Vol. 196 No. 15
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is satisfied that the transport facilities provided by British Railways between the United Kingdom and this country are adequate to meet the tourist season; and, if not, if he will make representations to that authority to ensure that adequate facilities are made available.
12.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is satisfied that the catering facilities offered by British Railways for travellers on the route between here and the United Kingdom are satisfactory; and, if not, if he will make representations to that authority to see that such facilities are made available.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together.
I have lost no opportunity to press, in conjunction with Bord Fáilte, for improvements in the services in question. I would refer the Deputy to my reply of 6th June, 1961, in which I mentioned some of the improvements which had been then achieved.
Among additional improvements for this season are the following:—
(i) At least 40 additional sailings will be provided this season on the routes in question, 26 on the Dún Laoghaire route and 17 on the Rosslare route. On the Dún Laoghaire route, passenger capacity for the 1962 summer season is approximately double the numbers actually carried last year.
(ii) To encourage more even utilisation of the services, the validity of the cheap mid-week fares has been extended and the requirement of sailing tickets for day sailings has been cut to the minimum.
In order to facilitate the services provided by British Railways, improvements at the mail boat pier at Dún Laoghaire are continuing.
There are catering facilities available at Dún Laoghaire, Rosslare and Fishguard as well as on the vessels and trains which operate from these ports. These services have in recent years been extended and improved following representations and suggestions by Bord Fáilte.
Has the Minister seen the letters in the papers stating that the facilities available on these routes are not equivalent to the facilities available on other routes covered by British Railways? Would he not consider there must be some grounds for complaint when already, so early in the tourist season, quite a few letters have appeared?
The Deputy is referring to a certain letter which appeared in The Guardian and which was republished here. Inquiries are being made in regard to the complaints in that letter. I can say at this stage that a great many of the statements made were grossly exaggerated.
Does the Minister consider the catering facilities on these routes adequate?
On the steamships?
On both the trains and the steamships?
Very few complaints come to my Department or Bord Fáilte with regard to catering facilities on the boats.
On the trains?
There are still some complaints in regard to insufficient catering facilities on relief trains bringing passengers to the ports, and the attention of the British Transport Commission has been drawn to the inadequate catering services on these trains.
Has the Minister any responsibility for these things?
Only the responsibility of trying to secure improvement for the sake of the tourist trade and for such of our people as travel to Great Britain and British people travelling to this country.
I am glad to know that because the Minister has obviously different functions from those of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs with Telefís and Radio Éireann.
In view of the fact that conditions for travelling between Britain and the Continent are first-class, would the Minister make representations to the British authorities to ensure that similar facilities will be made available for people coming to visit their relatives in Ireland? Can the Minister give any reason as to why services to this country are so bad, in view of the excellent services to the Continent?
The Deputy exaggerates and, in doing so, he does a disservice to the tourist industry.
The Minister should be taken down to Dún Laoghaire and put on the next boat by the back of the neck.
The vast majority of complaints that come to my Department and to Bord Fáilte come in only certain limited periods of the year.
What do you know about it? You and your colleagues and Tod Andrews only travel first class.
It is also true to say that very great improvements have been made in the last two years.
Nonsense.
It would be wrong to deny that even though there have been great improvements, there are still some problems.
You are only a joke. The sooner the Taoiseach gets that hatchet that Macmillan used last week, the better.
If I had it, I know where I would use it.
Would the Minister say if he is satisfied that the safety regulations are being observed on the Fishguard-Rosslare boats which are carrying four times their normal complement, with neither lifeboats nor rafts sufficient to meet emergencies?
No complaints have been made to me in regard to that matter.
Would you investigate it?
premium as other cars of similar horse power.
If the Deputy will send me a complaint, I will send it to Bord Fáilte.
I have travelled in a boat with 2,000 passengers, the complement of which was only 500.
He let the passenger service be taken out of Waterford, another wreck to be added to the Tramore Railway.
"Close them up Childers."
