I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 28 together.
Neither I nor my Department have any reservations about money being invested in upgrading the Dublin to Belfast rail link. Indeed, I have, on previous occasions, indicated my support for the Dublin-Belfast rail project, provided that an adequate level of EC funding can be made available. The EC Commission and the UK authorities also recognise the importance of the Dublin-Belfast rail link.
As part of my efforts in relation to the project, I have been in regular contact with the Northern Ireland authorities and the EC Commissioner for Transport and there have also been ongoing contacts at senior level between officials of my Department, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment and the EC Commission.
The project has been discussed at meetings of the Anglo-Irish Conference where it was agreed that the possibility of securing EC aid for the project should continue to be pursued vigorously. In this context, I am pleased to announce that as a result of our efforts at meetings of the Council of Ministers of Transport, the project has recently been accepted as a project which can be considered for financial assistance under the EC's newly established Transport Infrastructure Fund. However, it is a matter of some disappointment that the level of aid available for projects from this source is less than what we had hoped for.
Furthermore, the EC Operational Programme on Peripherality, due to be published shortly, provides for a detailed study of the costs and benefits of the proposed upgrading of the Belfast rail link to be carried out jointly by my Department and the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment. The purpose of the study is to complete a full assessment of the project's potential contribution to the improvement of passenger and freight services within the island as a whole, with the possibilities for EC assistance for the project being examined in the light of the outcome of the study.
Draft terms of reference for the study, agreed between my Department and the Northern Ireland authorities, are now being considered by the EC Commission. It is expected that the study will commence shortly.