I now proceed to deal with the second item on the Adjournment. Deputy De Rossa gave me notice of his intention to raise the subject matter of the contingency plans between the Army and the Garda in dealing with a bomb on the railway line on the southern side of the Border.
Adjournment Debate. - Dublin-Belfast Railway Line.
I should like to allocate a number of minutes to my colleagues on the Fine Gael benches who are also anxious to say a few words on this matter. We spent the night together in Portadown on the train and I am sure there will be questions asked as to why Fine Gael and The Workers' Party should be together here. However, I am sure such questions would not come from the Minister's side of the House.
Does the Deputy have a clear conscience about it?
I am quite delighted that Deputy Currie was there. The main issue I want to raise is the seriousness of the intent of the Government in relation to keeping the line open. The Taoiseach gave an undertaking some months ago in the House in response to a question of mine that everything possible would be done to ensure that the Dublin-Belfast railway line was kept open and would not be closed by the Provisional IRA.
That commitment was put to the test at the weekend when a bomb threat was made on the southern side of the Border which was aimed at stopping the peace train returning from Belfast. My complaint is not in relation to the Garda — or indeed the Army — who clearly put their lives at risk every day in facing the Provisionals, the UVF and other gangs in the Border area. I am concerned at the delay which occurred between the time the bomb threat was reported, which I am told was 3 o'clock, and the time the search of the line started, which I understand was sometime between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
I appreciate that it takes time to check a line and I am not complaining about the length of time it took once the search started because it has to be done very carefully and nobody wants to put the lives of the Garda or Army at risk in rushing a job like that. However, the length of time it took for the search to start needs serious questioning because there were no adequate contingency plans to act swiftly and smartly to check the line. The main way to guarantee that this line is kept open is to ensure that delays to trains on the line are reduced to a minimum and the sooner lines are declared free of bombs, the sooner trains can travel on them again.
I appreciate that this is the first time there was a bomb threat in relation to the line south of the Border. Nevertheless, based on the Taoiseach's commitment here some time ago, the Minister should indicate the detail of what exactly happened when the threat was received and what steps were taken subsequently. He should also indicate that the Army will be put on a footing to ensure that the rail line is kept open to the greatest possible extent.
I am not trying to shift the blame for the closure of the line from the Provisional IRA because they clearly are the people causing the disruption to the line. They are threatening the lives of the people travelling on the trains, the lives of the workers and the livelihood of the hundreds — if not thousands — of people whose jobs depend on the goods which are brought back and forward, North and South, on these trains. The further arrogance of the IRA was demonstrated in a newspaper report this morning in which they complained that a report they had telephoned about a bomb on the line had been ignored. They were concerned that civilian lives would be put at risk. That is the utmost arrogance from people who have no mandate whatsoever to place bombs on lines, to murder a six months old baby in Germany, to slaughter bandsmen in Deal and to shoot, maim and kill members of the RUC and UDR or indeed civilians in Northern Ireland. As far as I am concerned, there are no accidents in so far as the Provisional IRA are concerned. They have no right to kill anybody or to destroy the link between Dublin-Belfast or Belfast-Dublin. It is an indication of their hypocrisy — if not their stupidity — that they attack the one tangible link between North and South which unites people in their travels to shop or visit friends and relatives.
I urge the Minister to ensure, in so far as it is humanly possible that our Garda and Army are geared to the point where disruption on the line and the threat to lives is reduced to a minimum.
I wish to facilitate — if the House agrees — Deputies Barnes, Currie and McGahon.
I waive my right to speak.
Thank you, Deputy. Therefore, I will call on Deputy Barnes and Deputy McGahon.
I wish to thank Deputy De Rossa for giving me some of his time; I intend giving most of it to Deputy McGahon who is so closely associated with the railway line and the area where the most disruption takes place. I endorse what Deputy De Rossa said. In talking about the contingency plans we must not ignore two issues: the deliberate disruption and the contempt of the IRA for the people of Ireland, North and South, while they claim to have some support from both communities.
I pay tribute to the people North and South who must clear the lines and risk their lives doing so. I hope the Minister will assure us in his reply that the contingency plans of the Garda and the Army will match those of the Army and RUC in Northern Ireland. During our stop-over we realised the effort that is put in on a daily or weekly basis to deal with the contemptible work of the IRA by the staff of the Northern Ireland railway and everybody concerned with safety on the northern side. We, as citizens of Ireland who happened to be on that side of the Border that night, were kept safe and decisions made were based on the need to keep us safe. If the IRA intend to continue disrupting and showing contempt for the ordinary people here, we hope guarantees will be given in relation to the safety of people so that we can travel to and from the North without breaking that communication, and that delays will be of the shortest possible duration so that people are encouraged to keep up the link.
I thank my colleague Deputy Barnes and in particular my unlikely comrade for a day and a night, Deputy De Rossa. It was a pleasure to take part in the peace train project with Deputy De Rossa, Deputy Gilmore and, of course, Deputy Currie.
