Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The road from Gort to north Tuam is being built in one section and not two, as was previously intended. That is going ahead as a PPP and those involved are very confident they will get the money.

Regarding the bypass, the Senator knows the reality of the situation, which is that An Bord Pleanála turned down the application. I have read its report and am still convinced that no matter how the NRA approached the situation, there would have been a two-step process. Three quarters of it has been sanctioned and the CPOs and archaeological work are going ahead. We are looking again at the final piece of the project, which would link the coast road.

I have worked for many years with Father Micheál McGréil and the committee on the western rail corridor. I do not believe it was possible to get it to Sligo in one jump. People were convinced the programme we laid out was the optimum that was practically available at the time. The whole secret of the way we approached the issue was that if we opened a section of the western rail corridor, it would deliver the next section all the way to Sligo, because once the usage exceeded what was predicted, it would drive the sections north of Claremorris. That is the objective and is the reason my Department was going to Charlestown and is why we are developing Knock Airport.

There is a big picture. I am bitterly disappointed that Fine Gael is constantly decrying the decentralisation programme because it is part of opening the western rail corridor and is one of the drivers of opening it. We can have it one way or another, but we cannot have it every way.

The Cathaoirleach has been very indulgent. I want to say a word about Shannon.