Dr. Margaret Kennedy:

On insurance, if someone is not there to put us on the train, members of the public often want to help and run to get the ramps and put them up for us. However, they are not insured or trained to do so. My sister and I were helped onto the train by boys from Blackrock College. It is a great college and they were great and well-meaning boys but they were untrained children. That was not covered by insurance. Such a situation is not safe for us. Apparently, drivers are not allowed to put the ramps down. I was told that their unions do not allow them to do so because it is not part of their contracts or whatever. Some drivers put them down. I had an unfortunate experience with a driver who was quite angry that he had to do so.

As regards forgetting people, several disabled people have been forgotten by Irish Rail or other companies. If a disabled passenger is left stranded, there must be an immediate sanction for the company and an immediate compensatory scheme for the disabled person. Monetary sanctions always make companies work better. They should be fined. There has to be accountability for leaving disabled people sitting on freezing platforms for two, three or four hours and only monetary sanctions will ensure that. They should be fined and compensation should be given to the affected disabled person. Most importantly, stations should be manned.