Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I will be brief, in recognition of the fact that the Minister has dealt with part of this issue during Priority Questions. Could the Minister make a bold move in this area rather than waiting for operators to come to him with expressions of interest? Can he advertise and set out a policy framework to encourage interest, rather than inquiring about a European directive regarding compulsion or requiring operators to come to us? Can he not spell it out that the Government is trying to encourage, support and develop this area? I am interested to see if he is willing or able to take that approach rather than wait to see who comes along and makes an application.

On the Minister's statement that he does not want to support rail freight service because he wants to concentrate on passenger services, does he agree that the connected issue about road safety is increasingly important in this area because road freight helps create accidents, so there is motivation for us to subsidise, support and develop rail freight which is a safer transport mode which also has environmental and social benefits? What will it take for the Minister to revise the policy he has of not supporting rail freight services when most other EU countries are quite willing to support them?

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