Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I also call on the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Noel Ahern, to initiate a full independent investigation into all aspects of safety at the Dublin Port tunnel to reassure the 5 million motorists who use it that it is safe. People need reassurance that, for the 98 or 99% of the time the tunnel has been open since its formal opening, their lives have not been in danger when passing through it.

I am disappointed that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, is not here this evening as I feel he has shirked this responsibility again and again. Like Deputy O'Dowd, I was involved in an earlier "Prime Time" investigation and the Minister refused to report on the matter to this House; he said it was a matter for the National Roads Authority, NRA. This kind of archaic nonsense makes a mockery of the Dáil and the democratic system.

Like most people, I was shocked by the further allegations made on the "Prime Time" programme in recent days and the internal EGIS report that RTE made public, which alleged that the Scada safety system was unsuitable to ensure the safe operation of the tunnel and that it generates dangerous situations. It also alleged that the whole Scada system was deficient and inadequate and should be replaced. We were assured by Mr. Fred Barry of the NRA, at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, after an earlier series of closures, that the tunnel was absolutely safe. However, given the recent reports, I have the same doubts and concerns as my Fine Gael colleague.

This week's "Prime Time" investigation came on the back of several other investigations by RTE and the Evening Herald, and there have been distressing allegations that the Dublin fire brigade could not enter the tunnel under certain conditions. During the no-warning shutdown of the tunnel last February there was mayhem across the greater Dublin area. Concerns have been aired in the media about alleged unsafe conditions for driving vehicles carrying petrol, diesel and other combustible cargo through the tunnel. It has also been indicated that parts of the Scada computer system and all 32 pairs of jet fans in the tunnel have been replaced. Why was that necessary so soon after the opening of the facility?

Will the Minister of State address these concerns and outline the contact he has had with the NRA and Dublin City Council regarding the operation of the tunnel? Will the NRA initiate an additional review of health and safety procedures in the tunnel? Will the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, order an immediate investigation? On behalf of the Labour Party I call for one. Will the Minister, this evening, assure the public that the tunnel is safe? The Minister must establish a full and independent safety review to completely restore confidence as many drivers no longer wish to use the tunnel because, since the last "Prime Time" programme, they consider it to be dangerous.

There seems to be a poisonous industrial relations atmosphere swirling around some of the allegations and information that have come to the fore. Many people were shocked to learn that the NRA and Dublin City Council were also planning to launch legal action against Nishimatsu, Mowlem and Irishenco because of the number of alleged serious systems failures.

My colleague, Councillor Seán Kenny, who is chairperson of the Dublin City Council traffic committee, has called for the termination of the Transroute company's contract because of ongoing safety problems. What is the Minister's view on this suggestion?

Given the importance of the port tunnel to Dublin's north side and indeed to the rest of Dublin and the country, it is critical that its safety is clarified through a full, independent investigation.

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