Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

Another group, namely, the subscribers who were facing steep increases in their health insurance, will be very happy with this morning's announcement relating to Fermoy.

On a separate issue, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, was reported yesterday as expressing a concern — one which Senators would share — about the financial costs arising from the Kyoto Agreement and Ireland's failure to remain within the limits set down. He said the steady increase in car transport was making fulfilment of the NO2 obligations very difficult. This week, however, we read that rail freight declined last year by 24%. Would Senators agree with me that there is some connection between these two facts? The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Minister for Transport and possibly the Minister for Finance should get together to see how we use our grossly under-utilised rail system outside peak times.