Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Separate to anything else, the Railway Safety Commission has made a finding on the Malahide viaduct and I believe the contents of that report are very significant and I want to know what they are. The key issue is that the Government promised to make the Railway Safety Commission operate under the Freedom of Information Act. The statement of strategy of the Railway Safety Commission, which is on the Internet, states that pending that order being made it will abide by the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act and make information available in a free and proper manner. It is refusing to do so. It creates concerns for me and all travellers on that line that it refuses to do so. It is not good enough. I should not need to have a conversation with the person who is acting head as that person should respond to my freedom of information request, which is an entirely separate matter to the railway special investigation unit.

I do not know whether the Minister has the same view but I believe Irish Rail's attitude to all of this is shameful, disgraceful and self-serving. Hundreds of people could very easily have died in that accident. It did not do enough to make it safe. In 1998-----

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