Vol. 527 No. 1
24 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she has received a written proposal from a United Kingdom based company seeking funding for a feasibility study for a rail tunnel to the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27831/00]
In 1997, I received a letter from a UK based engineering company seeking financial support for a feasibility study into the proposed construction of an immersed tube tunnel between Ireland and the United Kingdom. The proposal was referred to the technical assistance committee of the operational programme for transport to consider whether it had merit.
The committee concluded that an Irish Sea tunnel was unlikely to generate revenues to remunerate costs in the foreseeable future and that financial assistance should not be provided for the proposed feasibility study. This information was conveyed to the company concerned in June 1998.
An Irish company, Islink Limited, which is based in Raheny, Dublin, was in touch with me concerning another proposal for a surface rail link between Ireland and Britain using a different technology. However, the technology concerned, which is based on floating structures as distinct from a tunnel, is very much experimental and unproven. This view was conveyed to Islink at a meeting in the Department earlier this year.
I do not know to which project the Deputy refers which is why I gave the additional information.
(Mayo): Is the Minister aware that the National Roads Authority has recommended to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government that a feasibility study should be undertaken immediately on the project with a view to developing it as part of the national spatial strategy?
Which project? Is it the first one?
(Mayo): The tunnel.
The NRA comes under the aegis of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government. They are in contact with him and putting that forward. I am sure he will give it every consideration, but I can only report on what happened when the technical assistance committee concluded in 1997/early 1998 that there was no merit in that proposal.
(Mayo): There now appear to be two Ministers dealing with this matter. The Simmons company initially wrote to the Minister in 1997 and there was a subsequent study. The NRA, which is responsible for the national infrastructure in terms of highways, now sees merit in the project. Will the Minister discuss the matter with her colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey? Aside from the economic aspects, does the Minister have any information on file from any of the initial reports that were carried out which indicates the potential reduction in journey times if the project went ahead?
I remember reading the original proposal three years ago and I can give the Deputy a copy of it. The EU external evaluator under the operational programme compared the project to the eurotunnel in terms of how beneficial that had been. The independent evaluator pointed out that the cost of the Channel tunnel multiplied enormously. If the group has been revived and the NRA is in contact with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, I will speak to him about the matter.
