Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I agree with the Minister that there is a need to break up the CIE group of companies and let them run their own show, but they should be made accountable to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport. Fine Gael agrees that the person should be appointed as a chairman rather than as an executive chairman. However, there are critical issues concerning transparency and accountability within CIE, and particularly concerning the exceptional audits that took pace within the company. Arising from the Baker Tilly report, there are issues concerning further audits on which CIE is refusing to make a public statement. That is of great concern to me.

One of the key accidents that happened in recent decades was the one at Malahide. CIE and Irish Rail, however, have lost their corporate memory on the construction of that viaduct. It is terribly important that the chairperson the Minister appointed should be invigilated on all these issues in his capacity as chairperson. However, the Minister has reappointed him for another year without any accountability or transparency. It is more of the same and that is what we are concerned about.

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