Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will go back to Deputy Smith's first comment that a lot of people are proposing a separate transport police. It is important that we address whether that is key, one way or the other. I recently visited a new control centre being built by Iarnród Éireann. It is an amazing facility behind Heuston Station. There we are seeing co-location of An Garda Síochána services with the Irish Rail management system. That this points in the right direction. We should have a continuing close connection between Irish Rail and An Garda Síochána. That co-location will further improve and develop that.

I had a meeting yesterday with our rail safety commissioner whose job it is to assess safety and review any accidents in the rail service. I asked him his view on whether we would be better off with a separate service. He firmly said "No". He felt that, as the Deputy said, the better operation of the existing systems would give a better return.

Last year, the NTA produced a significant report, Travelling in a Woman's Shoes, which addressed the issue of a wider sense of safety. The report stated, as the Deputy also said, that it is often design, presence, lighting and other basic safety features which are very important. It is not just about policing. It can be about presence, the local environment around public transport stations and so on. Following the recommendations of that report is a key and integral part of making the system safer for everyone.

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