Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I wish to raise the issue of rail freight services in Ireland. The Irish freight market was opened by the Government on 1 January 2006 to allow the private sector to become involved in it. However, there is little evidence that the market has been opened by Government measures. Iarnród Éireann held a contract from Diageo to transport Guinness to the west. Three trains brought Guinness to the west each week. That contract has been lost and 19 or 20 articulated trucks will bring Guinness into the west.

In recent weeks we have listened to the Government preaching about road safety and the volume of traffic on our roads, yet our rail service is being underused. Iarnród Éireann has been given the job of running the country's rail freight services but has failed. If the Government does not step in soon, there will be no rail freight business left because Iarnród Éireann will have lost the contracts. Freight services and staff will be lost and more vehicles will be on the roads. If Guinness can be carried by road more cheaply, it is daft of the Government to allow this to happen when Iarnród Éireann should be able to compete. For many years it has had the contract to deliver Guinness all over Connacht but 25 jobs will be lost and more transporters will be on our roads.

What efforts has the Government made to get people in the private sector involved now that the rail freight market has been opened? Has anyone taken up the offer? What has the Government done to take more trucks off of the roads to improve road safety?

We should be using the rail freight service. I do not want to see more rail lines closed down, such as the western rail corridor, and people seeking in 20 years to have these services re-opened. The infrastructure is in place and it is time for the Government to take the necessary action, including the introduction of legislation to this House. If Iarnród Éireann is not prepared to deal with the rail freight service, it should be handed to the private sector, which would be glad to run it at a profit. I cannot understand why the company could not compete for the contract, having had it for so many years. I believe Iarnród Éireann does not want anything more to do with freight. It wants only the passenger services.

The Government cannot preach to the people, bring in penalty points, tell us that there are too many cars on the roads or ask why people do not use public services when a company is not able to look for new businesss and has lost its existing business. I hope the Government will step in and do something about this matter.

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