I am satisfied that no attempt was made by anyone in my Department or in Iarnród Éireann to dilute, minimise or omit any findings of the International Risk Management Services review of rail safety in Ireland.
I am satisfied that the published report fully reflects the independent professional view of the consultants on the safety of the railways in Ireland.
Any comments on, and suggested textual changes to, a draft of the consultants' report which were made by officials of my Department were made in accordance with the normal practice of Government Departments when dealing with consultants' reports. The purpose of these comments and suggestions was to ensure that the report was clear and unambiguous and that it was easily read and accessible. It was made clear in writing to the consultants that they were free to accept or reject the suggestions in accordance with their professional judgment. This is precisely what the consultants did — they accepted some and rejected others.
A Fine Gael Member of the Oireachtas made various requests for documentation relating to the study. These were fully and promptly responded to by my Department. A copy of that documentation has been placed in the Oireachtas library.
This was an independent study and the report which I published was the one which was submitted to me by the consultants. It was a matter for the consultants to satisfy themselves that the report which they submitted adequately reflected the findings and conclusions of their work, including the working papers which they prepared. However, I can assure the Deputy that I have no concerns in that regard.
