Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I did not expect the Minister of State to confirm with a big fanfare that the site has been chosen as Glanmire here this evening but it is not a secret anymore. Many of us have been aware that the preferred site was Glanmire up to eight months ago, to be honest. That detail was quite well known although, as I said, I do not expect the Minister of State to confirm it this evening.

I commend the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, for his work on this. I know his Department turned around the business case and the public spending code that the Minister of State mentioned in his response in a matter of weeks. It is just unfortunate that the report spent eight months in the Department of Health sitting on a desk when the Taoiseach said that we need to start delivering major infrastructure like this. That it spent eight months sitting in the Department of Health does not fill me with confidence that we will work on large-scale projects like this as expeditiously as we need to.

As I said, I did not expect the Minister of State to come in here and confirm the site. I am assuming that will be done after the Cabinet meets next week but I will make two brief points. First, the response mentioned that it would be announced very shortly but that it would be approved in principle. Will the Minister of State elaborate on what "in principle means"? Is that subject to any other type of confirmation that we can be made aware of? Second, the report spent eight months in the Department of Health. If that is how we treat these major infrastructure schemes, I do fear for the future. Taking things by the scruff of the neck, to me, means making decisions quickly and cutting out a lot of the red tape which drives many of us here demented. I would appreciate if the Minister of State could expand on what approval in principle means.

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