Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I see. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is doing its job, which is to be sceptical about every investment ever considered. As the Senator will know, it was particularly active during the very difficult years, and it continues to be active, but it does not have the final word. We have set up a system whereby, like it or not, 15 Members are elected by the people to make these decisions. The advice was considered by the Government, including the Minister for Finance, and it rejected it. That is the reality. We have made a decision much like Donogh O'Malley and the Government of which he was a member made a decision, namely, that this was something worth doing. This represents the system working. No Department gets it right every time. Every other Department submitted views strongly in favour of the project. My Department, which did all the analytical work, as the Senator knows, is very strongly-----