Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

The wish of IKEA, a Swedish furniture group, to locate here has been widely discussed. Ballymun, which has been mentioned as a location, would be a worthwhile site given the important urban regeneration under way in the area. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, is apparently considering breaching retail planning guidelines to accommodate the company. I urge him to be extremely careful as such a decision could create a terrible precedent and have an adverse impact on the road network. It is not true that IKEA must have giant stores. I am reliably informed the company's store on the island of Majorca is of moderate size, as would also be appropriate and applicable to our circumstances given our population and size. The House should urge the Minister to be careful in his negotiations and not to cede too much.