asked the Minister for Transport and Power if, in view of a number of recent incidents and accidents (details supplied) that have given rise to concern about safety procedures in the operation of train services, he will hold a sworn inquiry to reassure the public that adequate preventive measures will be taken.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Train Safety Procedures.
29.
Under the provisions of the Railways Acts, railway accidents must be reported by CIE to my Department and these accidents are investigated as necessary by the railway inspecting officer appointed by me under the Regulation of Railways Act, 1871. CIE also conduct their own investigation into railway accidents and such remedial action as may be found necessary is taken by the board either on their own initiative or arising out of the investigation carried out by the railway inspecting officer.
Statutory inquiries are held by the railway inspecting officer into the cause of any railway accident where the circumstances, in my view, are serious enough to warrant such inquiry, the most recent being an inquiry held on 20th December, 1974, into the cause of the collision of two passenger trains at Rosslare Strand station on 13th August, 1974.
As already announced, I have also directed that an inquiry be held by the railway inspecting officer into the cause of the accident at Gormanstown station on 21st October, 1974, which unfortunately resulted in the death of two passengers. This inquiry was opened in public on 5th February, 1975, at the Land Commission Court Room, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin.
Decisions have not yet been taken as to the necessity for statutory inquiries into the causes of the other accidents listed by the Deputy.
I share the Deputy's concern about the number of railway accidents which have occurred in recent times and while there is provision in the Railway Acts for a formal investigation, which is in effect a sworn inquiry, I do not consider that the circumstances of the recent railway accidents are such as to warrant this type of investigation.
I would like to assure the House and the public that both my Department and CIE are fully conscious of the need to ensure safety in railway operations and that all necessary steps will be taken towards that end.
I take it that the policy of the Department is to investigate only cases involving tragedies or serious injury to passengers and if that is so I ask the Minister, in view of public uneasiness in relation to two other accidents which happily did not involve death or injury to people but at the same time disturbed the travelling public, to reconsider this policy.
In the case of the passenger trains which collided at Rosslare Strand nobody was injured but I did order an inquiry into the accident. It is not the policy of my Department to have inquiries only where somebody is injured or killed. Any accident happening on CIE must be reported to the Department and it is up to me then to decide whether an investigation is called for or not.
Having regard to the implications of these instances, where a driverless train is allowed to travel on a railway system, does the Minister not consider that his intervention is warranted to allay public uneasiness?
That accident is under investigation. It was opened in public yesterday and reported in this morning's papers. When an inquiry is held it can be held either in public or in private. If such an inquiry is held, I am bound to publish the findings of that inquiry. In the case of the accident at Rosslare Harbour in December that inquiry was held in private and I must publish the results of it. In the case of the investigation which opened yesterday I decided to have a public investigation and that is what is proceeding at present.