Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I thank the Cathaoirleach. At present, the community is awaiting the decision of the Minister on the rehabilitation plans. If Mogul does not take this on, who will? I know from my dealings with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, and from everything that has been said to the community over the years, that a major decision must be made. If the company is not to carry out the rehabilitation the State may have to take it on or an agency may have to be contracted. We do not know what is the position. We are in a limbo at the moment and I tabled this matter in an effort to obtain information for the community so that it knows when the Minister is likely to make a decision and what the implications might be.

Deputy Hoctor stated at a recent meeting of the Joint Committee of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, which departmental officials attended, that the Minister wants to meet the community before he makes a final decision. That is very welcome and I hope that it happens. I have no information on when or where that meeting might happen and the neither does the community. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, to set out the current position and to outline the Department's plans going forward.