asked the Minister for Transport if he will quantify, in economic terms, the effect of the recent threat of terrorist activity on the Dublin-Belfast rail line and in particular the number of jobs affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin-Belfast Rail Line Terrorism.
7.
I do not think it would serve any useful purpose to attempt to quantify the economic effects of this threat. I understand that the IRA have today issued a statement to a Belfast newspaper to the effect that there is no threat to the lives of the crews and passengers travelling on the Dublin-Belfast line.
Does the Minister not consider that statement to be absolute nonsense? Has he not some responsibility as well as the people north of the Border to ensure that people travelling with CIE travel in safety between Dublin and Belfast?
At the moment alternative arrangements have been made for passengers. The CIE train goes as far as Dundalk. Passengers are taken by bus to Portadown and from there on by train. We should all be welcoming the statement that the threat, if it ever existed, has been removed. We can only go by newspaper comments. At least one newspaper comment said that a threat existed. Now a statement has gone out today saying that no threat existed. I expect that things will be back to normal now.
Did we not know that it existed when the line was blown up many times?