Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has studiously avoided answering my question. An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to Eirgrid. It does not include access in over 500 situations. Without access Eirgrid cannot build the interconnector. Unless it breaches that permission this will meet another stone wall. Is the Minister going to tell us how exactly Eirgrid is going to gain access to build the North-South interconnector?

Why should it not be the policy of the Government to direct that Eirgrid builds the interconnector underground? If it is the policy of political parties, why is it not translated into Government policy when that party has its hands on the steering wheel?

It is disingenuous to say that I asked for an investigation into the levels of compensation for families living along the curtilage of the North-South interconnector. I asked if the Minister would find out what the project would cost in terms of the fall in value of the properties concerned. These are two separate issues; they are unrelated. The Minister knows that is what I asked for in the meeting we had in his office. It seems that something has got lost in translation between us or in the Department. The Department did not pick up either the request mandated by this Dáil with regards the investigation last March. It purposely decided to carry out an investigation that was not asked for. The question I asked was what the costs on the value drops were likely to be along the curtilage of the interconnectors. The answer I will get will show the likely compensation levels for farmers.

Answers to the following questions might shed some light on this process. How is Eirgrid going to build the interconnector without the permissions from An Bord Pleanála and how is it that we are not going find out the drops in value of property in this investigation?

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