Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to tell the Deputies this and comment on that route because that was their finding and I am being as open as possible about it.

In response to Deputy O'Rourke I cannot tell him any more than this because he is asking me to publish a route at this stage, which of course I have no intention of doing. The NTA and TII will shortly publish a preferred route. This will reflect the NTA and TII's consideration of issues raised in the first consultation and how best to address them. This will include how best to minimise disruption. The NTA expects to publish this around the second half of March and Deputies will just have to wait for this. When it has been published the NTA will then hold a new public consultation on a preferred route, and after this a decision on the final route will be made. This will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála at which stage statutory consultation periods will take place. This is the way it works. It works in this way for a very good reason.

Reference was made to the periods of four or two years and so on. I repeat to Deputy Lahart that I said four years because that was the subject of press speculation. I just said it so I can be quite emphatic that I would not tolerate a situation of a four year interruption to people on a major infrastructural line. It would be impossible to tolerate that. This was one of the suggestions.

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