Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I am thankful, as are we all, that the serious, even spectacular, rail accident in Cahir involved no loss of life or injuries. In that respect it was better than the previous accident in the same place in 1955, details of which are recorded in photograph books in County Tipperary.

It is a busy line, despite impressions given to the contrary, and it is especially so at this time of the year with the transportation of beet. The train in question was a cement train which was running in the early hours of the morning. They run on a 24 hour basis. The line is important rather than expendable.

This incident underlines the importance of the rail safety programme introduced by Senator O'Rourke when she was the Minister for Public Enterprise. It is essential for the health and safety of train drivers that the programme is completed. The rail safety programme was never purely a question of economics. It was a matter of safety.