John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing us to raise this issue. It has taken about three weeks to get this raised under Topical Issues. One of the frustrations a TD encounters is the difficulty in even getting a parliamentary question answered about EirGrid. I have had a number of such questions ruled out of order.

Rather than repeat everything that has been said by previous speakers, I would like to raise the utter inadequacy of what has been passed off as consultation thus far in this process. About 18 months ago, EirGrid published a consultation area, including all of the nine southern and eastern most counties in the country. Most of the area could never have been a potential route for the construction of any of these power lines. In spite of this consultation in area encompassing a population of over 1 million people, there were only 500 responses, which gives the impression that the consultation was far from effective in alerting the general public on what was proposed.

I join with my colleagues in stating that the very bare minimum the public deserves is that EirGrid examine all the available options. In 2012, the Government produced a new set of guidelines for EirGrid to examine new technologies. It is just not satisfactory that EirGrid would now state that it is considering four or five routes across the country, including in my own county of Kilkenny, where it is considering putting up pylons and power lines and not provide to the general public a detailed cost-benefit analysis on the potential of putting these wires underground. Nobody to whom I have spoken believes that this infrastructure should not be built, but the general public at least deserves a detailed cost-benefit analysis. It is proving almost impossible for that to be delivered.

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