Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is exactly the point. Who will help the Senator with his luggage? This will affect disabled people and elderly people, who need assistance from time to time. It is not going to be a runner. By contrast, the larger stations are well manned. Given the extent of anti-social behaviour, it is essential to have one train host on every train. I wonder what Irish Rail's policy is on drinking. I recently met a group of four who went on board with drinks in their hands. I do not know if they got more drink on board but they were certainly boisterous. They upset everybody else in the carriage but there was no train host to deal with them. I took this up with Joe, my own train host, on an early train this morning and he told me the story of a customer who used the intercom to communicate with the driver and got him to deal with it at the next station. There was an altercation, the driver suffered an injury and the train was held up for two hours while they waited for a substitute driver. CIÉ does a good job but the company has to be very careful about staffing levels at certain stations. A train host on every service is essential.

I support Senator Ó Céidigh in his request for a debate on the worthwhile report in which he has been very much involved.