As a Deputy from a railway town, which has had a railway facility for 100 years and has provided gainful employment, I want to add my voice of protest in denouncing the Provisional IRA, the people who specialise in baby killing, that evil murderous group, for their incomprehensible campaign against this railway line which has served as a link between Dublin and Belfast for over 100 years. No rationale can excuse their campaign which I believe is at the behest of some hauliers who will pay increasing road tax in the years ahead. Taxes cannot be taken from the occasional railway traveller.
I would ask the Minister, when was the bomb report received? My evidence was that it was received at 2.58 p.m. in Dundalk. I do not cast aspersions on either the Garda or the Irish Army whom I support, but I am concerned that there was no contingency plan for an operation such as this. There was a delay of 18 hours in solving the problem and although I accept that the search could not be carried on at night, I submit that a delay of 18 hours after a bomb threat is not acceptable. If such an incident occurs again I hope that there will not be such a delay.
I would also ask the Minister why soldiers based in Monaghan town were used when Dundalk has an Army barracks. I am sure that contributed to the 18 hour delay. The delay was unnecessary and the Minister should ensure that such a delay will not recur.
I welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to ensuring that the line is kept open. I congratulate Northern Ireland Railways and CIE for their forebearance and courage in keeping this line open, but if these attacks continue, it will be uneconomically viable to keep that line open. There are 500 jobs at risk in addition to the loss of business from the 600,000 people who come into the State every year as tourists, business people or people on educational courses.
I am sure that all Members will join with me in condemning in the strongest possible terms the attacks which have taken place on the Dublin to Belfast line over the past year or so. These attacks began on 16 December last when a device was detonated on the railway line north of the Border. They have continued on a regular basis since then by the placing of actual devices on the line or by the making of hoax telephone calls.
The peace train last Saturday was a demonstration by members of both communities North and South of their abhorrence for these reprehensible attacks by the Provisional IRA, attacks which have endangered the lives of civilian passengers as well as threatening the jobs of some 400 persons working either with Iarnróid Éireann or Northern Ireland Railways. The peace train itself was disrupted as a result of a hoax telephone call and the effect was that the train was held up at Portadown. In fact, the railway companies, North and South, have been forced to close the line each day since Saturday as a result of such calls. As we speak, I understand that the line is again closed because a device, which has yet to be examined by the explosive experts, has been discovered on the northern side.
The Deputies asked specifically about the contingency plans which the Garda and the Army have to deal with possible bombs on the southern side of the railway line. I can assure the Deputies and the House that appropriate measures are in place to deal with any such situation if it arises. As the Deputies will appreciate, to go into the specifics of such measures would defeat the purpose for which the plans are prepared in the first place. The Garda authorities have assured me they are satisfied that the necessary steps to deal with such a situation can be taken with the assistance of the appropriate Army experts in this area.
I am aware that Deputy De Rossa, accompanied by Deputy McGahon, called to Dundalk Garda station last Saturday night and complained about what he saw as a delay in carrying out a search of the line in response to the call that there was a bomb. There was no question of an 18 hour delay as mentioned by Deputy McGahon.
I am sorry that some of the media have left at this stage, but I would emphasise that there was no such delay as 18 hours before action was taken. What happened was that late that afternoon a search was carried out.
I would inform the Deputies who were on the train, the House and the general public, that all the bridges between Dundalk and the Border were checked on Saturday but CIE asked the Garda and Army to check the whole line and not just the bridges which had been checked on Saturday evening before darkness fell. Due to darkness falling, the search was postponed until Sunday morning when the search resumed at about 9.40 a.m. The line was cleared at about 2 p.m. on Sunday. The Garda and the Army had to check each yard of that line from Dundalk to the Border and not just the bridges.
As the Deputies will appreciate, due regard must be had in carrying out a search to ensure that lives will not be put at risk by a hurried reopening. In addition, there is a risk to those involved in the search itself and I would remind the House that an explosives officer on the northern side was injured when a device exploded on 17 February during a clearance operation. It is essential that any search be carried out under safe and proper conditions.
I would like to finish by asking what those who are carrying out this campaign against the railway line hope to achieve by it. They seem to be bent upon trying to close down a link which brings passengers and freight to and from both parts of our island and is of social and economic importance. It is difficult to understand how such pointless, divisive action can be reconciled with the aim of unifying and bringing together the people of this island. I appeal to those concerned to stop their senseless activities, and I know that all sides of the House will join me in this appeal.
I assure the House that this matter has been discussed by the Anglo-Irish Conference at their recent meetings. It is a matter of deep concern to the Government and will continue to be treated with the utmost seriousness because we see the importance of this link between Dublin and Belfast.
I assure the Deputies who were on the peace train that when the Garda received the report in Dundalk, the bridges were searched before dark. The risk was still there. The Garda and the Army had also been asked to search the lines. That was what caused the delay. When the Deputies consider this they will appreciate the seriousness with which this matter is being treated by the Government, the Garda, the Army, Iarnróid Éireann and the Northern Ireland authorities.
The Dáil adjourned at 9 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 2 November 1989.