Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I welcome whatever amalgamation the Minister proposes within his Department of the existing safety reporting of air accidents, marine safety matters and so on. The stark facts are that there have been two fatal bus crashes recently, one in Kentstown, County Meath where sadly five people lost their lives and many were injured and another on Wellington Quay in Dublin in 2004 where five people also died and several more were injured. The difference between the two crashes was the way in which they were investigated. The Garda properly investigated both, but the Health and Safety Authority could only investigate the accident in Kentstown, County Meath and could not investigate the Dublin Bus accident on Wellington Quay. We need an independent authoritative examination of all accidents where there are fatalities, especially for those involving public transport. Families need closure on these issues. There is no closure for the families involved as the Dublin Bus report into the crash on Wellington Quay remains to this day unpublished. It is not acceptable that Dublin Bus refuses to publish the report. I ask the Minister to address this issue, as the former Minister for Transport, Deputy Séamus Brennan, gave a commitment to a review of safety procedures in Dublin Bus.

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