Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 Dec 1990

Vol. 403 No. 5

Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin-Belfast Rail Link.

Roger T. Garland

Question:

8 Mr. Garland asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the reason his Department have reservations about investing money on upgrading the Dublin to Belfast rail link in view of Northern Rail's commitment to this and in view of the fact that this rail link gives employment, as far away as Waterford port; that increased goods traffic on the rail saves considerable amounts of money which have to be expended on repairing road surfaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

28 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he will outline the latest position regarding the proposal to upgrade the Dublin-Belfast rail line; the discussions which he has had with the EC Transport Commissioner or the Northern Ireland authorities since June on this matter; when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Mr. S. Brennan

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 28 together.

Neither I nor my Department have any reservations about money being invested in upgrading the Dublin to Belfast rail link. Indeed, I have, on previous occasions, indicated my support for the Dublin-Belfast rail project, provided that an adequate level of EC funding can be made available. The EC Commission and the UK authorities also recognise the importance of the Dublin-Belfast rail link.

As part of my efforts in relation to the project, I have been in regular contact with the Northern Ireland authorities and the EC Commissioner for Transport and there have also been ongoing contacts at senior level between officials of my Department, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment and the EC Commission.

The project has been discussed at meetings of the Anglo-Irish Conference where it was agreed that the possibility of securing EC aid for the project should continue to be pursued vigorously. In this context, I am pleased to announce that as a result of our efforts at meetings of the Council of Ministers of Transport, the project has recently been accepted as a project which can be considered for financial assistance under the EC's newly established Transport Infrastructure Fund. However, it is a matter of some disappointment that the level of aid available for projects from this source is less than what we had hoped for.

Furthermore, the EC Operational Programme on Peripherality, due to be published shortly, provides for a detailed study of the costs and benefits of the proposed upgrading of the Belfast rail link to be carried out jointly by my Department and the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment. The purpose of the study is to complete a full assessment of the project's potential contribution to the improvement of passenger and freight services within the island as a whole, with the possibilities for EC assistance for the project being examined in the light of the outcome of the study.

Draft terms of reference for the study, agreed between my Department and the Northern Ireland authorities, are now being considered by the EC Commission. It is expected that the study will commence shortly.

Mr. Garland

I thank the Minister for his very detailed reply, but it does not really add up to much. Most of us on this island aspire to a united Ireland and the inexorable running down of this line is another nail in the coffin of that aspiration. Would the Minister not agree that this matter must not be reduced to a question of pounds, shillings and pence? Would the Minister agree that employment as far away as Waterford would be affected if the line were to close? Would he further agree that in the event of closure, goods and passengers would have to be transported by road, with the many environmental problems attached thereto and, finally and most importantly, would he agree that the closure of this line would be a major propaganda victory for the IRA?

Mr. S. Brennan

I fully support the project to upgrade the Dublin-Belfast rail link and I am working vigorously to try to ensure that it is kept open. I have to deal in pounds, shillings and pence because that is what it takes to upgrade the line. In that regard I am very pleased that under this new fund, the Transport Infrastructure Fund established under the Irish Presidency, this project was accepted as an item which will be considered for funds. I will work vigorously to ensure that the project is funded from that source or from any other I can locate.

There was no proposal of which I am aware to close the line. I attended the Anglo-Irish Conference some months ago where I raised with the UK representatives the question of the line, and the British Government, the Northern Ireland authorities and ourselves are at one on how to proceed from here. We are talking about a major investment. All sides are committed to it. Now, it is a matter of how we get on with the project and locate the funding. It is simply a matter of funding and how soon we locate that.

Proinsias De Rossa

The Minister said a number of times that he is committed to keeping the line open and upgrading it, but I have yet to hear a satisfactory explanation as to why the availability of regional funding has not been taken up by the Minister. Commissioner Bruce Millan has indicated that regional funding up to something like £13 million was available. Why has the Minister's attention been directed to the Transport Infrastructure Fund which, as I understand, will only provide about £3 million this year, when one cannot get funding from the European Community? Why is the Minister going for the Transport Infrastructure Fund rather than the Regional Development Fund and how does he expect the balance of 75 per cent of the funding required to upgrade the line to be acquired when it will not be available from the European Community?

