I thank the Minister. I appreciate the fact the money has doubled. Arising from previously, the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, set out to look at whether there is value for money. Its focused assessment, which the Minister referred to in a previous reply, included as part of recommendation 4 that it was necessary to carry out an estimate of "the scale of the relevant non-public road network" in Ireland. She said at that point that this recommendation was being considered along with others.…

I am zoning in on this because the Minister's previous answers were given in the context of the absence of reliable data. While I appreciate that the figures seem large and they have increased, it is difficult to put them in context without adequate data. The IGEES produces these reports, which are very good and tell us whether there has been value for money. According to the IGEES, and the Minister repeated it, there are no reliable data on the matter. Where does this specific consideration stand? Will we have a r…

Táimid ar ais arís ar Inis Meáin agus an chéibh ansin, an Caladh Mór. Is í mo cheist arís agus i gcónaí ná cad é stádas na forbartha atá beartaithe? Tá a fhios agam go raibh an tAire ar an oileán ach cá bhfuilimid faoi láthair? What is the status of the promised development of an Caladh Mór? Where is that development in terms of the studies that were promised? I was looking forward to hearing that they are completed or to hearing a date for their completion.

I thank the Minister for the strength of her reply. We will put it into context. In 2008, phases 1 and 2 of this work started and 14 years later, my colleagues from Galway West and I are attempting to keep the pressure on and get dates. We know the work is complicated. The Minister has been out to the islands herself and she knows the impact that the state of this pier has on business. There is a fantastic business out there, Cniotáil Inis Meáin, that is directly affected with cargo coming in and out. She knows abo…

The county councillors say they have to wait for the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork. Whatever about our frustration the Minister can imagine the frustration on Inis Meáin. Deputy Kerrane has a question on the policy for the islands later, as do I. They have been waiting for a policy for the islands for a long time and an interdepartmental committee was set up in 1996. Then we had another interdepartmental committee set up three years ago and we are still waiting on that. This is a vital piece of infra…

We will go back to Question No. 2 and Deputy Duncan Smith.

This is a priority question.

Yes, unless there is another priority question on the same issue.

It looks like it is root canal treatment.

Before we move on, cuirim céad míle fáilte roimh na daltaí scoile thuas staighre.

This is a very important matter for Galway. I know the Minister is aware of it. I am raising the issue of the accident and emergency department and the recent report by the Health and Safety Authority and its background. Where is the new accident and emergency department?

If the Minister wants to save time, I have the response.

I am a stickler for time. I could not accept that in 2015 it was unfit for purpose and yet here we are in 2022. I will follow it up elsewhere again.

I have specific questions in regard to the wool feasibility study being carried out. Where is it? When is going to be published? What are the reasons for the delay?

When we ask a lot of questions, we build up a library of responses. What jumps out of that response gives life to the cliché of pulling the wool over our eyes. The Minister repeated, as the Minister of State repeated, the huge potential in regard to wool products, and I agree with them. Where is the feasibility study? What is the delay? Part of the terms of reference surely included a timespan. Has that timespan been exceeded? If so, why? The only positive thing I heard from the Minister is that the final report is…

I fully appreciate that but the same language has been used repeatedly, with reference made to the programme for Government, conducting a review, the potential demand for insulation and fertilisers, and the domestic and international markets. I welcome the Minister's confirmation that it is going to be published, which is positive news. Cuirim fáilte roimh an bhfógra sin. However, why has it taken so long? It was going to be published “shortly”, “in the first quarter of 2022”, “very soon”, and so on. At some stage,…

What has been the cost to date?

As we are running out of time, I ask Deputy Leddin to skip the introduction to the next question and we will try to get a reply from the Minister followed by a response from the Deputy.

The Minister of State's time is up. There will be a Government reply at the end of statements.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37A and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputies Paul Murphy and Richard Boyd Barrett - to discuss the Oxfam wealth report; (2) Deputy Cathal Crowe - to ask the Minister for Transport if he will accede to the request made by Clare County Council for funding to be made available to make the transfer of Shannon Heritage sites in County Clare to the local authority viable and successful; (3) Depu…