Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy does not want me to repeat previous answers but I have outlined the rationale behind why the two-phase project was decided. I will not put it on the record of the House again. The Government signed off on the figure of €983 million in April 2017. The Deputy makes a fair point regarding what happened with the elasticity in respect of phase B. How could the Government of the day have been informed, with significant expert advice, that the expectation was that when further detailed work was done on phase B, the price range would be €983 million? That is something the Government was extremely disappointed with. It is something I have flagged as a cause of great concern, not just to me but also to taxpayers. I want PwC to get to the bottom of it.

Of course, there were advantages with proceeding with phase A in terms of getting it done at 2016 prices and bringing it in on budget as well. However, I do not dispute the fact that the Deputy outlines righteous disappointment on behalf of taxpayers that there was such a big disparity between what we expected phase B to come in at and what it did come in at.

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