Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Of course there were, but I do not know how they lived with the job or managed to carry it out responsibly.

The Senator is correct in stating that the trains stop at Athlone to let people off. I had a vision that a train would stop in the middle of the bridge at Athlone while crossing the Shannon. In my vision everybody would say, "This is as far as we are going". The Department of Finance's proposal was laughed out of it, of course, because no matter what cutbacks were to be entertained trains would still be crossing the Shannon in the same way as Sarsfield's men did.

I thank the Minister of State for attending the House to introduce this Bill. The measure raises many memories in my mind of the safety regime upon which my Department embarked four years ago. These events have exercised my mind as I listened to today's debate. I thank our party's spokesperson on transport, as well as the Opposition spokespersons, who referred so kindly to my role in the legislation. I appreciate their comments. The Minister of State also referred to me in his script for which I thank him. I thank his officials in particular for all the work they have put into the Bill.