Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht to discuss EU railway legislation with Iarnród Éireann and the Dept of Transport

Committee Chairman Ciarán Lynch, TD said: “Over the past decade, three railway legislative packages have been introduced which deal with a range of rail issues such as market access and competition, safety, consumer protection and interoperability between national rail networks. Our meeting tomorrow with representatives from the Department and Iarnród Éireann should provide Committee Members with a comprehensive overview of the EU legislation already implemented and how it is impacting in Ireland.  Co-operation with Translink which operates Northern Ireland railways is a key issue in terms of interoperability, while the collapse of the Malahide viaduct on the Dublin-Belfast rail line in 2009 raised concerns over rail safety here.

For the future it is important to consider the derogations Ireland negotiated from the existing legislation, when those derogations come to an end and the impact this will have in Ireland along with the effects of any legislative proposals in the pipeline.

The meeting also gives us a chance to discuss the Commission's future policy direction including in the EU Commission's White Paper, ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area –Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’.”

This meeting will take place on Tuesday, 29th November, in Committee Room 4, Leinster House 2000 at 2.15pm.

Committee proceedings can be followed live at:
http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/livewebcast/Web-Live.htm&CatID=83&m=o

For further information please contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551

Committee Membership

Deputies:

Ciarán Lynch, Labour Party (Chairman)
Noel Coonan, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael
Tony McLoughlin, Fine Gael
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Kevin Humphreys, Labour Party
Gerald Nash, Labour Party
Seán Kenny, Labour Party
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil
Sandra McLellan, Sinn Féin
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Brian Stanley, Sinn Féin
Clare Daly, Socialist Party
Catherine Murphy, Independent
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent
 
Senators:
Cáit Keane, Fine Gael
Catherine Noone, Fine Gael
Labhrás Ó’Murchú, Fianna Fáil
Ned O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil
Eamonn Coghlan, Independent