Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With respect, it is unreasonable to ask me to outline the implications of the cost of this plan without knowing the scale of that cost. I do not know what the cost is going to be; it has not come before Cabinet yet. As a result, I am not able to give the Deputy an answer. Without that answer, I cannot give her an indication of the implications of that cost in the context of Project Ireland 2040. I would have thought that was self-evident. We need the Minister to bring a proposal before Cabinet and, ultimately, before this House first so that we can make a decision as to whether it represents value for money with regard to what we are trying to achieve at the end of a long process. One of the reasons this has taken time is that only one entity is still tendering. This means that the cost-benefit analysis needs to be very robust in order to ensure that the State gets full value for money. That process is now coming to an end. The Minister will bring a proposal to Cabinet for its consideration when he has one ready. We will then have a much clearer understanding of what this will cost and I will then be able to answer the questions the Deputy has raised.

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