Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and wish him well in his work on the portfolio, as it is the first time I have asked questions of him. I do not accept his answer, however, as the cart was put before the horse. The reports should have been with the Minister long before EirGrid bulldozed ahead with its sham consultation, which it has accepted was not done properly or adequately. They are going back for a new round of public consultation and I heard a spokesperson on RTE radio during the week explaining how it would be different and have more local staff involved. EirGrid has been knocked back by the sheer scale of resistance to the proposal as it was not being fair, listening to people or engaging. It was going to go ahead with the project before any reports were done. Nobody who is opposed to the projects wants to have the lights turned off. We are aware of the need for energy but the scale of the project was way too big and overly ambitious. There was an attempt to bulldoze the issue and EirGrid has been set back in those tracks. I wish those reports were ready to be presented now.

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