THE proposed EU study of the Dublin light rail system was not a fundamental reevaluation of the project, the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications told the Dail.

Mr Lowry said what was involved was a comparative evaluation of the Tallaght Ballymun and Tallaght Dundrum routes.

Repeating his denial that he had misled the Dail or Seanad, he declared: "I have consistently said that no final decisions on routes would be taken until the public consultation process has been completed, a public inquiry has, been held and EU approval procedure had been finalised."

Mr Lowry was replying to a Fianna Fail private members' motion condemning the Minister for misleading the Dail and overseeing a serious deterioration in relations between Ireland and the European Commission.

Mr Brian Cowen (FF, Laois-Offaly) a former Minister in the Department, warned the Dublin light rail project was in jeopardy. It was 18 months behind schedule and could not lose any more time, if it was to meet the deadline for spending the EU money before the year 2000.

He said if by the mid term review no cable is installed, the EU could "allocate the funds elsewhere. Portugal already has two, light rail projects ready to go once funding is found."

Mr Lowry said the Commission had agreed to provide assistance for the preparatory work and £3," million had been paid to CIE.

"This clearly shows in a practical way that the Commission supports the light rail project and rubbishes the suggestion in the opposition motion that a serious question mark hangs over the EU funding. The Opposition are the only ones who will put the funding for the project at risk. They are trying to deliberately sabotage the project by their reckless and irresponsible behaviour."

The Minister insisted he had not launched the construction of the light rail project last December. What he had launched was an extensive public consultation programme on the project, and the headline on his press release of December 12th had said: "Decision making process on new Dublin transport systems gives public a full say".

He said one of the factors which influenced the Government's "provisional choice" of the Tallaght to Dundrum option was the fact that the bulk of the city centre to Dundrum section would use the old Harcourt Street railway alignment. By contrast, all of the Ballymun line would be on street with a consequent higher level of disruption during construction.

There was also a real doubt about the wisdom of closing Drumcondra Road, the main artery to the North, to build the light rail line before the port tunnel - which could act as a relief road during construction - had been built. Another factor was that the Dundrum line would get more people out of their cars than Ballymun.

Mr Cowen insisted that the controversies involving Mr Lowry raised the most serious questions about his attitude to office. "To have had one private members motion of such a serious nature might be seen as unfortunate but to have two in such a short space of time has to be seen as carelessness. The Minister has obviously not learned from the anonymous, letters affair he created."

Debate on the motion continues, tonight.