Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Senator Brian Hayes raised the wildcat industrial action by locomotive drivers and particularly the fact people were not informed of the action. If they had been informed, they would not have crowded into Kent Station only to be sent away. Young students in Kildare were setting off for university exams and we heard one of them on radio yesterday. One must consider the discommoding of people going about their business.

As Senator O'Toole said, these were wildcat strikes which were not legal. The talk about training is a smokescreen for looking for more money for driving new trains. In 2001, when the new trains were ordered, the drivers got a cash payment. The Labour Court expressly stated they received that payment. One cannot treat people in such an appalling way.

Senator O'Toole is right that there were five years of industrial peace because the last substantial agreement with CIE workers of all grades, but mainly with drivers, gave them decent pay which they were due because they perform a very onerous job. The drivers cannot treat the public in this way.

I fully agree with Senators O'Toole, Brian Hayes and Morrissey and others who spoke on the matter. Complete disregard was shown for people who pay fares and pay the drivers' wages. Everyone has the constitutional right to withdraw his or her labour but one must operate according to strictures and there are procedures which these drivers can work through with their unions. I was glad to hear one of the trade union representatives yesterday condemn this type of action, which Senator O'Toole mentioned.

Senator O'Toole raised the fact the people of Kerry are to hold a plebiscite on what they should call Dingle. That is a common sense approach and we are glad that will happen. The Senator will not move his Bill until he sees what happens. Senator Ryan wondered if there would be a further raft of plebiscites if other towns decide to change their names. He also said Irish Rail management was nowhere to be seen. He said there was a deficit in training but there is not. A considerable amount of training has taken place. He also asked that the ten reports on accident and emergency services be put in the Oireachtas Library. I will pass on that request.

Senator Ryan also spoke about the very graphic Christian Aid letter on the people of Palestine. He said the humanitarian crisis was not caused by God but by man. Senator Leyden called for a debate on Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and on the valiant priests and nuns who have worked in those places for so long.

I share Senator Finucane's praise for the "Prime Time" report on accident and emergency services which I watched along with the programme after it. It was very graphic and it was sad to see, in the main, very elderly people terrified of going to a hospital. None of us would like to go to hospital but these people were terrified because they did not know how they would be treated.