Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand that 40 meetings took place and the Minister wishes to record her gratitude to Mr. Kelly for undertaking such a comprehensive and wide-ranging consultation process and for producing a comprehensive report.

In terms of the next steps, the Minister is meeting with the two institutes shortly, either this week or next week, to discuss the findings and recommendations of the report. It is important that the Minister has the opportunity to engage with the institutes before the report is published. The Senator asked a number of questions about the report which I cannot answer because it has not yet been published. I have no doubt that the answers to his questions are in the report as I am sure Mr. Kelly covered the areas the Senator mentioned. However, they are not ready to be published yet as it is only fair to consult with the two main players first. The Minister assures the Senator that she intends to publish the report for the information of all stakeholders in the south east, and more generally, at the first opportunity thereafter.