Cabinet funking decision, says FG

Fine Gael has accused the Government's of "funking" a decision on Luas, and said the delay involved in re-examining the underground option had added £30 million to the cost of the project.

The party's spokeswoman on Dublin traffic, Ms Olivia Mitchell, said that in reopening the underground option, the Government had "effectively poured £30 million into a hole in the ground and covered it up again".

There were no excuses for further procrastination, she said. "This report finally lays to rest the genuine and understandable concerns raised by some members of the public, as well as giving a definitive answer to the scaremongering of special interest groups."

Another Fine Gael TD, Mr Alan Shatter, said the Government had displayed "contemptible incompetence" on the issue and had left the Minister for Public Enterprise "politically naked" as she tried to explain her colleagues' indecision.

"It is time for the Government to do a public U-turn on Luas, to admit the underground option is no longer feasible and to get this project speedily back on the rails."

Labour said the Atkins report was an "expensive and time-consuming exercise in confirming the blindingly obvious" and accused the Government of a "shameful dereliction of duty" in postponing a decision.

The party's spokesman on public enterprise, Mr Emmet Stagg, claimed the Government had hoped the Atkins report would give it an excuse to "park" the Luas project. "This ploy has failed completely. After an eight-month delay, Minister O'Rourke is back where she started."

The Democratic Left TD, Mr Eamon Gilmore, said the failure to make a decision was unbelievable given the urgency of Dublin's traffic problems. He accused the Minister of needlessly delaying the project by almost 12 months. The consultants' report had succeeded only in pushing the projected starting and completion dates even further into the future.

The Green Party claimed the project was suffering from "paralysis of analysis" and said there was no excuse for further delay.