Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay, but with due respect, the Minister has not been in office for decades. The Minister has been in office for four years. Either there were briefings and meetings that were too numerous to relay in a response to a parliamentary question, or there was a small number over that four-year period. If there was a small number, that information could be given to the House.

The one thing I do know is that neither the Minister of State nor the Minister has actually engaged with any representatives of the communities affected who tell us that more than 90% of landowners have made it absolutely clear that they will not facilitate entry by EirGrid or anybody acting on its behalf to their lands. Essentially, EirGrid has outlined that it is planning to engage in a collision course with local communities. In my view, this is a collision course that will lead to a substantial, further delay to this project.

If there are benefits to the project, as I agree there are, then we should be trying to ensure the project is delivered as quickly as possible. The way to achieve that is through undergrounding the interconnector. The only way is if the senior Minister directs EirGrid to pursue that.

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