Vol. 496 No. 3
29 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Public Enterprise when the report by IRMS into rail safety will be published; and if she will clarify her recent comments on the Government's commitment to provide the necessary £600 million to invest in railway track, signalling and equipment to ensure that safety is not compromised for railway passengers. [22380/98]
32 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she has received the report from the consultants appointed to examine the safety of the rail system; if she has formulated proposals for the required investment to bring the system up to a standard that will allow for a safe and efficient rail service; if she has identified the funding sources for this required investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22719/98]
I remind Deputies of the rules governing Priority Questions and the time limits.
Is it two minutes each?
The Minister has two minutes for the initial reply and there are four minutes for supplementary questions.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 32 together.
In that case the Minister has four minutes for her initial reply.
Can that roll over to subsequent replies?
No. If there is any spare time, it does not roll over.
The Minister must be economical with her language.
The train will be gone if the Minister does not begin.
The supplementary questions and answers must stay within the time limits.
I appointed independent consultants to carry out a strategic review of rail safety earlier this year. The review was undertaken by a consortium of consultants led by International Risk Management Services. It is a comprehensive report and addresses all relevant aspects of rail safety. The consultants' brief required them to consider the adequacy of Iarnród Éireann's existing safety policy, systems, rules and procedures and its arrangements for implementing safety rules and procedures on the ground. They also considered the adequacy from a safety viewpoint of the existing railway infrastructure and facilities, including track, signalling systems, rolling stock and level crossings. I have just received the report and made copies available to Members of the Oireachtas. It has also been published.
The consultants concluded that the condition of much of the track, signalling and other infrastructure was poor, while the condition of the rolling stock was on the whole satisfactory. The most serious deficiency highlighted in the report is the lack of a systematic approach to identifying safety hazards and prioritising and implementing remedial action. The consultants found that an encouraging start had been made at senior management level on implementing a systematic approach to addressing safety on the railway. They stressed the importance, however, of improving the approach to safety management on the railway and creating a safety culture that reaches every facet of the company's activities. They emphasised that safety related investment in the railway infrastructure, while necessary, will not be enough. The company also needs to tackle the management aspects of safety.
The consultants estimate that a 15 year safety investment programme costing of the broad order of £590 million will be required. About £23 million of this needs to be spent immediately. This overall expenditure requirement includes about £230 million for a programme of improvements to rectify safety deficiencies in the railway infrastructure, including track, signalling, bridges and level crossings; about £60 million to improve safety management systems and £20 million per annum over the 15 year period for ongoing renewal of the permanent way.
The Government has decided to establish immediately a high level task force comprised of officials of my Department, the Department of Finance and CIE to prioritise recommendations on necessary rail safety expenditure requirements. This will be completed by the end of January. In the meantime CIE is to begin implementation of the report's recommendations giving particular attention to the immediate safety needs identified by the consultants. Pending consideration by the Government of the task force report, CIE has been authorised to undertake the necessary borrowings to finance the implementation of safety measures. I have also begun the process of recruiting two additional railway inspecting officers for my Department.
Paragraph 7.6, page 43 of the report, refers to unreasonable risks and states that a list outlining the most urgent issues has been transmitted to the Department. Will this list be published and has there been an effective response? The Government's response to the publication of the report has been to commission another report. The Minister always seems to be one report away from action. On this occasion we have been informed that the report will be completed by the end of January. The previous report by Auther D. Little indicated that there were serious risks. Will the Minister give a commitment that the recommendation that £230 million be provided to rectify safety deficiencies and £20 million per annum for track renewal will be implemented?
As I kindly told Bryan Dobson yesterday evening, the report indicates that I should establish a high level implementation group——
Another report.
—which should report within six months. I have suggested three months. This has been agreed by Cabinet. The report identifies the immediate safety needs which Iarnród Éireann has been given the go-ahead to address. I was grateful for the support from all sides of the House when we engaged in this exercise. I recall that Deputy Yates demanded that it should be an international study, completely detached from CIE, and I was glad of his support, which I was able to quote subsequently. I heard his radio interview in recent months when he said that this would be the only type of safety report in which people would have confidence. We now have such a report. It is not the case that safety is referred to in another report as the Deputy said. The review outlined that a high level group should report within six months, a term which I reduced to three months.
The Deputy and I discussed the terms and remit of the review in the House and at the time I stated that if the group came up with deficiencies which demanded responses, they would be brought immediately to Iarnród Éireann's attention. A list of deficiencies was outlined, all of which related to critical situations involving various signalling measures and I will forward it to the Deputy if he requires it. This list was reported to Iarnród Éireann which has clearly responded.
The implementation group will lay out, apart from the £23 million, what must be done over the entire programme. It should first home in on the initial five year period but that is for the group to identify. The report proposed a 15 year programme beginning with audits, which will be published, after six and 12 months, and annually thereafter. I accept that. This is a chance, which I commissioned with the support of all other parties and the Cabinet to conduct a total and comprehensive review of safety.
An outside group has not carried out such a review in the history of Iarnród Éireann. The group examined the company, warts and all, and said that there is a very good standard of safety in our railways vis-àvis Europe. It then identified everything that needed to be done but the group will look at what must be done when the initial investment of £23 million is put in place. As I said to the Deputy last Saturday his party will surely be in Government over the next 15 years and have a chance to put the rest of the money in place. I can only follow my remit while in office but I am determined that this blueprint for safety will be put in place.
I am sure the Minister will agree that she inherited a frightening legacy of neglect of our railways, based on ideological grounds that public was bad and private was good and I am glad there has been a move away from that. I congratulate her for tackling the issue head on by commissioning the scientific report, which all of us supported at the time, and on her speedy action in getting Government approval for the report and funding for its implementation so quickly after it was published and presented to her.
How soon will the implementation task force be in action? Will it give regular reports to CIE on the implementation of the report during the three month period referred to by the Minister? When will the legislation on rail safety, specified in the report, be published?
I thank the Deputy for his decency and recognition of what has been done. The Deputy is correct that the issue was not tackled previously and I was aware that many difficult decisions would have to be taken when I commissioned the review. I do not see how one can be the Minister responsible for transport and not implement a comprehensive safety report. Again, it was a case of "pass the parcel" and I was left holding the parcel. However, I was glad to do it.
The Deputy asked about the implementation task force. There is very little time so I hope it gets moving next week. Christmas is only two months away but CIE will be on the task force. The Deputy appears to be concerned that something might arise which would require immediate attention. We would deal with that as promptly as we dealt with the consultants' report.
The Deputy also referred to the assumption that what is in the public sector is bad and what is in the private sector is good. I agree with his comments on that. I met the board of Iarnród Éireann last night and am due to meet the unions this evening. At last night's meeting it was put to me that the board needed to report a profit. I said I did not require it to report a profit but to commence implementation of the safety report. What price profit in that context? If something arises in the implementation report which requires immediate attention — CIE will be represented on the group — and CIE has no means of financing it, the need will be financed immediately by the Government.
What about the legislation?
We must proceed to Question No. 30.
There are £23 billion in borrowings——
The Chair must apply the 12 minutes allocated to this question.
I wish to reply to the Deputy's question about legislation.
I wish to ask a quick supplementary question.
I have pointed out that the 12 minutes allocated——
What about a grant-in-aid instead of borrowings?
The Deputy must resume his seat. I have called Question No. 30. The rules of the House must be obeyed.
I would like to reply to the final part of Deputy Stagg's question.
The Minister must proceed to Question No. 30. The Chair must apply the rules as he finds them.
When will they be changed?
That is up to the Members.
