Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know from our own civil works over years that best practice for a gas main in built up areas is 2 m. Dublin City Council would have expected it to be laid at a depth of 2 m. Laying it at a depth of 1 m is detrimental to anyone coming afterwards to install infrastructure for water, drainage, telecommunications or electricity. We are looking for trouble by putting this pipe at a depth of 1 m. The city council is well aware of that but when the contractor for Bord Gáis was asked why best practice was not being followed, the response was that there was insufficient money and "It's the economy, stupid". The guidelines are not strict enough because everybody knows that where a spaghetti junction of services already exists, the new pipe has to be laid at a depth of 2 m so as to go under the existing infrastructure. Rather than observing the industry's best practice, the work is being determined by costs. This is going to put the safety of those who live near the pipe in danger. It is all very well to speak about putting the pipe in place and covering it with whatever safety structures one likes, but it is nonsense to put a pipe of this size and pressure so close to the surface.

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