Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am afraid I have learned the hard way that giving timelines is foolish in these circumstances. It is not good for the Senator and it would not be good for me to do so. We will try to expedite this process and conclude as soon as we possibly can. If I were to give the Senator a timeline for achieving what he wants, it would assume that we would be able to achieve it. We will support the objective he has set out, as will Tourism Ireland and other agencies. However, to give the Senator a date would be speculative and might raise false hopes that something will happen sooner. My Department and I realise the urgency of this matter. I will ask my officials to accelerate the talks in response to what the Senator has said and to continue to pursue the objective that he and my officials and I believe is important.