Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hope the Minister takes a hands-on approach like his previous colleagues. I live in the Claddagh. I know the area; I have a vested interest. Besides that, however, it is a very important project. From day one there was a misunderstanding with regard to a once in 100 years event. That is what they were planning for when it was quite clear, and we witnessed the recent storm, that this was going to be a frequent event. Of course it is complex and I understand all that. We need to bring the public with us. If there is structure going up, the public need to be with us. There has been one public consultation, which was years ago. There will be a walk-in consultation to look at the plans and then down the road there will be a further consultation for the options. That will be really important. The project cost has gone from €9 million to €50 million. Finally it has dawned on the establishment that this is a very serious and complicated project and it will take time but we need somebody to drive it. I am asking the Minister of State to drive that given just some of the dates that have slipped. The project was going in one direction and then there was an argument with the consultants over the price, and I understand that. However, all of this should have been foreseen. At this point, I just want a commitment to a hands-on approach with regard to this and that there will be no further slippage in dates.

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