Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take all the questions together.

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am sure that they condemn this unofficial action that has brought such disruption to train services. The day-to-day operation of train services, including the management of industrial relations, is a matter for Irish Rail.

This industrial action, which has brought almost 20 daily train services in Cork and Kerry to a halt, including commuter services in the Cork city area, has its origins in the refusal by some drivers to undertake in full driving duties that had been agreed with the NBRU and SIPTU national drivers committee and endorsed by the Labour Relations Commission last March. The dispute is affecting thousands of passengers, many of whom are not well placed to organise alternative means of transport. These people are being seriously inconvenienced by this unofficial action, which should cease immediately as far as I am concerned.

Apart from directly impacting on Irish Rail revenue, the unofficial action is also undoing some of the good work carried out by Irish Rail in recent years to improve the quantity and quality of services. There has been sustained high-level capital and current investment in the rail network over the past decade. This year, a total of €522 million in capital funding and €191 million in current funding has been allocated to Irish Rail, which represents an 18% increase on the 2007 figure. That is a substantial level of Exchequer investment in the railway network. It is being used to fund major infrastructure and rolling stock upgrades. The beneficial impact of this Government investment is evident in the increased passenger numbers being carried by Irish Rail, which are up from 31.7 million passengers in 2000 to almost 47 million passengers in 2007, representing a 50% increase. There are now more trains and more services carrying more people than ever. This customer base, growing in response to the improved services, rightly expects a reliable service that is not subject to regular disruption. If it is to retain and expand its customer base and effectively make the case for ongoing investment in the rail network, Irish Rail must be able to guarantee reliability.

Regarding "no strike" clauses, Iarnród Éireann has agreements in place to limit industrial action and its impact on services. The Labour Relations Commission code of practice advocates procedures and safeguards in the case of essential services, namely, those whose cessation or interruption could endanger life, cause major damage to the national economy or widespread hardship to the community. The Labour Relations Commission recommends that parties should recognise the joint responsibility to resolve disputes without resorting to strikes or other forms of industrial action.

Unofficial industrial action hinders the promotion of public transport as a viable alternative and there is a case to be made that "no strike" clauses would improve confidence in public transport and ensure the efficient operation of public transport network services. It would not be appropriate for me to intervene and I do not intend to do so. I regret the inconvenience caused to customers and ask that the unofficial action be withdrawn immediately.

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