Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will request CIÉ to send accident investigation findings to his Department for their consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28783/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The procedures for investigating railway accidents are determined by the EU Safety Directive as transposed into Irish law by the Railway Safety Act 2005 and the European Communities (Railway Safety) Regulations 2008.

Where an accident occurs, it will be investigated by the Railway Accident Investigation Unit, a functionally independent unit of the Railway Safety Commission. The Investigation Unit is required to submit investigation reports to me and also to make them public within 12 months of the date of the accident. In the event of an accident, Iarnród Éireann is also required to carry out its own internal investigation and prepare a report on its findings to be submitted to the Railway Safety Commission.

The investigation of road traffic accidents, including bus accidents, is a matter for An Garda Siochána under the Road Traffic Acts.