Independent MEP Marian Harkin has welcomed the proposal of Bord Gais to extend natural gas service to towns in Mayo and Galway but has called on the company to include all other areas of the West and North-West.

“Bearing in mind that it is already a Government decision to build a gas pipeline to Sligo this should be routed through Roscommon while Donegal should be serviced through Sligo in the South and Derry in the North”, she proposed.

There was no doubt that the EU would approve the Bord Gais proposal, she said, and she urged the Energy Regulator Tom Reeves to make an early and positive decision in favour of the Bord Gais proposal.