Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To answer the Deputy's question again, I cannot stand over the veracity of that story.

A final bid, a final tender, has been received by the Department. The Department is now evaluating that with the help of KPMG and some other external experts. We anticipate that the Government will be able to make a decision in the coming weeks as to whether we can accept that tender.

I have seen various estimates of costs. It is important to say that as this is a 30 year project, the cost will be spread over 30 years. It is a bit like a motorway building project, for example. We do not pay for it all in the Estimates this year; the cost is spread over 30 years. That explains why next year's Estimates do not provide for hundreds of millions or billions of euro. It is a bit like a mortgage; one pays for it over a period of 25 or 30 years.

The Deputy asked about the consortium. I said yesterday - the Deputy quoted me correctly - that it is not a new consortium, but the composition has changed, and that is my position. In that regard, it is a little bit like Fianna Fáil, its composition changes from time to time. Its members are not the same people who were here three years ago or five years ago-----

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