Vol. 396 No. 7
8 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he will give details of the special plan prepared to deal with any major accident that could result from the carriage of dangerous substances by rail; and whether he is satisfied that the plan will ensure that all necessary action is taken in the event of an emergency arising.
16 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he will make a statement on the policy regarding the transportation of dangerous substances; and if he is satisfied that the transport by rail of anhydrous ammonia from Arklow, County Wicklow does not constitute a danger to other rail users or to people living along the Dublin-Arklow railway line.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 16 together.
A scheme for alert and co-ordination of emergency services, and other organisations in the event of an incident—accident involving dangerous substances, including ammonia, in transit by rail has been drawn up by a committee operating under the aegis of my Department. That committee are representative of relevant Government Departments and agencies and of certain manufacturers using dangerous substances.
The purpose of the scheme is to provide a framework for the co-ordination of the actions of the various emergency services such as fire authorities, Garda, pollution control agencies and ambulance services responding to an incident or accident involving rail vehicles conveying dangerous substances or discharged vehicles or containers which had contained such substances.
The scheme outlines how the various services are expected to fit into a combined operation to deal with an emergency. It provides for the identification of substances, raising the alarm and rendering the site of an incident safe.
Exercises are held from time to time to test the operation of the scheme and the response to it. The scheme is reviewed in the light of the experience gained from those exercises. I am satisfied that the scheme is adequate to ensure that all necessary actions will be taken in the event of an incident or accident involving a train carrying dangerous substances.
Anhydrous ammonia from Marino, Cork, to Arklow is carried by rail in specially designed tank containers constructed to stringent international specifications. It is considered that the possibility of tank containers being damaged or any of the chemical leaking in an incident or accident is very remote. Trains carrying anhydrous ammonia are subject to extra stringent operating procedures. The Iarnród Éireann personnel involved have been given special training to deal with any incident or accident. The times of the trains are advised to the various emergency services along the relevant routes.
With regard to the carriage of dangerous substances by rail generally, I can assure the House that every effort is made to eliminate to the greatest extent possible all potential risks of accidents.
I thank the Minister for his reply. Do his Department carry out any inspections of trains carrying dangerous substances, specifically inspections of the particular train to which I referred in my question, and if so, how often are those inspections carried out?
I cannot give the Deputy an inspection schedule but I can tell him that these are specially designed tank containers and are constructed to very stringent international specifications. Iarnród Éireann continually inspect and review these containers to ensure that they are maintained to the stringent international specifications.
Will the Minister clarify that his Department do not, independently of Iarnród Éireann, carry out inspections of these trains?
The responsibility for maintaining the carriages and the containers rests with the company. The Department are assured by Iarnród Éireann that they continue to meet the very highest of standards and I am satisfied that that is sufficient at this stage.
Will the Minister tell the House if the special plan takes account of the fact that there are 2,000 unmanned crossings in the country and the possibility of derailment from cattle crossing the line, particularly at unmanned crossings or where there is broken fencing?
It does take account of those rail crossings and I have dealt with that in previous Dáil questions. The vast majority of those crossings have been visited by CIE personnel and the people have been advised on the risks and brought up to date on the usage of the crossings. That is the most practical thing to do in that regard.
Will the Minister agree that if people crossing the unmanned crossings with heavy machinery or driving cattle across were obliged to notify local station masters in advance of making such crossings it might help to minimise derailments?
Clear guidelines are circulated to the owners of convenience crossings. We dealt with that issue in a separate question from the Deputy. I am satisfied that the owners of the convenience crossings are fully aware of how to operate them. I do not think it is practical in all cases to notify each crossing.
While there may be a major accident plan in existence designed to co-ordinate the services and agencies in the event of a disaster I should like to know if the Minister is aware of concerns expressed by the fire fighters' union that there is no specific plan under which they receive training to deal with accidents on the railways involving trains conveying toxic chemicals. Those fire fighters claim that they have not been given specific training to deal with toxic chemicals. They accept that they are part of an overall grander plan dealing with evacuation and the bringing in of emergency services. Will the Minister comment on that statement?
The Deputy has asked me about the training of the fire service which is a separate matter. Their special training deals with a whole range of activities. In the course of my reply I stated that Iarnród Éireann personnel have been given special training. I am satisfied that the fire services are well capable of handling any such accident but I will have to inquire as to whether they have specialised training to deal with the transport of chemicals.
A number of Deputies are offering and I should like to point out to them that I cannot dwell unduly long on any one question.
Will the Minister agree that it is necessary that we have environmental impact studies carried out by an independent body? Will the Minister agree that it is important that an independent group should consider the transportation of dangerous substances?
One could debate whether an independent body or the Department of Tourism and Transport should carry out such a study. Such a study is being undertaken at departmental level. As I indicated in my reply, special training is given, exercises are held from time to time, the services are co-ordinated and the equipment, which is specially designed, is kept up to stringent international specifications. That is the most practical way to deal with this matter. I am not convinced that a specialised agency would do any better but I will examine the suggestion put forward by the Deputy.
In view of the fact that the train I referred to travels through a highly populated district carrying a dangerous substance will the Minister not accept that it is desirable that his Department, or some other independent agency, should be carrying out independent inspections of the operators of the train? It is not acceptable that there is no such independent inspecting.
I will certainly have a look at this matter but I am satisfied that there is no unnecessary risk at the moment.
How does the Minister know?
I am aware that the carriages have been properly designed and the company informed the Department that they are kept up to a very high standard. I have no reason to believe otherwise. Whether it is necessary for the Department to check each carriage on a regular basis and second guess the experts in larnród Éireann is something we can discuss. I will consider the matter.
The Minister will not wait for a disaster?
Is the Deputy questioning the efficiency of CIE in the matter?
I am not questioning them but I am questioning that the agency, an independent body are handling dangerous substances.
They do a good job in that regard.
Of course they do but they need to be checked.
