Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Senator Fitzpatrick on the work she has done on the motion. The Fianna Fáil Dublin group has been doing a lot of work in this area: conducting research and speaking to all the stakeholders. There is consensus across the House that transport workers should feel safe. As previous Senators said, nobody should go to work filled with fear of the unknown or be afraid that somebody is going to explode. Workers do not feel safe, and they fear something terrible is going to happen.

As customers and users of public transport we must also have an expectation that we will feel safe. I have travelled on the Belfast to Dublin train late at night and I did not feel 100% safe, in particular as a woman. There could be a group of people drinking, for example, or whatever else, which makes one uncomfortable. Laws are a deterrent, and there must be a deterrent or possibility of getting caught for doing something wrong. It seems that the transport system is a bit of a free-for-all, because there is no security. Private security is paid for with no enforcement. The State is paying for a lot of private security, and we are not getting the benefit of it. We must find a way to move forward with the motion and to put it into practice so that we can get the Garda to provide a fully-fledged transport police. People should have the expectation of safety and respect for their human dignity, as well as the expectation that justice will be served. Justice is a deterrent.

I again congratulate my colleague, Senator Fitzpatrick, on all the work she has done on the motion, and the work that led to tonight's debate, which I support.