Mr. S. Brennan

I thought I had explained this before but I will try to explain it now quickly. The European Regional Development Fund under the operational programme provides a total of about £18 million under the heading of public transport. That has been allocated to update the Clondalkin line which the Deputy's colleague is interested in and spoke about earlier. When Mr. Millan was referring to these matters he was obviously leaving it to the Irish Government to indicate within that £18 million how they wished to proceed. The Clondalkin line is an important line, a communal line that must be gone ahead with. We are still completing the socioeconomic study on it but it must be gone ahead with.

Since this new fund, the Transport Infrastructure Fund, is a sort of crossfrontier fund, a cross-border fund, to link up regions, it makes a lot more sense to use that fund. We could have had the option of allocating the £18 million to the Belfast line in which case we would not have been able to proceed with the Clondalkin one. This strategy gives us an opportunity to do both. That is eminently practical. I would like to have received more from the European Regional Development Fund but £18 million is what we will get and most of it will go to Clondalkin.

Proinsias De Rossa

Arising from the study which Iarnród Éireann have already done with regard to the upgrading of the Dublin-Belfast line, can the Minister say how much he expects the upgrading to cost and over what period? My understanding is that this year we will get £3 million out of the Transport Infrastructure Fund and the likelihood is that we will not get any more next year; but by the end of 1992, the total we are likely to get is approximately £9 million, or perhaps £10 million, which must account for about 25 per cent—

An Ceann Comhairle

I am afraid that this is tending to become a debate. This is not good enough. We are making little progress.

Proinsias De Rossa

If the Ceann Comhairle allowed me to finish the question, he would not lose more time.

An Ceann Comhairle

It is a very important question, and so are the others.

Proinsias De Rossa

This amount of money must not be more than 25 per cent of the total cost, so will the Minister indicate how much it will cost?

Mr. S. Brennan

I share the Deputy's worries about the Transport Infrastructure Fund. I am not convinced that it will solve this problem for the country because the cost of the entire project is given at £70 million. Put that against the £18 million I have available for that kind of transport and Deputies will see that I have few options. About £44 million of that £70 million will be the responsibility of the Republic, so the Deputy is right to be concerned about the amount we might get from the Transport Infrastructure Fund. I will continue my search through other sources of funding.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Bell has been offering for some time.

Mr. Bell

In relation to Question No. 8, I welcome the allocation of £17 million for the Dunleer By-Pass referred to in Deputy Garland's question. Will the Minister allay the fears of the trade unions and workers concerned with the constant disruption of the North-South rail link and state that the Government will not relent in their support for the development of that line because of subversive elements which are consistently trying to disrupt it?

Mr. S. Brennan

The Deputy knows the policy of this Government on that. Indeed, any Government worth their name would not be intimidated by that kind of activity. We will carry on building relationships with Northern Ireland.

Deputy Byrne rose.

An Ceann Comhairle

It will have to be a very brief question Deputy Byrne. I have remained rather long on this Question, perhaps unduly long.

Mr. Byrne

Will the Minister not agree that the estimated cost to the Exchequer to upgrade the line will be in the region of £10 million and that we are not just taking about a Dublin-Belfast line? Will the Minister agree that the community of European railways have recognised the importance of this line, that it is part of the major European rail and sea link, linking Dublin with Belfast, Cork Brussels Amsterdam, Paris and Basle and that, therefore, it is of much greater significance than that it is a link across the Border from the Republic? Finally, would he not agree, given the determination and dedication of Northern Rail to seek co-operation in up-grading the line, that this is really a slap in the face for them given that they expended £1 million last year as a result of "provo" gangsters blasting the line? That determination still exists and, unfortunately, the Minister seems totally incapable of coming up with a solution that will guarantee the long term survival of the line.

Mr. S. Brennan

I agree with the Deputy that the line is just not an economic link, it is a very important symbolic link. I am making every possible effort at EC level to identify the funding which I need to go ahead with our part of it. We are working with the Northern Ireland authorities to see if we can package it. I know there is a sense of urgency about this matter but I have to try to package it as best I can and secure the very substantial funding for it.