The Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, will today signal that proposals for a second terminal at Dublin Airport will go before Cabinet within weeks.
A spokesman for the Minister told The Irish Times last night that Mr Cullen and the Cabinet were "keen that this issue was resolved".
He said Mr Cullen would not be making any announcement on the issue at a major briefing on transport issues this morning but would signal that a decision on the second terminal would be taken by Cabinet "in the very short term".
There have been around a dozen separate expressions of interest by companies in developing a second terminal at Dublin Airport. Last month it emerged that the country's largest trade union, SIPTU, had proposed that its members could financially invest in a new terminal.
Ryanair has strongly criticised the Government on several occasions for its delays in deciding on the second terminal issue.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that money for the replacement of the Aer Lingus fleet is not included in the 10-year "multi-annual envelope" currently being finalised between the departments of Transport and Finance, it has emerged.
The 10-year package, which the Minister is to bring to Cabinet shortly, will cover "a significant capital transport package . . . [ which] will benefit jobs, the regions, commuters and business". According to a spokesman for the Department of Transport, any decision by the Government to fund Aer Lingus would be "completely separate" to the proposed envelope and would probably be announced by the Minister for Finance himself.
The spokesman also said today's briefing by Mr Cullen would not provide specific details of the 10-year transport programme.
"It is about the multi-annual funding and the kinds of things the Minister can do, but there won't be a specific list until after the programme goes to Cabinet." The spokesman said that would happen "shortly".
Much of the transport programme for the coming years is, however, already known and includes the completion of the five main motorways between Dublin and the Republic's regional cities.
About €7 billion of the promised €10.2 billion remains to be spent on the roads programme alone between now and 2010.
The transport programme also includes almost 150 new DART and diesel railcars, funding for access to rail transport for the disabled and major rebuilding of a number of Dublin stations.
The programme also features a new rail station in Dublin's Dockland and completion of the Cork Commuter Rail Project involving relaying of track between Cork and Midleton.
High on the wish list of rail projects which lobbyists are hoping will be included in the ten year programme are links from Shannon Airport to the recently expanded Ennis to Limerick line and the reopening of the western rail corridor.
Sources close to the review group set up by the former minister, Mr Brennan, have said they are "confident" a new consultants' report which is due in January will recommend the reopening of the route.
Mr Cullen has recently met members of the review group.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, acknowledged the work of the group when he had a meeting with members of the Border, Midland and Western Regional Assembly recently.
A spokesman for Mr Cullen said that the 10-year funding programme would provide transport projects with a definite date of commencement and allow for planning issues and environmental impact statements to be dealt with in advance.