David Norris (Independent)

I withdraw that. They did not have the courage to do it but still they carp.

We are being told from the Government side of the House that the project will be delivered in 2016. That is hopeless. That is an utter waste and it is the reason it will run into hugely excessive cost. When I heard an individual from the Railway Procurement Agency being interviewed on a radio programme, I laughed. When questioned as to how long the project would take to complete, he was not sure or did not know. In reply to a further question, he said it would cost €4.8 billion. When it was pointed out that he had only accounted for €1.2 billion in construction costs and was asked the purpose of the remaining expenditure, he said it was to cover administration, insurance and contingency.