Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. The signing of the Bill into law in the past number of weeks is an important first step. The next stages are equally as important. It is essential that the process moves on at pace in the south east, to which she alluded, now that the initial legislative roadblock has been removed. She outlined funding streams. Does she have a specific timescale in mind for the drawdown of the funding? Is funding available for specific projects? She mentioned that there are four consortia. Will they have to go through a competitive process or will there be a specific budget for each consortium?

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