Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Presumably, that is what a rail review would come up with and why everybody was asked to make submissions 12 months ago. The Taoiseach is not in a position today to tell me when that will be published or the work completed.

The bus dispute was six months ago. He committed, prior to its resolution and acceptance of the Labour Court recommendation, to convene a stakeholders' forum. He is flailing around and asking people to come up with the type of forum he should convene. It is the job of the Minister to get on with it and convene a forum of that kind.

Given the febrile nature of industrial relations and public transport, he had an obligation to do that. He should have done so six months ago in the immediate aftermath of the bus dispute but he did not do so. We now find ourselves in another dispute. It stems from a lack of proactivity in respect of the public transport sector.

In terms of investment, a step change is required if one is to believe the assessment of the NTA on the current position of Iarnród Éireann and the need for an additional €103 million per annum simply to stand still. This might be unpalatable for people to take on board, but it is what it is. It has raised safety issues, train times becoming slower between cities and so on. It would have sent a very important signal, in the context of the rail review, if people were assured of a Government commitment to public transport and railways, in particular, given the wider Government objectives on climate change and so on.

Workers do not want to be on strike. The Taoiseach cannot casually say that they had to go on strike. They do not want to be there.

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