colleagues in respect of the latter point that EirGrid must have regard to the policy statement endorsed by the Government yesterday. That policy statement will be available this afternoon and will be sent to the various stakeholders concerned.

Deputy English has put a blunt question to me about whether the door is open to underground options. I have no wish to mislead the Deputy or the House. The question can only be answered in the context of the statement of policy agreed yesterday. Having said that, I am not being prescriptive about an issue that is best decided by the planning process. Government policy is that any decision should be timely and cost-efficient, and I say as much given the times in which we live. Deputy English will know that the Tyrone-Meath line is only one line in a transmission network envisaged in the GRID25 strategy. I must be careful; there would have to be a compelling case to treat this one line differently from the rest. However, when the Deputy has an opportunity to study the statement of policy he will appreciate that all the work put in by the international commission and Deputy Andrew Doyle and his committee is reflected in it. EirGrid and An Bord Pleanála must have regard to the Government's statement of policy in the matter of the delivery of infrastructure for such energy projects.

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