Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I agree with the Deputy on one thing - that a very serious incident was averted by the quick thinking of the driver in question. We should all be grateful for that. I have two roles concerning rail safety, which are to ensure that the policy is correct and to provide as much money as possible for that. In both of those duties, my predecessors and I have discharged our functions as we should. I agree with the Deputy that what is contained in the Iarnród Éireann report, about forgetting in some ways what they should have been doing concerning the maintenance of the viaduct structure, is frightening. I certainly hope that the lesson has been well learned by the company itself. I do not propose to make any further comment on the specific findings because once we have set up the statutory body, the report of which will be public, the proper time to comment is when we have all the facts.

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