Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Let us put some facts on the table. Passenger numbers and revenue are at an all-time high in Irish Rail. However, due to cuts, it is spending all of the available money on track and engine maintenance. More people are using rail services. There is a very important ideological element which comes from the Government and Irish Rail management and the chief executive officer, CEO, Mr. David Franks. It is an agenda of underfunding, outsourcing and privatisation. It is an agenda which sees it as acceptable that the CEO would spend at least €20,000 on a fishing trip to entertain European rail CEOs, while not being willing to offer his workers a decent deal.

The CEO has come from Keolis UK in Britain, which has newly-privatised railways, and the outsourcing of Irish Rail services was pushed through even though they are more expensive when delivered by a subcontractor than when run by Irish Rail. I warn the Minister that if he continues on this road he is liable to further undermine and attempt to destroy our public transport. We saw what happened in Britain, where the political backlash has resulted in a situation whereby 76% of the public support renationalisation of the railways and redevelopment of public transport as a public service. That is what we should be doing.

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